Deep in Appalachia, Pastor Lemuel Childs (Walton Goggins) presides over an isolated community of Pentecostal snake handlers. As his devoted daughter Mara (Alice Englert) prepares for her wedding under the watchful eye of Hope Slaughter (Olivia Colman), Mara reveals a deadly secret that threatens to shatter the entire community.
Written and directed by Britt Poulton and Dan Madison Savage, “Them That Follow” launches their directorial debut with a story about a preacher’s daughter named Mara (Alice Englert) in a sort of coming-of-age narrative. In rural Appalachia, Pastor Lemuel Childs, played by Walt Goggins as a snake-handling Pentecostal minister, rides herd over his mindlessly obedient flock. Goggins’ breakout role in Quentin Tarantino’s “The Hateful Eight” as Sheriff Chris Mannix in 2015 raised the actor’s profile to new heights as a supporting player, and here again, he turns in a formidable performance. As he lords over the poor and undereducated with a thunderous voice and eerie aplomb, he seems something of a snake himself.
Mara harbors a secret that threatens her upcoming marriage to Garret, played by Lewis Pullman. Some truth remains unspoken by Thomas Mann as Augie, clearly preoccupied with both his lack of faith and his friendship with Mara.
“Them That Follow” sports a first-rate cast, particularly for a low budget indie production. Kaitlyn Dever as Mara’s friend Dilly adds to an increasingly impressive resume that includes “Last Man Standing,” “The Spectacular Now,” “Detroit,” and “Booksmart,” among many other movie and television projects.
Perhaps most interesting are the obvious tensions associated with many of the followers. Pullman’s superficially obsequious fiancé Garret initially suggests the naiveté of a young Randy Quaid. His tormented past comes squarely at odds with uneasy affection from a diffident Mara. Soon enough, he reveals his true colors.
Similarly, Olivia Colman – fresh off her Best Actress Oscar win for “The Favourite” – hints at a troubled life before finding what she considers redemption in the remote house of worship tucked deep within the backwoods of rural America. Jim Gaffigan as Zeke adds gravitas to this robust character study as he comes to side with Mara – in opposition with his wife Hope, who stubbornly adheres to the pastor’s pronouncements.
The undercurrent of the film addresses poor, disenfranchised whites desperately grasping for any degree of deliverance in this life or the next. The strained chants uttered by churchgoers seeking salvation bears an ironic resemblance to the Native American Ghost Dance movement, where fear, anger, and helplessness against the white invaders left magical spells as the final, futile retreat.
Outcasts all, Mara first begins to peer through the veil of her father’s spell by slowly recognizing the lunacy for what it is. Nonetheless, hard choices constantly block the way. A not unfamiliar story, the strength of “Them That Follow” lies with the quality of the acting from a fine ensemble, as the characters continually wrestle with the conflict between blind faith, familial devotion, and emergent intellect.
Available on DVD October 29th
