The Sintern – Movie Review | Tubi (3/5)

THE SINTERN on Tubi is a new thriller set in a megachurch. Not surprising for anyone who has watched a true crime documentary or two. A simple and intriguing plot. Read our full The Sintern movie review here!

THE SINTERN is a new Tubi thriller and this is yet another MarVista production which is always a guarantee for a certain level of production quality. Sure, it may not mean the story is great, but it’s rarely terrible.

For this latest Tubi thriller, the story is actually entertaining, intriguing, and surprisingly good. I say surprisingly because this could easily have been a stereotypical mess with super acting. Fortunately, both the plot and actors work effortlessly!

Continue reading our The Sintern movie review below. Find it on Tubi from June 13, 2024.

What’s in a title?

Having read the plot and seen the title, I was completely on board with this new Tubi thriller. I mean, this is a movie about a young woman who takes a job as an intern to expose the dark side of a Megachurch.

The title of The Sintern is absolutely perfect!

Obviously, she isn’t full of sin, but surely those at the church would disagree. And having a megachurch be the setting is perfect. As someone who is notoriously not a fan of organized religion, I love it when people use their faith for good.

WANT MORE STORIES ON BAD CHURCHES?

Be sure to check out the Netflix documentary The Darkness within La Luz del Mundo >

In The Sintern, there is a huge focus on all the good people working at and for the megachurch. The kind of people who believe in second chances and who actually follow the loving guidance of their Lord and Savior.

It would have been so easy to just paint everyone at the church as complicit to all the bad deeds, but it would also have been lazy. Not to mention unrealistic. A lot of people do want to bring good into the world. Especially those who feel they have a home in their faith.

Great casting all around

When The Sintern opens, I wasn’t sure about the character of “V”. She’s the main protagonist and her darker rebellious look seemed a bit too much for me.

However, I fully recognize this was to make the make-over to Megachurch intern persona “Chastity” that much stronger. As a result, I loved Evelyn Giovine in the role. Well, both roles as she switches between being Chastity the Intern and her real identity of V.

I also want to highlight Raquel Davies as her friend Ruby. From the first scene with her, I felt safe that this movie would turn out right. Raquel Davies has exactly the natural and organic vibe with Evelyn Giovine’s character that sets the tone of The Sintern.

In the church setting, we see Damon Dayoub as Paster Dean Humphries and Stefanie Estes (a Heaven of Horror darling) as his wife, Heidi. There could’ve been more Stefanie Estes, but she didn’t need more scenes to make an impact.

Also, as the resident Megachurch singer, we see Samuel Larsen (Glee, After) as Gage. A character that reminded me so much of Creed lead singer Scott Stapp that I’m listening to Creed while writing this review.

Finally, the women working with “Chastity the Intern” are all quite intriguing and just won me over. From the tough no-nonsense senior staffer, Louann (Judy Kain) to Kayle (Phuong Kubacki) who knows pride is a sin but that God would understand her bragging about her brownies.

I just loved this detail in the movie. It’s exactly the kind of dialogue that offers character background in just one line, while also setting the tone for how Kayla would interact with Chastity.

Watch The Sintern on Tubi now!

Director of The Sintern is Julie Herlocker (Grimm). The screenplay comes from writers Jeff Dickamore & Aurora Florence. The two previously co-wrote and co-starred in The Anxious Taxidermist (2020) short directed by Jeff Dickamore.

These two writers clearly have a way with titles. I love it! Also, I wouldn’t recognize myself if I failed to comment on the glorious last name of “Dickamore”. Congrats on that one!

Side note:

On IMDB, the director of The Sintern is (at the moment of writing this) listed as Julie Cecchini. However, in the actual credits of the film, Julie Herlocker is listed as director, so we’re going with that. Especially as Julie Cecchini has nothing on her resume apart from this one production.

While this movie may end a bit abruptly (though after everything has been resolved), I won’t let that take anything away from the movie as a whole. The dialogue is sharp, the actors are natural, and the overall story resonates eerily with real-life stories.

I mean, it’s even referenced by one of the main characters at the beginning. When one person says it can’t be too dangerous at Church, another is quick to comment that it’s pretty much a staple of true crime documentaries.

If you enjoy a good thriller mystery, where organized religion might be the villain, but faith is a good thing, then do check this one out on Tubi.

The Sintern is out on Tubi from June 13, 2024.

Details

Director: Julie Herlocker
Writers: Jeff Dickamore & Aurora Florence
Stars: Evelyn Giovine, Damon Dayoub, Samuel Larsen, Raquel Davies, Judy Kain, Greg Finley, Stefanie Estes, Phuong Kubacki, Zijah Graca, Brit Laree, Daniel Link, J. Roppolo Jacobs