A Prayer for the Dying: Review of the Western Drama | Berlin Film Festival 2024

Dara Van Dusen’s feature debut, A Prayer for the Dying, premiered at the February 13th, 2026, Berlin International Film Festival, and while technically accomplished, leaves a lingering sense of unfulfilled potential. Adapted from a novel by Stewart O’Nan, the film attempts to weave a sombre tale of trauma, epidemic, and societal breakdown set in 1870s Wisconsin, but ultimately feels stretched beyond its natural scope.

The film centers on Jacob (Johnny Flynn), a man occupying the unusual dual role of sheriff and pastor in the frontier town of Friendship, Wisconsin. He’s a figure who doesn’t outwardly project either authority – lacking the traditional badge or religious garments – and his past service in the Civil War, where he apparently achieved a high rank, is viewed with some suspicion by the townsfolk, partly due to his Norwegian heritage. He shares his life with his wife, Marta (Kristine Kujath Thorp), and their young child.

The discovery of a deceased Civil War veteran on the outskirts of town acts as a catalyst, stirring up repressed memories and anxieties within the community. The town’s doctor, played by John C. Reilly, determines the man died of diphtheria, a terrifying prospect that looms over Friendship. The film explores the difficult choices facing the community: whether to impose a quarantine that could incite panic and potentially spread the disease further, or to attempt a clandestine approach to containment.

However, the narrative suggests the disease will ultimately render this dilemma moot. Jacob struggles to enforce strict measures, and the film depicts scenes of horror compounded by the simultaneous threat of a spreading wildfire – a separate, yet equally devastating, pestilence. The wildfire creates an eerie red glow in the atmosphere, which is ambiguously presented as potentially being a projection of Jacob’s own deeply troubled mind, perhaps a manifestation of post-traumatic stress. The film raises the question of whether Jacob himself is immune, and if so, whether he might be a carrier of the disease, a so-called “Typhoid Mary” figure.

Reilly’s performance is described as sympathetic and weighty, bringing a necessary gravitas to the role of the careworn doctor. Flynn, while consistently watchable, may not have been directed with the necessary nuance to fully convey the wrenching anguish of his character. The film is highly controlled in its execution, but ultimately delivers less emotional resonance than its premise promises.

The film’s setting, a Wisconsin frontier town still grappling with the aftermath of the Civil War, provides a rich backdrop for exploring themes of trauma and societal fragility. The juxtaposition of the epidemic and the wildfire adds another layer of complexity, suggesting a world overwhelmed by forces beyond human control. The ambiguity surrounding Jacob’s immunity and potential role as a carrier further complicates the narrative, raising questions about guilt, responsibility, and the nature of contagion.

Van Dusen, a New York-based writer and director now residing in Oslo, Norway, demonstrates a strong visual sensibility, but the film’s striking imagery sometimes feels disconnected from genuine emotional depth. The film’s ambition to be both “biblical” and “surreal,” as described by the director, doesn’t fully coalesce, leaving the audience with a sense of intellectual engagement rather than visceral impact.

The premiere at the Berlin Film Festival has already generated attention for its weighty themes and striking visuals. However, reviews suggest that while A Prayer for the Dying is a technically proficient debut, it ultimately falls short of its potential, feeling like a meticulously crafted short film unnecessarily expanded to feature length. The film’s exploration of difficult choices and societal breakdown resonates with contemporary anxieties, but its detached emotional core prevents it from achieving the lasting impact it strives for.

The 76th Berlin International Film Festival, where the film debuted, was also the final edition overseen by Carlo Chatrian and Mariette Rissenbeek, following their dismissal in 2023. The festival itself, held between February 15th and February 25th, 2024, saw Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o serve as Jury President for the main competition.