This film shows the reality of the Louisiana bayous today, and maybe has been for decades. I was raised in New Orleans and spent some time in bayou country growing up. This is country people at their finest, and at their worst. Maybe the most beautiful part of this film is the natural faith in God displayed by the father and daughter, and by people the father heals in his natural, childlike way. Spiritual belief is never pushed on the viewer, but is nevertheless shown to be the best way to go about life. I save 10 stars for stunners, but this one, as soft and melancholy as it is, deserves high accolades.

I'm surprised this film has only four other reviewers commenting as I write this. It deserves a wider audience and will probably find it in due course. At the same time, it won't appeal to everyone because of it's subject matter, and the characters, even though sympathetic to a degree, aren't very likeable. You realize pretty quickly that Pop (Dane Rhodes) isn't working with a full deck, and the estranged relationship he has with his daughter Gal (Teri Wyble) suggests an early exit on her part. But as the story progresses, situations conspire to bring them closer together, even if events in the story seem completely outlandish. Pop's belief in faith healing results in saving a man's life from a poisonous snake bite, while kissing a spark plug gets them on their way again in the Louisiana swamp Pop calls home. Both events can be explained away by coincidence, but with enough credibility that there may be something to it. By the time we get to the baptism style immersion of Sarah in the river, one almost expects the dead woman to come around in wide eyed wonder, but to maintain any kind of credibility in the story, Pop must confess that "Sometimes the answer is no, no matter how much you want it." Where things go off the rails for this viewer had to do with the idea that the Stranger (Hunter Burke) who lost his wife was so distraught that he went along with being buried along side her. For the principal character, the experience on the return to Gal's roots proved to be a redemptive one of sorts, though not enough perhaps to put her life entirely back in order. That would take a bit more than a handful of rosary beads.

This film really touches the heart and lets its characters breathe and reveal their hidden pain and secrets. The dream visuals in Cajun French are absolutely beautiful and profound. An absolute must-see that I hope wins many more awards.