The Terrible Meek is a film adaptation of Charles Rann Kennedy’s one act play of the same name. Director Bill Humphreys adapted the script for camera and also plays the lead role of the military captain. The plot centers on the conflicts within the captain, who is responsible for fulfilling an execution. His orders and subsequent actions have also entangled the soldier who carried out the execution and the mother of the executed man. In The Terrible Meek, the three debate universal themes such as morality, authority and spirituality during a military trial to determine the embattled captain’s fate.
The content of the film was respectable. Since the script was adapted from a pre-existing play, the dialogue and themes were primarily pre-established. However, botching the adaptation was still a possibility. Thankfully, that didn’t occur.
The acting was convincing, but not overly dramatic for the script. There were also a variety of camera angles and movements used, such as dolly shots and crane shots. Those added to the visual interest of the picture as well. In this film, editing was an important storytelling tool. Throughout the film, the audience witnesses current events and flashbacks in the lives of the characters, which helped unify the storyline. The only change I would have made concerning editing would be the timing of some of the cross-fade transitions. Although the shot composition related to the cross-fades was well executed, the transitions themselves lasted slightly too long for my taste. All things considered, I give the content two thumbs up, however.
The overall look of the film is rather theatrical, despite not being in widescreen. One of the main settings in the movie is a court room where the captain’s trial is taking place. The harsh, broad lighting, set dressing and actor placement there are reminiscent of a live theatrical production. Hopefully this was the goal for the film’s look.
Throughout the movie, the Director of Photography does a nice job of composing shots in compelling ways. Some good examples of that are the shots of the captain in his prison cell, shots of feet walking over the grate above the captain’s cell, and close-ups that really convey the emotion of the actors. An intense plot merits intense shots.
I only noticed a couple of problems related to the visual look. One was the digital noise created in dimly lit scenes such as those in the campfire and prison cell. There are a couple of options for correcting this. The first is to use more light to illuminate the actual scene. If that’s not possible, post-production editing plug-ins exist to help improve the problem as well. (Click here for our recent review of DE:Noise to learn about one of these.)
