Least Among Saints

Plot

Anthony (Papazian) is a former Marine who has just returned to his home in Arizona after a tour abroad. He suffers from posttraumatic stress disorder, frequently waking up in the middle of the night with nightmares. His ex-wife Jenny (Anderson) has filed a restraining order against him, and he has had brush-ins with the law. He befriends his neighbor Cheryl (Cook), whom he defends from her boyfriend. Cheryl's son Wade (Leabu) looks up to Anthony, and the two become friends.

One night, when Anthony is about to attempt suicide, Wade comes in asking him to help his mother, who has overdosed on heroin. Anthony takes them to University Medical Center to try to help her, but she dies. A social services worker named Jolene (San Giacomo) agrees to let Anthony take care of Wade while they find him a foster family. Anthony encourages Wade to beat up a bully and restrains a teacher who tries to intervene, which brings in police officer George (Dutton) to find them after they go on a mission to find Wade's real father.

Wade accidentally kills Anthony's dog and Anthony is arrested on numerous charges. Wade goes into foster care. Anthony agrees to Jolene's demands to take care of himself and she finally allows him to spend time with Wade.

Critical reception

Aggregate reviewer website Metacritic gave the film a 32 out of 100 based on 7 reviews, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews.

Anthony Barker of Daily Variety:

Simon Abrams of The Village Voice:

Chuck Bowen of Slant Magazine: