Flying Padre

In the scorching silence of the New Mexico wilderness, the only way to reach a vast congregation spanning thousands of square kilometers is through the sky. Stanley Kubrick’s early documentary experiment follows the daily routine of a pastor making routine flights in a Piper Cub across the boundless steppe. The black-and-white frames capture the loneliness echoing high above the ground and the slow passage of time on the prairie. Stepping out of the cockpit and mingling with his congregation, the pastor breaks up children’s fights, offers comfort at funerals, and transports the sick by plane. More than just a short film, it portrays the weight that the landscape places on the human spirit and offers a simple, aerial portrait of an ordinary faith.