By Jessica Easthope
It’s being called a funny, unexpected look at faith, art, and what it really means to tell the greatest story ever told.
A Jesuit brother from Brooklyn has created a new feature film titled “The Allegory” that is already making waves.
Brother Joe Hoover, a longtime playwright, has spent his time in a small upstairs editing room at Xavier High School in Manhattan, putting the finishing touches on his first feature film.
For him, the project is deeply personal and part of a larger mission.
“Part of this is evangelizing through the arts,” he told Currents News. “This is our great patrimony that we’ve kind of lost to some degree. How do we continue to build that up?”
“The Allegory” is a movie about a play. It features a ragtag community theater group, staging a production about the life of Christ without ever mentioning His name.
The effort is the theater group’s director’s not-so-subtle attempt to woo his Catholic love interest.
The film blends comedy, awkward moments, drama, and romance with a sweetness that stands out in today’s cinema.
“I think we could use a little lightness of a comedy that’s also not an edgy comedy,” Brother Hoover explained. “There’s a sweetness to it, screwball comedy, which I love.”
The cast features notable actors, including Marcia DeBonis and Richard Kind.
Brother Hoover himself plays a stagehand, with his creative influence felt throughout every aspect of the production.
“I couldn’t write something without a moral point of view if I tried, or without some kind of Christian [perspective], because it’s just in the blood,” he said. “Honestly, if people just laughed and laughed, smiling and enjoyed the characters, I’m pretty happy with that.”
When asked about the film’s core message, Brother Hoover prefers to let audiences discover it for themselves.
“As the writer and the producer, I don’t want to answer that for audience members, because if someone comes away and they need me to tell them what the message is, then I haven’t done the job,” he told Currents News.
“The Allegory” is currently in final edits, and Brother Hoover and his team hope to premiere the film on the festival circuit this fall.
“Who knows what comes from there,” he said. “And that’s between God and them. And it’s the audience and the Holy Spirit. Boom!”
For more information on The Allegory, visit xavietheatre.org. For upcoming release dates, private screenings, sneak peeks, and more, follow the project on social media at “The Allegory Film.”