Prayer to a Vengeful God 2010

In a tense, dreamlike drama, John Krause wakes from an extended coma, haunted by visions of his wife, Jennifer Krause. A flashback reveals her as a talented artist, deeply absorbed in a self-portrait that hints at the life they shared before tragedy altered everything. The calm of their apartment is shattered when a doorbell rings; when he answers, he is pushed to the floor and shot by an unseen assailant. Later, a police detective explains that Jennifer Krause was strangled to death during the assault. John struggles to resume a normal life, visiting Jennifer’s grave and trying to carry on with his work, but the grief proves overwhelming, driving him toward a desperate act of self-destruction. He passes out and, against the odds, does not die when he vomits up the pills.

A still-bleeding John stumbles through a local park, where a mysterious young woman known as the Urchin shadows him and helps him buy narcotics from a street dealer. During this uneasy stretch, he witnesses a Transient being harassed by thugs; the Transient defeats them using a swift, unfamiliar martial art. Intrigued and oddly reassured by this display of resilience, John approaches the Transient and shares a pipe of marijuana with him. The Transient notices John’s bleeding wrist and reveals a similar scar on his own forearm, a detail that binds them in a fragile moment of mutual recognition. With this newfound, fragile peace, John returns home to dispose of his pain pills, only to encounter a redhead named Gabby, a friend of Jennifer, who adds another thread to the tangled night.

An extended flashback dives into events that happened shortly before the attack, painting the days and choices that led to the present nightmare. Back at the club, John approaches the Miscreant with cash, and follows her just as Jennifer did, down to the bathroom and into an apartment where, this time, he is welcomed inside. The two share a reckless exchange of sex and drugs, and she drifts into a stupor. He awkwardly tries to leave, but she rouses enough to see him grabbing a machete, and the ensuing struggle ends with her strangled to death even as she stabs him with a heroin spoon. He then overpowers and kills the Bouncer with a rear naked choke.

As dawn breaks, John sits on a rooftop with a gun in his hand. A final flashback reveals how he and Jennifer first met on a rainy day in the park, simply exchanging the word “hi” — the only dialogue in the entire film. As he gazes at a vision of his former self, John places the gun in his mouth and squeezes the trigger, but the chamber is empty. He rises and walks toward the light, the vision of himself smiling and walking away beside him as the world moves on.