Leviticus wants to be It Follows for queer people, but doesn’t exactly succeed in its goal. The concept of a murderous entity taking the form of the one you love most is a very scary, freaky concept. It’s scarier than anything that actually happens in the film. Running at approximately 90 minutes, the quickness of the sequence of events can feel rushed or even nonsensical at times. This is another one that would have gained a bit by extending its run time.
This flick is grappling with some deep, meaningful themes such as the importance of human connection, some people’s desire to keep queer lovers apart, the deadly consequences of forced isolation, religion’s effects on queer people (the way they see each other and their love), and more. It doesn’t execute all of these themes well, but it gets enough right. We never learn much about the evil religious healer who summons the deadly entity, and the rules for this entity aren’t fully fleshed out. It’s also somewhat unrealistic that not a single other person in this film is supportive of our leads’ relationship.
The strongest things about Leviticus are the performances of Joe Bird and Stacy Clausen, and the chemistry they share. The love these two have for each other is palpable and feels real. Clausen’s Ryan doesn’t get quite as much screen time as Joe Bird’s Naim, which feels a bit odd (the film is told purely from the pov of Naim). Both actors sell the hell out of their roles and the material they are given. They are a large part of the reason why this flick works as well as it does.
Leviticus is far from a perfect film. It’s certainly flawed (for example: the too quick ending, or that the solution to our leads’ problem isn’t too hard to guess for those paying attention), but it’s tense, sad, freaky, effective at times, and perfectly captures part of the queer experience. It’s genuinely trying to say something meaningful. I really appreciate the effort.
3.5 STARS
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