Raindance Festival 2014: The Record Keeper

Timeless narratives are always the safest bet to base a film on, particularly a narrative that everyone knows – it’s like telling a joke about breathing, no one alive can say that they don’t get it. So when biblical stories unfold before your eyes you already know what is coming next. Predictability triumphs suspense, but is it at the expense of the chair-gripping excitement you get when you can’t imagine what will happen to you favourite character next?

The plot follows Raina (Lindsay Frame), the record keeper, in her duty to heaven. As she diligently attempts to keep a factual record of events from a small number of angels, she has to remain emotionally unattached to the stories she hears. But with facts always come opinions, and for Raina remaining unattached or unbiased is impossible.

Through a series of interviews the story unfolds before us and Raina gathers her data on an old-school, almost unrecognisable voice recorder. Her main sources are two angels: initially they were friends but as time passed it became evident their priorities were in different places, and thus their friendship was at stake. The angel Cadan (JuneSoo Ham) was a dutiful angel with heaven’s best interests at heart, inevitably with whom Raina sided with. Larus (Dennis Hill), the angel who had fallen into the deceit of the lying and confusion inducing general, had his own personal desires on a pedestal.

The story appears in 11 chapters, since it was initially a series of 11 episodes. Biblical allusions and references are made throughout the film, from the story of Noah and the ark – although neither Noah or the ark are present in this film – to the coming, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, although they called this man The Prince.

Jason Satterlund, the director, writer and producer along with writers Garrett Caldwell, Rajeev Sigamoney and producer Marc Dalstrom of Big Puddle films created The Record Keeper. The film explores the turmoil between good and evil and questions about creation and humanity, questions that have occupied a space in many of our minds. The events recorded were foreseeable but the way these filmmakers executed the story was second to none. Who knew that with only a small cast the whole universe could be recreated? It’s nothing short of epic.

Chaneen Salako

The Record Keeper is released nationwide on 26^th September 2014.

For further information about Raindance Festival visit here.

Watch the trailer for The Record Keeper here: