Film
Hail Satan?
Penny Lane • US 2019 • 95‘
DCP • eOF • Tirolpremiere • Einführung: David Prieth
16.07.2020, 19:00 Leokino
If you see crosses turned upside down and men and women posing in black capes, you can be dead sure that Satan is somewhere around. This sinister gathering is obviously an introduction to a hard-boiled investigation on Satanist cults in the US. But in Penny Lane’s witty documentary, things are not quite what they seem. The viewer slowly starts mistrusting the slogans being proclaimed and gets increasingly confused about all these stylishly tattooed, queer-looking guys risking a gay kiss on a tombstone, demanding LGBT-rights, and doing honest community work collecting garbage on the roadside. That’s the moment when the question mark that follows the film title comes to mind. Hail Satan? reveals itself to be a buoyant, brilliantly made portrait of a group of atheist political activists defending secularism against a Christian right that claims to be the pillars of society. They use public happenings, radical mottos, subversive fun, and guerilla media tactics to fight back against religious pressure groups. (Gunnar Landsgesell, Viennale)
Penny Lane (*1978 in Massachusetts) is an American independent filmmaker known for her humorous, innovative documentaries, including Our Nixon (2013) and Nuts! (2016).
Director Penny Lane • Cinematography Naiti Gamez • Edit Amy Foote, Aaron Wickenden Cast Jex Blackmore, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Chalice Blythe, Nicholas Crowe, Sal De Ciccio, Cecil B. DeMille, Mike Pence, Sadie Satanas • Production Hard Working Movies • Sales Magnolia Pictures