A LITTLE PRAYER is a family drama that embodies its title. Meek and heartfelt, the latest film from director Angus MacLachlan is full of quiet divinity.
Set in the suburbs of Winston-Salem, N.C., A Little Prayer focuses on Vietnam War veteran Bill (David Strathairn), who has lived in the same house for decades with his wife Venida (Celia Weston). Their son, David (Will Pullen), and daughter-in-law, Tammy (Jane Levy), live in an extension to their house, seemingly in harmony. But this peace is threatened once Bill begins to suspect that his son is cheating on Tammy.
Strathairn captures the unique pain of realizing the person you love most is capable of enacting violence and injury. As parents, Bill and Venida feel somehow responsible. They can’t go back in time to refine their imperfect parental pedagogy, but they feel they must somehow intervene. The film revolves around the couple’s inner debates about what the most loving course of action would be: Do they directly confront their son? Or should they honor his agency?
Bill and Venida realize they can’t figure out the answers by themselves, so they turn to community and hope for peace to come from some force outside themselves.
MacLachlan told Sojourners that he hopes his film offers grace for those who feel powerless to perfectly solve all of life’s tragedies. “I’m not sure if I believe in an intercessionary God,” MacLachlan said, “but to me, it comes back to this idea of witnessing. When I’ve been in deep distress and I’m with a loved one, I don’t want them to solve my problem, but I want them to be with me. I feel like that’s what one’s relationship with prayer is ... perhaps it’s not about intercession, but the very act of prayer helps you feel connected and not so alone.”
Indeed, the film shows that we’re more loving when we do what’s right (and side with the most vulnerable) than when we do what feels good or convenient. Ultimately, Bill acts out of true love. He doesn’t justify David’s actions or sweep his son’s sins under the rug. He holds his son accountable and supports his daughter-in-law. Real love doesn’t prioritize keeping the peace; rather, it elevates truth-telling and accountability.
For MacLachlan, this type of self-denial is a divine act. “When you love someone, you want to be with them, but when you realize that’s not for their highest good, you have to transcend your own desires and let them go, which is what you have to do as a parent,” he shared. “To transcend your own desires enables us to love in a more panoramic way.”
Zachary Lee is a former online editorial assistant at Sojourners and part of the inaugural Sojourners Journalism Cohort. You can find him on Letterboxd @zlee729.
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