A Gripping Psychological Thriller—Review Of Nefarious (2023)

Edward Wayne Brady is sentenced to die and Dr James Martin (played by Jordan Belfi), a psychiatrist is called upon at the last minute to evaluate the convict's sanity and competency to stand execution. When James "Jimmy" is allowed into the cell, Edward reveals himself to be a demon called Nefarious who manipulates his host body to commit murders for which he's convicted. James denies belief in such supernatural stuff, claiming to be an atheist.

It turns out that Edward has a diary filled with pictures and narration of James' life which made James uncomfortable. Edward tries to manipulate James in this face to face discussion to do the bidding of his "master". Is James strong enough to resist this supernatural malevolent power and not do his bidding? Will James still maintain his liberal views after the terrifying encounter?

Review

Nefarious is a gripping, faith-based psychological thriller with some intrigue. It's also said to have elements of horror but after seeing this one-hour, thirty-six minutes film, there is nothing horrific about it. The plot is great as it focuses on the age-old battle of good versus evil, supernatural themes of heaven versus hell, angels and demons. I like that it's moderately budgeted since all the scenes take place in one location—the prison cell.

The storytelling, character development and acting are impressive in my opinion. Sean Patrick Flanery's performance as a character with a split personality disorder is fascinating and well done. He is very convincing! But I expected that along the way he would display something horrific or bewildering like levitating or so to convince the atheist that he's a demon for real. Without bothering about the sensitive issue of religion though, if a viewer watches with an open mind, there are lots of things to learn from this thriller.

I especially enjoyed the enlightening dialogues and exchanges between James, the psychiatrist and Edward, the convict. The efforts of Edward (demon) to get into James' mind were particularly amusing. One particular quote from Edward is an eye-opener:

And now there's evil everywhere and no one cares…proving that we achieved our goal. Slowly with your movies, your TV and your media, we desensitised you, redirected your worldview to the point that you can't even recognize even when it is right in front of your face...

I believe this quote is real and captures most of what's happening in our world. The directors tread an unpopular and uncharted area in the film industry. They weave a compelling tale and drama that can be seen as unnerving for people outside the Christian faith but captivating in my opinion.

Overall, this film is a good watch for mature minds that flirts between faith and psychology, a twisted battle of minds with shocking outcomes. Adults may watch and understand it better than children. I'll rate it 3 stars out of 5.

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^{Other images are screenshots from the movie}