The Great And Terrible Day Of The Lord follows newly minted couple Michael (Swayde McCoy) and Gabby (Jordan Ashley Grier) as they getaway for the weekend. But, just as the two are getting settled for their first night, something eerie happens — Michael blanks out for a moment and, when he comes to, proclaims he is God, there to save Gabby’s soul before she dies on Sunday.
Understandably, this freaks her out, and when Michael properly comes back, she gets angry with him. But, God takes over again, Gabby entertains the idea that perhaps there is merit to his claims of deification. Is God talking to Gabby through Michael, or is he suffering a schizophrenic episode?
“Is God talking to Gabby through Michael, or is he suffering a schizophrenic episode?”
Co-directed by Clark Runciman and screenwriter Jared Jay Mason, The Great And Terrible Day Of The Lord is a deep exploration of why God is the way He is, how free will actually works, why God allows bad things, and psychosis manifesting itself in bold fashion. While the script’s themes might put off those who aren’t religious (specifically, Christian), this horror-thriller-drama is well-made enough to appeal to anyone from all stripes of life. For starters, Gabby directly tells God, or Michael in the throes of a break from reality, to f**k off to his face. That alone should win over a good number of people.
But beyond the vicarious fun of such moments, of which there are plenty, the film offers plenty to chew on. Listening to Michael as God breakdown why the universe operates as it does serves as a more substantial sermon than one will hear on Sundays from a pastor. On the opposite end, listening to Gabby pick apart the things God is saying gives ammunition to those who are atheists, or at least think God is a bit of a prick. Because Mason wrote such a carefully constructed argument for both sides, there is a great debate awaiting once the movie is over for all watching. Well, that is until the final few minutes, though by that point, it has earned the right to definitively choose one side or the other.
"…there is a great debate awaiting once the movie is over..."
