A priest performing Last Rites is challenged by a hospice nurse who believes her patient should not be absolved of a deadly sin.

https://www.derekfreyfilms.com/

https://www.facebook.com/DerekFreyFilms

https://x.com/DerekFreyFilms

https://www.instagram.com/derek_frey_filmmaker/

Review by Victoria Angelique:

Religious values are complicated, especially when it comes to the confession of sins as is shown in the short film VIATICUM. When a Son, Priest, and Nurse come together to hear the last rites of a man on his deathbed, they must decide between doing what’s morally right or allowing God to be his final judge. It’s a predicament that causes tension to rise throughout the plot, only for it to be broken up by a select few moments of competitive humor between the Priest and Nurse over school sports. 

The artistic motive between shooting this film in black and white is nuanced. It shows that the world isn’t as simple as people typically think. The Old Man’s sins start out as things that are wrong, but not very serious, until he confesses to murder. The other 3 in the room see things in a very black and white viewpoint, not willing to see any other perspective. The Son only sees his dying father, wanting the older man to go to heaven and be absolved of all sin. The Nurse wants to call the police, horrified at theconfession as she argues with the Priest that is bound by the confidentiality rules that clergy must adhere to for their patrons. The Priest insists that it is only up for God to judge and not those on Earth. They are all holding to their narrow perspective, unwilling to budge. 

The biggest factor of this short film isn’t the moral conundrum, but the question that just because someone confesses of past sins on their deathbed, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve changed. They’re just afraid of eternal damnation. The Priest’s job is one where he is not allowed to judge, he just has to guide people to repentance and hope it’s genuine. The Nurse struggles with the notion of this elderly man being absolved of his sins & she learns the hard way that she should have left it up to God to be his judge.