Someone who has never thought about it before will leave this movie understanding a bit about what a priest does, and why he does it.
The newest of the massively popular Knives Out murder mystery films, Wake Up Dead Man, released on Netflix on December 12, takes an unexpectedly religious turn: The two most central characters are Catholic priests.
How did Hollywood handle a film where the Catholic faith is central? With some missteps, but with remarkable respect.
The film is not for all ages — there is violence, sexual crudity, and highly objectionable behavior from clergy — yet it’s easy to see why Meg Hunter-Kilmer wrote on X that Wake Up Dead Man is “the best Catholic film I've ever seen.”
A surprisingly Catholic story
The film is replete with religious references, from Eve’s apple to Lazarus’s rising, to the Road to Damascus.
Director Rian Johnson drew on his Christian upbringing and consulted a group of priests to place the foundation for his characters.
One of those priests, Fr. Scott Bailey, discussed the film with Fr. Edward Looney on Looney’s podcast, Hey Everybody! It's Fr. Edward. You can see their conversation here:
“A Catholic who might turn this movie on, click on it on Netflix, in the first few minutes they might become very uncomfortable,” Fr. Looney said. Fr. Bailey replied (in part):
It is uncomfortable and there's certainly objectionable stuff … If you're going to go see this, don't expect this to be a saint movie. It is not. You are going to have to deal with some of the discomforts of a Hollywood murder mystery. But there are some deeper themes and there is some really beautiful stuff in here.
The likable protagonist is a priest, one who takes his vocation seriously and is faithful to it. But the moment that truly brings home the film’s Catholic heart is the big climax, hinging on the Sacrament of Confession.
Without saying too much, it is, as Leah Libresco Sargent called it, “as serious spiritual stakes as any Catholic could ask of a mainstream film” — a breathtaking, nail-biting depiction of the sacrament's power.
A relevant conflict
The two main-character priests seem to fit the cultural moment in an uncanny way. One is defensive, angry, and insular, while the other trusts in the Lord and is merciful and kind.
The latter does not compromise on truth, but goes the extra step to imitate Christ’s radical love — even when it’s inconvenient, even when it hurts.
The director put it this way to National Catholic Reporter:
[Wicks is] a distillation of a cloud of things that I experienced growing up in an evangelical household. I would say Jud, in contrast, is an example of all the positive things I heard growing up in church services and represents the beauty of Christ's love. I thought it would be interesting to pit those two against each other.
Perhaps you’ve seen examples of this conflict in real life. The film pitting these two approaches against each other says something important about how we present ourselves as Christians.
We can greet the wider world with fists raised — or with arms outstretched. Which we choose makes all the difference in evangelization — and in our own hearts.
The heart of a priest’s ministry
This film is far from perfect — besides crude and violent content, there are doubt-ridden soliloquies and some cringeworthy religious errors.
But for a secular audience, this film has the potential to be life-changing.
Wake Up Dead Man captures the heart of priestly ministry with rare respect and understanding.
Someone who has never before thought about a priest’s vocation will walk out of this movie understanding something about what a priest does, and why he does it. He will see a priest who isn’t just trying to build community or accompany lonely people, but love his flock and offer them real hope in Christ.
Someone who has never before been to Confession will walk out of this film hearing the words of Absolution and seeing how the Sacrament can change a life — and a death.
And perhaps — we can hope — someone who has been far away from the Sacrament might watch this film’s unforgettable Confession climax and feel a stirring in their hearts, a desire to receive that grace of absolution for themselves.
