The Vigil

In the Hasidic community of Boro Park, Brooklyn, a despondent young man, short on both faith and funds, reluctantly agrees to assume the responsibility of an overnight shomer and fulfill the Jewish practice of watching over the body of a deceased member of the Orthodox community. With only the company of the recently departed and an ailing widow who expresses cryptic reservations as to the man´s ability to carry out the task, he soon finds himself exposed to a terrifying haunting within the claustrophobic confines of a home that has become host to a malevolent entity.

By the surreal and unnerving climax, under the assured auspices of writer-director Keith Thomas — making his feature film debut — the plentiful, hair-raising scares give way to poignant catharsis with a spectre of dread that is sure to stick with audiences and occupy their subsequent nightmares.