‘Down the Arm of God’ Review: Caleb Landry Jones in a Sincere, if Heavy-Handed, Drama About a Texas Pastor Tackling Homelessness, and His Own Congregation
"Down the Arm of God" is an indie drama reviewed at the Locarno Film Festival, starring Caleb Landry Jones as Nick, a newly ordained pastor in a small Texas town who clashes with his own congregation after urging them to help a local homeless community. Directed and co-written by Peter Brunner (his second film with Jones after "To the Night"), the film is produced with backing from Luc Besson and features several non-professional actors with lived experience of homelessness, giving it a sincere, socially engaged core.
Critic Leslie Felperin praises the performances and Peter Flinckenberg's cinematography, which captures the distinctive light of the Texas Panhandle setting, but finds the film heavy-handed and one-sided, arguing it portrays the small-minded, MAGA-coded townsfolk with little nuance. The review also notes the film is vague about the congregation's religious denomination, which it suggests undercuts exploration of the theological roots of the community's insular, "possibly racist" worldview. The 106-minute film's cast also includes Nick Stahl and Mena Suvari.
- Caleb Landry Jones stars as a Texas pastor aiding homeless people, clashing with his flock.
- Reviewed at Locarno Film Festival; directed by Peter Brunner, produced with Luc Besson.
- Critic calls it sincere but heavy-handed and one-sided in its portrayal of the congregation.