In 2018, three middle-aged men held a press conference about their experiences being sexually abused by Catholic priests in the Kansas City area, part of a continuous and devastating slate of victims revealing decades after the fact how they were silenced by the church and their communities. After viewing the conference, director Robert Greene, known for documentaries about the blending of fact and re-enactment like Kate Plays Christine and Bisbee '17, contacted the men's lawyer and asked if he could involve a drama therapist to help these men process their feelings in a safe, communal space. Procession is a film about six men creating short films that recreate their memories of molestation and manipulation but it reaches far beyond that to interrogate the ultimate power of film, especially the kind of docufiction that Greene has made a career from. Each man is granted the space and resources to write and direct their vignettes, each vignette granted a visceral anger or sorrow by the men who each have grappled with these events in differing ways. One man has held onto a rage at not only the priest but the independent review board that worked tirelessly to discredit his testimony, some are still actively fighting in the court system for whatever shred of justice they can achieve, but they all share in the creation of a supportive brotherhood to help each other face their demons in a way that makes sense for them. It's a difficult movie to watch sometimes, especially as each man steps up to both create their own vision of the worst day of their lives but at points actually travel to the location where these crimes were committed. Greene wisely grants each participant an emotional space that allows them each to collaborate on these films and achieve some form of healing through them. In the end, Procession is a work of staggering emotional depth and camaraderie that tries to grant the victims at its center a breakthrough they've been searching for all their lives. I wish each of them peace and justice.
In 2018, three middle-aged men held a press conference about their experiences being sexually abused by Catholic priests in the Kansas City area, part of a continuous and devastating slate of victims revealing decades after the fact how they were silenced by the church and their communities. After viewing the conference, director Robert Greene, known for documentaries about the blending of fact and re-enactment like Kate Plays Christine and Bisbee '17, contacted the men's lawyer and asked if he could involve a drama therapist to help these men process their feelings in a safe, communal space. Procession is a film about six men creating short films that recreate their memories of molestation and manipulation but it reaches far beyond that to interrogate the ultimate power of film, especially the kind of docufiction that Greene has made a career from. Each man is granted the space and resources to write and direct their vignettes, each vignette granted a visceral anger or sorrow by the men who each have grappled with these events in differing ways. One man has held onto a rage at not only the priest but the independent review board that worked tirelessly to discredit his testimony, some are still actively fighting in the court system for whatever shred of justice they can achieve, but they all share in the creation of a supportive brotherhood to help each other face their demons in a way that makes sense for them. It's a difficult movie to watch sometimes, especially as each man steps up to both create their own vision of the worst day of their lives but at points actually travel to the location where these crimes were committed. Greene wisely grants each participant an emotional space that allows them each to collaborate on these films and achieve some form of healing through them. In the end, Procession is a work of staggering emotional depth and camaraderie that tries to grant the victims at its center a breakthrough they've been searching for all their lives. I wish each of them peace and justice.
