Display Review

Brigham City (film)

By Richard Dutcher

Reviewed by Paris Anderson
On 9/1/2002

Zion Films , 6 April 2001.
Genre: Film DVD Release Date: April 30, 2002 Run Time: 120 minutes Rating: PG-13

I don't know if this could be considered a review, a piece of fan mailor an invitation to discuss a very profound and disturbing theme Ifound in the movie. But Friday my wife rented the video of BrighamCity, and we stayed up late to watch it.

At first it was hard to get into. The setting was too familiar, thecharacters were too familiar and predictable -- some of the actorswere people I knew. It's that "Can anything good come from Nazareth?"thing. Or if you prefer, "No prophet is without honor except in hishometown and among his friends." (Not exact quotes.) But afterawhile I was drawn into the movie and suspended reality. I wascharmed by the acting, the story and everything else that goes with amovie.

It wasn't until the last scene that it became personal to me, that ittouched me, that I related so strongly with one of the charactor'sreactions that I felt my deepest, darkest secrets were being exposed.

In that scene Bishop Dutcher is reluctant to go to sacrament meeting,and then he refuses to take the sacrament -- as if he feels unworthy.That's pretty close to Stokholm syndrome -- when the victom, in amoment of terror, comes to identify with his persecuters and make themhis friends. I believe, in Bishop Dutcher's case, he came to identifywith the filth and horror in his environment. And that's what madehim unworthy. That is my secret, and I didn't appreciate BishopDutcher pulling down my pants in public.

I published an essay in Irreantum last summer that addressed that sametheme. The theme wasn't developed and expressed very well, mainlybecause I hadn't thought much about it. It was under the surface.But since the WTC thing I've really had to confront the idea. I'vecome to realize it's just a quirk of the human mind -- the fact thatI've internalized the filth and violence of my former environment andnow feel dirty myself. I know it's nothing but a phantom -- not evena well defined idea -- but I can't shake it.

I guess it's just one of those things -- gonna have to keep doing mything and hope it don't come to the surface much anymore. I know somethings don't go away -- no matter how much you pray . . . no matterhow much you drink. Some things are just going to ride you until youdie.

Does anyone else have these kind of phantoms? or is it just me andBishop Dutcher. If as how do you deal with them?