Prepare to go through a fun stage of your life with a viewing of the engrossing Australian filmed production of the play The Charitable Sisterhood Of The Second Trinity Victory Church, directed by Dean Owen-Sims and written by Southern playwright Bo Wilson. Somewhere in the sticks of Virginia in 1977, a torrential rainstorm is causing floods. Still, you can count on the dedicated women of the charitable sisterhood of the Second Trinity Victory Church to show up to sort through donations for the relief effort in Guatemala. It also gives Lorraine Jensen (Libby Fleming) an excuse to get out of a house full of nine children. New in town, Tina Yates (Helen Kim) wants to make a good impression, seeing as how she moved there from Maryland, which makes her a Yankee.
Lorraine lets Tina know that it is no use trying to get a head start on sorting, as the pastor’s wife, Bea Littleton (Kathryn Hartman), will just demand it be done all over again her way. Many of the other women who said they would help stayed home because of the horrible weather. So the three are surprised when that floozy Janet Mutchison (Kelly Monisse) shows up to help. She is also new in town, her husband is always away on business, and she runs around dressed provocatively in his absence. Bea isn’t pleased that Janet joined, but it is all for a greater cause.
“…soon secrets come out that will blow this church sky high!”
So while they are sorting through the huge pile of donated clothes on the floor, the pile suddenly moves! Out crept Riley Reynolds (Dilroop Khangura), a homeless woman who was asleep inside the pile. Get ready, because soon secrets will come out that will blow this church sky high!
The Charitable Sisterhood Of The Second Trinity Victory Church is the kind of indie experiment gone right that is too important to call a movie. I suppose you could make a conventional film adaptation of this play, but I guarantee you this version would beat the pants out of it. This is because Owen-Sims and his team in Sydney have cracked the code of capturing live theater onscreen. Right after the beautiful raindrop riot in the opening credits, we switch to what is immediately recognized as a filmed play. The actresses are playing angles toward the front where the audience would be; the bright lighting is for a stage, and there is even a flashing lightning effect with no windows in sight.
"…the kind of indie experiment gone right that is too important to call a movie."
it is so exciting to see fresh, exciting Australian indie talent like this, this is a gem of a movie and I think we should “watch this space” with director/Producer Dean Owen Sims!