Informed by a mysterious voice, an imprisoned young woman must pass a series of enigmatic tests or face a violent death as the terrifying situation unlocks a dormant power in this story of courage and redemption.
THE BLACK BAPTISM is a short film about a young woman who awakens imprisoned by a mysterious group. This afro-futurist psychological thriller explores themes around redemption, finding the courage to face fear and connecting to the God within using mythological concepts to visualize the Prisoner’s evolution through a fantasy lens. The plot is told from the protagonist’s point of view as the existential crisis shatters her concepts of God, justice, authority and humanities ability to create reality.
The story opens as the Prisoner painfully struggles to crawl out of a coffin-like hole. Soon after emerging it becomes obvious, she only escaped into an even larger prison cell when a woman’s voice informs her (through a surveillance system) that she must pass a series of tests, including removing a sword from a stone, for any hope of survival.
When her escape plan fails the Prisoner is horrified to learn she is being guarded by several mysterious bird-like creatures as she realizes something other worldly is amidst. Following several failed attempts to remove the sword, an electrical disturbance from the stone projects the prisoner into outer-space where she comes face to face with a supernatural being called The First. Her voice is eerily the same as the woman in the prison. The First explains that she is God, the living universe, and gives the Prisoner the secret to passing the cryptic trials.
The Prisoner regains consciousness in the prison. Now connected to the God within she realizes her intense fear had distorted her ability to clearly see reality. She tosses a bowl of water on the sword to expose the holographic technology creating the stone illusion. When she takes the sword in her hand the voice informs her the final test is imminent. Several terrifying bird creatures burst into the cell opening fire with assault rifles. The Prisoner recalls The First’s words “fear is a lack of imagination” and spins the sword into a shield to block the bullets. The creatures cease-fire and stand at attention like robots. The Prisoner reluctantly pulls off the lead creature’s mask revealing a man. The final test is complete. The guards escort the Prisoner from the cell to meet the voice.