Reflective Encounters

“No matter how much I try to think about Jesus and stuff, I just keep thinking about Jesus’ staff” is one of the many sharply written lines in Em Smith's coming-of-age comedy-drama Rapture.

Set at a Catholic Confirmation camp, Orla (Lydia Page) is in a constant battle of hormonal puberty and deep shame. Matters are made worse when she is snapped ‘connecting with God’ by mean girl Lauren (Daisy Jacob), embarrassing her in front of the rest of the camp by suggesting Teresa of Avila as Orla’s confirmation saint.

A flirtatious rebel aged 16, St. Teresa’s initial lack of faith is more a result of her father’s restrictive behaviour than sexual impulses. As Siobhan Finneran’s portrayal suggests “You’d think no woman had ever wanked before”. Being more comfortable about our bodies is what leads to that path of enlightenment.

Whilst this theme stems back to Smith’s teenage church experience, it feels even more relevant today following the increasing discourse of removing intimate scenes from cinema. A rise in puritanical censorship akin to Lauren’s ‘God can see your thoughts’ credo; Rapture’s story is an important reminder of what teenage life is like and that being horny is not such a sin at all.

— Nathan Hardie