‘Godhead’ Plunges Viewers Into a Stunning, Unsettling Examination of Fanaticism, Faith, and Forgiveness [Fantasia Review]

Mark H. Rapaport’s Godhead is for anyone who’s wrestled with faith, shame, or the lasting impact of growing up in a religious household. An emotional Rapaport introduced the film to an enthusiastic crowd, many of whom were returning after his first feature, Hippo, made its debut at the festival in 2023. Like Hippo, Godhead isn’t afraid to venture into taboo territory—pedophilia, incest, religious fanaticism, and sexual assault are all on the table—but don’t mistake its uncomfortable subject matter for empty provocation. Rapaport has crafted a film that’s philosophical, tender, and breathtakingly beautiful all at once. 

Somewhere deep in the American South, a priest (Al Warren) is visited by a pair of strange fraternal twins dressed in matching white tracksuits and sneakers (à la Heaven’s Gate) with a mission. Calling themselves Firstborn (Sarah Coffey) and Secondborn (Hippo‘s Kimball Farley), the twins believe that one of them is the Holy Spirit, and they need a trusted third party to determine which sibling is telling the truth before daylight. Whoever is chosen will be shot and ascend to Heaven to complete the “Godhead,” which they have tattooed on their palms in the form of a crudely drawn dove. 

Of course, the priest refuses to help them, convinced they’re playing a sick game. Growing increasingly frustrated, he asks them why they can’t just take the gun into the woods and see what happens if they shoot each other. But when the twins prove that they can’t pull the trigger themselves, the priest becomes an unwilling participant in a twisted spiritual reckoning, one that forces him to confront the demons he thought he had buried.

At first, Godhead unfolds like a Flannery O’Connor story before taking a delightfully Lynchian turn. Without saying too much, fans of Eraserhead will find plenty to enjoy here. 

The film is one of the most stunning we’ve seen at Fantasia so far, shot in luminous black-and-white by William Babcock. Farley looks particularly mesmerizing with his fried, platinum-blonde hair, bleached eyebrows, and wide, dark eyes. Babcock photographs him with a certain angelic softness, even when he’s lunging for the priest or wielding a gun, fitting for a character who may—or may not—be the Holy Spirit.