Soho International Film Festival Review: "Jesus Land"

Writer and director Saila Kariat brings Julia Scheeres’ bestselling memoir to the screen with “Jesus Land,” screening at the SOHO International Film Festival. Religious extremism, racism, and abuse are heavy subjects. Put them together, and you have a film that could become exhausting. The young actors give this story a heart that keeps us invested.

Set in the 1980s, the film follows Julia (Ella Anderson) and her adopted brother David (Xavier Jones), whose upbringing in rural Indiana is shaped by a rigid religious household. Their journey takes them to a brutal reform school in the Dominican Republic, where the people responsible for helping them become another obstacle to survival.

Before going further, let me say this: I believe in a higher power. However, I do not support organized religion for my own reasons. There is a difference between having faith and allowing somebody to use that faith as permission to control, demean, or hurt another person. “Jesus Land” taps into that distinction, particularly when adults seem more concerned with obedience than the children standing before them.

Watching the film, I kept thinking about the Satanic Panic hysteria. That same fear of corruption, coupled with the certainty that punishment somehow equals protection, hangs over this story. Folks will convince themselves they are saving your soul while making your life a living hell. Kariat understands how frightening that contradiction can be, especially when you are too young to have much say in your circumstances.

Anderson and Jones sell the material. Their bond gives the film its strongest foundation, and I appreciated that their sibling relationship remains central amid everything else. You want these two to find some peace. Jones also carries the added weight of David navigating racism alongside the cruelty both children face, giving their shared struggle another painful dimension.

With Juliette Lewis among the adult cast, there is talent here, but the younger performers are what stayed with me. At times, the accumulation of suffering makes the film feel heavy-handed, and a little more breathing room would have helped the emotional beats land harder.

Still, I liked “Jesus Land.” Kariat approaches difficult material with compassion, and her leads make the resilience feel earned. The film’s argument comes through two siblings holding onto each other when the adults around them fail. That human connection gives the story its purpose and makes this selection worth your time.

Final Grade: B