Written and directed by Gregg Chilingirian, unravelling the unassuming figure of 55-year-old David as his actions diverge from the word of God. Starring: Tim Plester, Emma Gojkovic, Holly Cattle, Sara Wilson-Soppitt and Freya Jones.
Beginning with the much less complicated side of the conversation when it comes to Virtue, the visual. Gregg Chilingirian’s directorial style is excellent, there’s a great sharpness, a strong tension and almost a curiosity. The way that the energy progresses from that intriguing opening to something much more complex and up in the air holds a lot of confidence. It gives you that sense of waiting for the other shoe to drop, you can feel that it has more to say, but you have to wait to find out what that is. The aesthetic itself is also very strong, there’s a crispness to its colouring which is a nice contrast to its messy themes.
Another aspect that’s very easy to unpack is the performance from Tim Plester because he really throws everything at this character. Which is saying something when there’s a lot of difficult layers to wade through, bringing a purposefully uncomfortable intensity. He’s not a sympathetic character but Plester portrays the shame and battle against himself more than well enough to keep you invested in the story.
A story which is the complicated part of Virtue because some may not see value in its tale, while others may applaud the risk that Chilingirian’s taking. It’s asking a fair amount of its viewers to open up a conversation about mental health, along similar lines as that of addiction and alcoholism. Touching upon a need for help and rehabilitation rather than simply being irredeemable. As well as bringing in the religious angle and the hypocrisies of not practicing what you preach.
Virtue asks viewers to have a fairly difficult conversation about a topic which is often regarded as having no grey areas. It’s a rather bold move, especially since Gregg Chilingirian tells the story from the perspective of the perpetrator. Making it rather tricky to come to a conclusion of whether it was really necessary, and it will likely divide its viewers. Although Chilingirian does thankfully handle the topic with a certain sensitivity, not going for shock. So, while the story itself may be divisive, the style is undeniable, the direction is sharp and the editing feeds into the intensity.
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