“Will you Pray for Me?”– Why Wake Up Dead Man is Actually a Film About Religion and not About Murder.

By Flora Day

Faith has always fascinated me. Some people want to believe; some need to and some can’t. Some believe and some believe wrong. That is the essential dilemma in this film hidden beneath classic Knives Out humour and the obvious murder mystery.

Benoit Blanc is a rational and deeply funny detective the cornerstone of any Knives Out film. In his first moments in the film, he rants to Father Judd when they first meet. He is a rational man in his own eyes and cannot believe in the ‘storytelling’ that the Church is based off. Father Judd does not dispute that it is what the Church is or does and rather praises Blanc’s honesty.

“I guess the question is, do these stories convince us of a lie? Or do they resonate with something deep inside us that’s profoundly true, that we can’t express any other way except storytelling?”

Within the film, Blanc is the main and only character to fully denounce religion. Others struggle or falter in their faith but, none denounce it truthfully and wholeheartedly. Although, this does not mean they are not misguided in their faith. Many of the characters follow Monsignor Wicks and join his church for selfish or insincere reasons. Is that why everyone turns to faith? I am unsure of the answer to this, I think the film is too.

Father Jud, a confused and sometimes erratic priest lies at the heart of the film. A development in many ways of the Hot Priest from fleabag and yet much more complex. His relationship with his own faith is deeply moving, his belief is unshakeable Christ sustains him daily as he describes gives him his daily bread. The church and priesthood his calling, despite his violent past and his anger, God forgives him. He does not want to fight with the world but work for it and with it. A version of religion and in particular Christianity that is not seen in news or mainstream media often at the moment.

The moment when he is asked “Will you pray for me?” and steps out to speak with Louise for hours shows his devotion above all to others not to himself to help the world rather than fight the wolves. Even in a moment when he feels shaken in his belief he still acts in a way that is filled with it.

In the end what does Jud teach us about faith; Benoit Blanc says at the end that he has been convinced to have…

“Grace for my enemy. Grace for the broken. Grace for those who deserve it the least.”

The central conversations and dilemmas within the film turn back to one thing, religion not death. The moments that have resonated with people are the one’s that focus on what faith and religion can be when it is at its best. A faith that is based in kindness, generosity, and forgiveness. Not hatred, not shame, but forgiveness and acceptance.

Maybe that is where religion has gone wrong as Benoit Blanc states it has been used to do awful things, but it can be true and honest. I believe that is the message that the film leaves for viewers.

Photo Credit – “Wake Up Dead Man” Netflix 2025