Created Equal (2017)

A cocky, up-and-coming attorney, begrudgingly takes on a case to sue the Archdiocese of New Orleans for sex discrimination; after a woman, who's desperate to become a priest, solicits his help.

Director:

Bill Duke

Writers:

Ned Bowman (screenplay by), Michael Ricigliano Jr. (screenplay by)

Stars:

Lou Diamond Phillips, Aaron Tveit, Gregory Alan Williams

11 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Lou Diamond Phillips	...	Monsignor Renzulli
Aaron Tveit	...	Tommy Reilly
Gregory Alan Williams	...	Judge Watford
Edy Ganem	...	Alejandra Batista
Lauren Compton	...	Nicki
Yohance Myles	...	Willis Silk Thompkins
Ladson Deyne	...	Father John
Shaquita Smith	...	Nurse
David Joseph Martinez	...	Mario Batista
Lauren Helling	...	Jane Kennedy
Jo-Ann Robinson	...	Louisa Reilly
John Newberg	...	Kent Dunbar
Mikki Val	...	Betty
J.W. Smith	...	Apartment Manager
Aaron Mitchell	...	Juror

Storyline

An up-and-coming attorney takes on a case to sue the Catholic Church for discrimination against a young woman who desperately wants to become a priest. In a world where gender equality is a critical issue, the Church remains steeped in tradition. As the trial unfolds and divine authority is challenged, their lives become in danger as extremists plot to stop the heresy at any cost.

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Plot Keywords:

christian feminism | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 2018 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Created Equal Productions, T-CAT Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Lou Diamond Phillips earned the award of 'Best Supporting Actor' at the 2017 San Antonio Film Festival for the film.

User Reviews

They managed to take a ludicrous idea and make it work.

Created Equal has a plot that simply could not happen. A nun wishes to go to a Catholic seminary in order, ultimately, to become a priest. However, the Catholic Church and the popes have been adamant....men, alone, can become priests. So, the woman approaches a law firm in order to sue the Church into accepting her to the seminary because she is being discriminated against by not being allowed in the program. While I could see someone wanting to sue for this right, finding a law firm or a court willing to try tackling the issue in the United States is problematic, as this clearly violates the notion of religious freedom. Lawmakers and judges simply do not nor could they create religious doctrine. However, the filmmakers who made Created Equal have also managed, somehow, to make the story interesting and compelling.

Sister Batista (Edy Ganem) is an unhappy nun. She is feeling unfulfilled in this role and feels that God has called her to be the first Catholic female priest. This seemingly unwinnable case is given to a hot-shot lawyer known for always setting cases without taking them to court. Tom Reilly (Aaron Tveit) plans on convincing the Sister to drop the case or accept a cash settlement. After all, he seems like a cynical guy who is much more interested in making partner at the law firm than actually doing anything else. However, something unusual happens...over time, Sister Batista wins him over and convinces him that they might just be able to win the case. Up against them is a lawyer and priest (Lou Diamond Phillips) as well as a psycho intent on stopping her at any price.

The acting and direction in this film was pretty good...and that made a seemingly ludicrous story actually work. I also liked the local color given to the story by filming it around New Orleans. My only quibble, other than the basic idea, is the big confrontation scene with the would-be killer...it didn't quite work for me. But solid acting, tension and uniqueness make this an entertaining flick.