"Sins & Seduction" (a.k.a., "Do Not Be Deceived") is really two films in one stylistically. The first portion is for the most part a realistic depiction of a pastor attempting to counsel a troubled man, yet getting enmeshed in his personal problems. The second part is so over-the-top that it lapses into parody.
At the First United Church of San Colinas, Pastor Leslie Reynolds delivers dynamic sermons about Christian charity and the virtues of being a good Samaritan. But there is a defining moment when her colleague and lover, Pastor John Allen, reminds Leslie about the importance of clearly defined boundaries in her counseling sessions.
Indeed, Leslie's boundaries are terrible. She goes on a date with the demented Gareth Wilkinson. She allows him to paint her bird house at her home. She invites him into her home when he arrives uninvited, then kisses him. Later, she asks for Pastor John to join them for a counseling session, but she has not even bothered to inform John that she had kissed Gareth.
The film moves into the parodistic style when Leslie is kneeling at the altar and praying out loud. She asks God for forgiveness for kissing Gareth and for wanting to be kissed by him. Unbeknownst to Leslie, Gareth is standing behind her, eavesdropping on her confessional. He now knows that she knows that the flesh is weak.
The ending of the film is the most improbable and preposterously contrived situation with a mock wedding ceremony in the First United Church with the bride (Leslie), the maid of honor (Nancy), and the officiating pastor (John) all tied up! A mad romp through the church then ensues with the crusty custodian Dot in the role of the heroine.
Growing up in San Solinas, little Gareth Wilkinson had been abused by his stern mother and led into a dangerously ascetic life based on cleanliness and purity: "Scrub those hands with scalding hot water to get the dirt off, Gareth!" After his return home, he murders his wife Emma because she cannot live up to his mother's standards.
Gareth then singles out an idealistic pastor who might be a closer match to the millennarian mother. But, in Pastor Leslie, he found only another flawed human soul whose mantra is, in the final analysis is: "the flesh is weak."
0 out of 0 found this helpful.
Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
