New Release: Sword of Trust (2019)

No Spoilers. Read Freely.

Director: Lynn Shelton

A really fun, though a bit tonally inconsistent, independent film that hits its comedic marks a bit better than its dramatic ones.

The movie follows two pairs of fairly normal folks who meet under highly unusual circumstances in modern day Birmingham, Alabama. Mel (Marc Maron) runs a pawn shop in town, and there is assisted by his conspiracy-theory-minded young clerk Nathaniel (Jon Bass). A couple - Mary and Cynthia (Michaela Watkins and Jillian Bell) - come in one day to valuate and perhaps sell an antique Civil War Union Army sword which was left to Cynthia by her recently-deceased grandfather. When Mel does a little research, he discovers that the sword, in addition to seeming genuine, is the type of item highly coveted by Confederate-supporting, Civil War "truthers" who seek any hard evidence for the rather dubious notion that the South had in fact won the Civil War. Cynthia's sword seems to be just such an item, making it exceptionally valuable to this bizarre community. This all sends Mel, Nathaniel, Mary, and Cynthia along a path that puts them in very close contact with some strange, disturbing, and ultimately dangerous individuals who will stop at very little to get their hands on Cynthia's sword.

The movie is, first and foremost, a comedy, and it is very funny. Marc Maron has long been a great stand-up comedian, and has recently been turning in great acting performances, most notably on the Netflix series GLOW. In Sword of Trust, he plays another version of himself, though it is one that allows him to expand his range a bit and have a few dramatic scenes. He pulls them of brilliantly, even if the scenes themselves don't help create a cohesive, overall tone for the movie. As Mel, he carries the knowing, world-weary sarcasm of a man who has seen his dreams die mostly by his own hand, but is still able to use biting humor to keep himself afloat. His cynicism is most immediately counter-balanced in the film by Nathaniel, a rather sweet but dim young fellow who easily buys into whatever attractive conspiracy theory is floating around the Internet. The two co-workers make for a solid comedy pairing, and when Mary and Cynthia turn up with their own push/pull dynamic and bizarre story, things only get more curious.

Cynthia, Mary, Mel, and Nathaniel. Things get stranger and
(mostly) funnier for these two pairs the further they descend
into the rabbit hole of Confederate "truthers."

The film certainly takes on a unique subject in the staunch believers in a Confederacy that is now dead for over 150 years. The film explores the twisted ignorance behind these beliefs to a degree, but mostly it serves as fodder for the humor in the show. In fact, things get borderline goofy by the movie's end, which feels a bit odd given how very real, backwards, ignorant racism so desperately seeks to find legitimacy through means such as the titular sword in this film. My wife and I were still laughing at the gags right through to the end, even though when one steps back, it might become clear that there are elements of truth there which are no laughing matter.

The other side plot is that between Mel and local woman Deirdre (Lynn Shelton). I won't give anything away, as the story between these two is only first hinted at, but then revealed about halfway through the film. And the story and performances feel perfectly organic and touching. The problem is that it's difficult to find a connection between their more somber, dramatic relationship and the greater comedy tale that is spun around it.

Despite my little gripes about a lack of cohesion, this was still a good little movie. I'm very glad that my wife and I went out to see it. It was well worth the money and time, and it's exactly the type of smaller-scale, smaller-budget independent movie that I would like to see studios support and produce more often.