Steven Hedrick Jr.’s A Thief emphasizes the fear-inducing aspects of religion and reminds us why religious texts should not always be taken literally. An elementary-school-aged boy, played by the adorable Tucker Grumbles, learns in church that he must always keep watch over his relatives because when he is least expecting it, they will be taken to heaven. From that moment, he fears the deaths of his loved ones nearly every moment of every day. He believes that if he can keep expecting the moment his family members might be taken (the “now”), then they will not die. However, this “expecting” game very quickly becomes all-consuming.
The boy’s morbid thoughts replay in his head as a voiceover for the audience to hear: “I think it’s gonna happen now, now, now, now. Yes, it’s about to happen right now, now, now, now…Don’t get distracted because it can happen at any time, like now, now. Yes, it’s working! They’re still here. I just have to think now, now, now.”
Simple, yet beautiful images of childlike activities in this film juxtapose the intensity of the boy’s inner monologue. Some of my favorite images include: the boy glumly staring down at the large peanut butter and jelly sandwich in his hands at the kitchen table; the boy sitting on the floor and self-reflecting, while his two brothers curled up on the couch to play videogames; his brothers blissfully jumping on the trampoline in slow motion under a blue sky while he holds on to the side focusing on the “now”; and his brothers play-fighting with dinosaurs and water guns in the grass while he perches next to them or on the steps to his house. (I especially love the white- and rainbow-colored specks of light that shine in on this image.) These images indicate that while other children are carefree, our protagonist is unable to relax. Mary Lattimore’s subtly haunting accompaniment adds a lovely layer to all of these snapshot moments.
As the brothers run inside and the sun sets, the boy remembers his loved ones will get taken in the night. How could he be so stupid for forgetting that detail? However, once tucked in bed beneath his blue train blanket, the boy struggles to stay awake. The now, now, now’s become slower, softer, and airier, until silence. The boy jolts up after having lost track of the time and worries that in the few moments he lost focus, his loved ones might have passed. The boy goes to his mom’s room to check on her and decides to watch her sleep until sunrise. The boy smiles when his mom awakens in the morning and greets him with a big hug. The camera zooms in and the boy gratefully shuts his eyes, enjoying the pleasant moment. However, when he opens his eyes and looks around, he grows frightened by what he sees. Eerie music plays and the movie cuts to an image of the sky and the ending credits roll.
Although the film’s protagonist exhibits obsessive behavior, we can learn some valuable lessons from him. One such lesson is that it can be refreshing to take a moment to step away from the distractions and chaos of our surroundings to appreciate friends and family members in the here and now. Life is short, and rather than spending every moment waiting for our loved ones to disappear or trying to prevent it, we should be grateful for each joyful moment we have with them.
A Thief screens at the 2023 New Jersey International Film Festival on Sunday, June 11 as part of Shorts Program #3. The film will be available Online for 24 Hours on this date. Buy tickets here.
