can't believe a netflix series made me unearth my religious trauma midnight mass is a terrifyingly thoughtful examination into the trauma of blind faith and devout religion, and most of all the justification of human violence in the name of faith. it's well-acted enough, mostly carried by hamish linklater's fevered pastor and zach gilford's haunted riley—if at certain scenes characters' dialogues (and extended monologues) don't feel quite believably human, or some plot points don't quite fit, it's the cast's generally strong performances that carry them through. it seems a sort of betrayal that it also has some of the best cinematography i've ever seen in a netflix original—that scene between riley and erin in the boat will haunt me for days. another contender is that single, minutely choreographed, long take on the beach in an early episode. it is the things we hold closest to us that haunt is the longest. we have an almost infinite capacity in us for violence toward one another. it's amazing how the things we recoil from the most reveal the most truth about ourselves.