RILEY RAINS / ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

Over winter break, Netflix released the third murder mystery of the ongoing “Knives Out” series, written and directed by Rian Johnson. The film attracted attention not only for its adaptation of the “impossible crime,” but also for the multilayered engagement within the Catholic tradition. As a Catholic university, students and faculty at USD shared varied reactions to “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” 

USD sophomore Browyn Jacobs Walker, an active University Ministry member, enjoyed Johnson’s portrayal of Catholicism in the whodunit mystery. 

“I really, really loved the movie,” Jacobs Walker exclaimed. “It’s the type of movie that makes you want to be a better person after you watch it.”

Walker’s philosophical takeaway can be attributed to the film’s main character: Father Jud,played by Josh O’Connor. Throughout the movie, viewers learn that the young priest has a past tainted from his former boxing career. After killing an opponent in the ring, he turned to Christ. His history provides the backdrop for the central murder, in which Father Jud becomes the primary suspect. 

The film begins after Father Jud is sent to serve as assistant pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude in upstate New York. He works under Monsignor Wicks, a spiteful and bombastic priest that shrunk his congregation into the seven core Catholic characters. Sister Martha, played by Glenn Close, aids Father Jud in transitioning to the unique parish. Tension builds as viewers learn about each member of the church until one particularly nasty sermon on Good Friday when Monsignor Wicks was presumed stabbed to death.  

Anecdotes and dialogue were sprinkled within the engaging mystery, which contributed to the film’s religious atmosphere. Jacobs Walker shared her favorite line. 

“When he said his job ‘is not to fight the wicked and bring them to justice but to serve the wicked with open arms,’ I was so moved,” Jacobs Walker said. “Father Jud’s history is reflective of a lot of people’s stories coming from different backgrounds.”

A major reason that suspicion falls on Father Jud is his violent past. While some viewers appreciated the character’s approachability and redemption arc, others criticized the director’s sharp contrast between the two priests’ characters. 

Associate University Minister Alec Hartman enjoyed the film, but he questioned the accuracy of the eldest priest, the murdered Monsignor Wicks. 

“I thought the role of the older priest was overdone,” Hartman said. “The director was trying to juxtapose the two priests. Their questionable depiction of the older priest made the younger priest seem even more relatable, which I get.”

The congregation after finding Monsignor Wicks dead. Photo courtesy of @knivesout/Instagram

Monsignor Wicks is vengeful toward his enemies and hateful toward the modern world, while Father Jud calls the congregation to forgiveness, albeit after some internal struggle. 

For some Toreros, Monsignor Wicks undermined the film, especially through a Catholic lens. USD sophomore Isabella Arnaiz explained her qualm with “Wake up Dead Man: A Knives out Mystery.”

“I’m a Catholic myself and I thought the film insulted Catholicism,” Arnaiz argued. “I thought Monsignor had a lot of ideas of his own, and they were contradictory to my beliefs.”

During the investigation, there are various flashbacks that reveal Monsignor Wicks’ character flaws. He makes a plan to dismantle his congregation in order to form a cult of personality alongside his politician son, Cy Draven. The Wicks’ family fortune, presumed lost, drives multiple motives and adds layers of confusion for viewers. Beneath the twisting plot, Father Jud tries to connect with his new congregation through prayers and sermons. 

The narrative’s Christian framework reflects the director’s own background. In an interview with Netflix, Johnson shared how his upbringing affected the film. 

“I grew up very Christian,” Johnson explained. “I’m not anymore, but when I was a teenager into my mid-twenties, I framed the world around me through the lens of my relationship with Christ. I have a lot of complicated […] and strong feelings about faith.”

Johnson claimed that the themes of “Wake Up Dead Man: a Knives Out Mystery” — guilt, morality and mystery — fit in a church setting. With a pastor as the focal point of the film, even nonpracticing students notice Johnson’s connection to the Catholic tradition. USD junior Sophia Raia commented on her interpretation of the mystery. 

“I thought the way Christianity was approached was very unique because Josh O’Connor’s character never once wanted to push his beliefs onto others who were unwilling,” Raia wrote. “It was refreshing to see O’Connor’s character be a priest who was so tolerant and loving of others, rather than [Monsignor Wicks] who preached exclusion and hate.”

O’Connor’s character ultimately inspires detective Benoit Blanc to experience a revelation. Soon after, it is revealed that Sister Martha worked with others in the congregation to kill Wicks in order to stop corruption from infiltrating the church. 

The film ends with Father Jud carving a wood cross to hang in the rectified church; one carpenter honoring another. Sun rays burst through the stained glass windows and Father Jud welcomed new members to the church with open arms. 

The most recent addition to Johnson’s “Knives Out” series has sparked conversation around USD’s Catholic campus, prompting debate over faith and representation in the media.

Father Jud on the left and Detective Benoit Blanc on the right walking together. Photo courtesy of @knivesout/Instagram