Gavin (Charlie Hunnam), a hotel manager, is standing on the ledge of a tall building. He has already made the decision to jump and end his life. Hollis (Terrence Howard), a detective with special skills in talking people down, is called to the scene. He is not in a positive frame of mind this day after learning that he has always been sterile and that his children are his brother's. Nonetheless, Hollis manages to get Gavin talking about the reasons why he is on the ledge.

This handsome young man lives with his best friend Chris (Christopher Gorham) who is gay. They are invited to have dinner with neighbors Shana (Liv Tyler) and her husband Joe (Patrick Wilson). It turns out that their host is a committed Christian fundamentalist who has gotten the wrong impression that Gavin and Chris are lovers. In his eyes such a relationship is an abomination and will result in their damnation. Gavin, a non-believer, is offended by Joe's closed-mindedness and his rush to judgment without knowing the facts. But the rancid experience hasn't soured his attraction to Shana.

She is a college student who works part time at the hotel where he is employed. Gavin intensifies his campaign to start a romantic relationship with this shy and reserved woman who has been trained to be submissive only to her husband. They secretly meet for lunches and philosophical chats until Gavin gets what he wants. Shana is appreciative of his love-making skills and their affair intensifies. Joe, a vigilant person who is always on the lookout for trouble and danger, discovers his wife's infidelity and comes up with a macabre plan to humiliate Gavin and prove his cowardice. It involves the ledge and a threat of death.

Writer and director Matthew Chapman has fashioned an unusual moral drama about the clash of faith between a Christian fundamentalist and a non-believer. He has created a complex character in Gavin who, at various points in this drama, demonstrates the capacity for awe, compassion, gratitude, and a zest for life. In the end, he wants nothing more than to liberate Shauna from the prison of her marriage to a man whose devotion is focused on the rigid dogma.

Atheism and non-belief have not gotten much play in movies even though there have been bestselling books on the subject as well as publicized debates. Here is a feature film that takes on the challenge of presenting this point of view and succeeds in its own limited way.


Special features on the DVD include interviews and the trailer.