Killing Faith (2025)

Killing Faith is set in the American West in 1849. Sarah, a formerly enslaved woman, flees with her mysterious, light-skinned daughter through a region ravaged by disease and violence. Sarah believes her daughter is possessed by the Devil, as every living thing the girl touches seems to die. Dr. Bender, a widowed physician, suspects a medical condition instead. Nevertheless, he accompanies the pair to a purported faith healer who is supposed to save the girl.

During the perilous journey, faith, science, and the concepts of good and evil become increasingly intertwined—and Bender begins to doubt his own rational explanation.

Ultimately, Sarah attempts to drown her daughter in the river, having become convinced that the girl is possessed by evil. Dr. Bender intervenes and shoots Sarah to save the child, then takes the girl with him to Ross Corner. There, Preacher Ross initially appears willing to help. In reality, however, he is pursuing his own agenda and plans to kill both Bender and the girl. Bender is taken prisoner. Then comes the pivotal moment: the girl speaks to Bender, urging him—in essence—to shatter the iron that he cannot bend. To free himself, Bender brutally smashes his hands against a stone and succeeds in breaking loose. The girl evidently possesses a genuine supernatural ability. She can not only kill people with her touch but also restore life. She brings her mother, Sarah—whom Bender had shot—back to life.

In the end, Sarah, her daughter, and Dr. Bender all survive.

The film deliberately leaves it open whether the girl is truly a supernatural being or perhaps something else entirely. Her abilities are real, but the film offers no clear explanation as to whether she is "good" or "evil." The film’s core idea, then, is this: it is people’s fear of the unknown that turns the girl into a monster. Driven by fear, Sarah believes she must kill her own daughter. Bender, on the other hand, chooses to trust the child—and is rewarded for it. The ending, therefore, is less a classic "demon defeated" conclusion and more a story about faith, fear, prejudice, and redemption.