A drama-therapy documentary that’s distinct from—but in the same tradition as—Dick Johnson is Dead and The Act of Killing, Procession is a collaborative effort between director Robert Greene and survivors of abuse by clergy in the Catholic church: Joe Eldred, Mike Foreman, Ed Gavagan, Dan Laurine, Michael Sandridge, and Tom Viviano. Working with Greene and drama therapist Monica Phinney, these six men script and film dramatic scenarios that function as therapeutic recreations of their experiences. This is the sort of endeavor that seems pointless to subject to a “movie review,” as it’s the process, not the product, that matters in the larger scheme of things. But for what it’s worth, Greene seems to have produced a respectful account of the experiment, allowing these men to find some form of catharsis without exploiting them.
(12/9/2021)
