Divine Providence

When a tumultuous confession brings the lives of a lonely parish priest and a guilt-ridden mobster crashing together, the two men are forced to tear open old wounds and confront the demons of their respective pasts.

  • Neal Mercier
    Director
    Amaryllis
  • Neal Mercier
    Writer
  • Madeleine Derveloy
    Producer
    Bulletproof Bandit
  • Brian Sweeney
    Producer
  • Neal Mercier
    Producer
  • Cedric Gegel
    Key Cast
    "The Penitent"
    Cadia: The World Within, The Coroner's Assistant
  • Johnny Halloran
    Key Cast
    "The Priest"
    Kevin Can F**k Himself, Pursuit of Freedom
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Drama, Gangster, Crisis of Faith
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 18 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 15, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    13,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, BRAW
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Emerson College
Director Biography - Neal Mercier

Neal Mercier is an independent filmmaker and visual media artist based in Southern New England. A lifelong lover of cinema, he spent much of his adolescence with friends attempting to make movies with an old tape-based Sony Handycam. While his primary interest remains fictional storytelling, his work spans both format and genre.

In 2014, Neal began operating under the moniker Huxley Pictures, and since 2016 he has expanded the name outwards to produce a combination of personal, commercial, and freelance work. A Rhode Island native, Neal holds a B.A. in Mathematics with minors in both Film and Writing from Providence College and an M.F.A. in Film & Media Art from Emerson College.

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Director Statement

My interest in filmmaking is grounded in my desire to expand and explore two seemingly contradictory elements of cinema and find the harmony that lies between them: film’s power to highlight the cathartic minutia of human existence coupled with its ability to construct fantastical realities unlike any we’ve ever seen.

There is beauty in the little things, bittersweet truth hidden within the mundane. Through my work, I hope to explore the small transcendental moments of everyday life, to delve into the small ironies that make existence both heartbreakingly painful and overwhelmingly profound – often simultaneously. Through focusing on gestures, glances, small actions, and the things left unsaid, my work seeks to explore the existential nature of our humanity and the almost imperceptible ways in which humanity is delicately intertwined.

My work also seeks to explore the ways in which film can construct worlds outside of the realms of possibility. Movies can go as far as to transport audiences to the Wild West or to the far reaches of outer space, but they can also stylize the concrete, creating realities that are only just out of reach. My own work seeks to explore and blur these lines, utilizing abstraction and stylization to heighten the perception of truth. By divorcing oneself from reality, an individual can gain new perspective and insight into the world in which they actually live.