We’ve had our share of films about gay conversion therapy, such as the heavy dramas Boy Erased and The Miseducation Of Cameron Post, the campy But I’m A Cheerleader, and even the slasher film, They/Them, but Leviticus, the feature debut of writer-director Adrian Chiarella, finds its own lane by chillingly traversing such genres as coming of age, romance, and horror. Despite some minor flaws, this dread-filled movie features impressive work in front of and behind the camera and a theme which burrowed into my head so deeply, I’ll not soon forget it.
Joe Bird, so memorable in Talk To Me, stars as Naim, a teenager in a small industrial Australian town who lives with his single mother, played by Mia Wasikowska. He quickly falls for Ryan (Stacy Clausen), a fellow student who he playfully jostles with one day after school until Ryan initiates a kiss. In some beautifully wrought sequences, their love comes to fruition. Their attraction seems natural and inevitable.
Unfortunately, a betrayal sees Ryan forced into a chilling form of gay conversion therapy at the local church. You’ll never look at a lighter in the same way again. This session unleashes an entity of sorts which turns the object of one’s affection into something murderous, something you should fear. Think of the goal of electroshock therapy in which the victim (I refuse to call them patients) receives a jolt whenever shown images of someone of the same gender. In the case of the film, the violence replaces the zaps. It’s a fairly obvious metaphor and somewhat repetitive, but effective nonetheless. Sometimes it hits the same beats over and over again, but I remained invested throughout.
This film excels in so many areas starting with the performances. Bird and Clausen in particular have a believably easygoing chemistry which turns equal parts passionate and scary as the story progresses. While not filled with that many horror set pieces, it has a couple of jump scares and spurts of shocking violence, but more than anything else, it captures fear and dread so succinctly. You empathize so much with our leads because of their despair at facing barrier after barrier to their love. Wasikowska gives a quietly forceful performance if a bit underutilized. The fact that she plays an emotionally distant parent, however, justifies her limited screen time. I also enjoyed Jeremy Blewitt’s small but memorable role as a catalyst for what happens to Naim and Ryan. He’s sweet and scary all at once.
Chiarella’s direction demonstrates his keen understanding of negative space, particularly in the frightening opening sequence and whenever there’s a door separating characters. It’s the kind of directing, well supported by Tyson Perkins’ eerie cinematography, which makes you search around the frames to try and get a peek at what you can’t see. I won’t soon forget the shot of Ryan turning a corner and charging towards camera, which reminded me a bit of It Follows. Sound designer Emma Bortignon gives us a propulsive heartbeat throughout which compliments composer Jed Kurzel’s well-calibrated score. Production designer Bethany Ryan makes each location feel timeless and bleak, creating a romantic aura which sometimes doubles as a prison for our characters. You want Naim and Ryan to make out and then get the hell out of these spaces!
Despite some narrative glitches, Chiarella really sticks the landing in the end. He really knows how to combine joy and fear into one indelible scene. I look forward to what he does next, because Chiarella truly understands that horror comes from real human fears. Forget someone popping up and going “Boo!” when Chiarella finds scares in what we’re told we cannot have. Oh, and if it isn’t clear from this review, “F*ck conversion therapy!”
By Glenn Gaylord, Senior Film Critic
Leviticus opens in theaters June 19th, 2026.
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