Ordinary Sinner

A murder in a small town rankles everyone. And in the affecting murder mystery Ordinary Sinner, Peter Thompson is the most disturbed, having just moved to a New England town intending to lead a quiet life. The enchanting Thompson is a troubled soul, having recently dropped out of Episcopalian seminary after a lapse of faith. Homophobia seems to follow him everywhere. First, a friend is imprisoned for murdering in self-defense his homophobic tormentors, and his imprisonment sets in motion Thompson’s escape from seminary to the town of Pemberwick. But once in this small, deceptively idyllic college town, a rash of gay bashings breaks out. Thompson’s mentor, Father Ed (A Martinez of ‘L.A. Law’), speaks from his pulpit against anti-gay violence and, provoked by a member of the congregation, himself comes out as gay. The revelation ultimately leads to a renewed sense of purpose for Thompson: to root out the town’s homophobia. But things aren’t always as they seem, this haunting, evocative film suggests, in the true spirit of the best of movie mysteries. Directed by John Henry Davis, 2001, USA, 91 minutes.

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