In this ode to the beauty and complexities of life in the American South, Agnes, the prodigal daughter of a beloved preacher, must return to her hometown after her father’s death to attend his funeral. Upon learning that she has been cut out of his will, she is forced to reflect on her complicated relationship with her controlling and hypocritical father. In addition to her conflicted feelings surrounding his death, she confronts the shame that she has been avoiding her entire life. After countless casseroles and hollow sympathies, Agnes loses sight of herself while revisiting her traumatic childhood. In this largely improvised exploration of religious themes and the stifling small town mentality, The Pastor’s Daughter presents a surrealistic journey that challenges the misguided assumption that people within the church are always good-natured and well-intentioned. Filming in Macon, Georgia, director Timothy Hall shines a revealing light on the dynamics of grief, unrealistic expectations placed on the children of pastors, and dysfunction in the nuclear family. 

- Kate Scofield