In Development
2021
Directed and Written by
Simon Glass
Produced by
Jacob Glass & Adam Paulden
Mystery. When the small town of Liberal, Missouri suddenly gives up on God, a newly-appointed Sheriff finds herself caught up in a violent battle between atheist reformers and Christian missionaries determined to convert the town back. Based on true events.
SYNOPSIS
After the death of an autocratic priest in the small Midwest town of Liberal, Missouri, Sheriff Samantha Markow is tasked with finding a replacement. But after years of tyranny, Liberal residents decide they no longer want to be governed by religion and vote unanimously to dismantle the church and declare the town atheist.
But what at first appears to be the start of an atheist utopia soon descends into a society devoid of morals and values, and it’s not long before Christian missionaries descend on Liberal trying to convert the town back. Under pressure from the residents to keep their town “untrammelled by Bible, creed or isms", the young Sheriff tries to drive the missionaries out, but the conflict soon escalates into bloody violence and a missionary is killed.
Torn between defending the new found freedom of her town and delivering justice for the dead missionary, Sheriff Markow finds herself caught up in battle between a new experimental society and the old established order.
DIRECTORS STATEMENT
This hard-boiled female-led neo-western/noir is an allegory of Western culture on the native American continent. A modern take on the American Western, influenced by The Coen Brothers’ No Country For Old Men and John Carpenter’s Assault On Precinct 13, THE EXISTENTIALIST will employ an all-star cast to capitalise on the recent success of films exploring American history and society, including Dee Rees’ Mudbound, Ava DuVernay’s Selma and Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit.