A Little Prayer appears in an aspect ratio of 1.59:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. Over 27 years of reviews, I don’t think I ever saw 1.59:1 as a framing choice until now.
Whatever rationale came with this quirky selection, at least the movie looked good. Well, it provided solid reproduction of its photographic choices, I should say.
This meant an odd number of slightly soft shots for which I could think of no explanation other than the filmmakers wanted them to seem a bit fuzzy. Most of the movie appeared well-defined but we still got those sporadic scenes that lacked the expected definition.
No issues with moiré effects or jaggies manifested, and I witnessed no edge haloes. Source flaws remained absent.
Pale blues dominated the movie’s palette, though it also included ambers. The disc displayed these hues in a satisfying way.
Blacks felt tight and deep, while low-light shots felt concise. Outside of the sporadic soft shots, this turned into an appealing presentation.
No one should expect sonic fireworks from a character drama like Prayer. The film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack followed the expected subdued path.
Music displayed good spread and effects created a mild sense of place. A few showier elements cropped up, such as the way the crooning of the mysterious “morning vocalist” would appear in the back speakers, but the soundfield nonetheless stayed decidedly low-key the vast majority of the time.
Audio quality worked fine, with speech that remained natural and distinctive. Music largely became a background factor but those elements appeared well-rendered.
Though effects also lacked much to do, they brought accurate reproduction. While nothing here impressed sonically, the mix suited the story.
As we go to extras, we start with an audio commentary from writer/director Angus MacLachlan. He provides a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, cast and performances, editing, music, sets and locations, and related topics.
MacLachlan provides a decent but unexceptional chat. While he touches on the movie in a largely positive manner, the track lacks great insights and seems pretty average.
From “Ebertfest 2025”, we find a Panel Discussion that spans 48 minutes, 49 seconds. Conducted after a screening of Prayer, it involves MacLachlan as he looks at shooting in North Carolina, sound design, story/characters, cast and performances, photography, and related areas.
I guess this qualifies as a "panel" because four participants chat with MacLachlan, but that feels like a weird construction, especially since the interviewers slather on the praise. MacLachlan brings a few new notes but we get a lot of content already found in the commentary so this winds up as a semi-tedious reel.
Inside the Arthouse lasts 36 minutes, four seconds. It features MacLachlan and actor Jane Levy.
Interviewed remotely by Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge , they discuss cast and performances, aspects of the shoot, research, and the movie's release. Levy adds some novel notes but like "Ebertfest", this one feels too fluffy and focused on plaudits from the hosts for my preference.
An Image Gallery provides 34 images from the shoot. These look great but don’t provide especially fascinating photos.
The disc opens with ads for The Summer Book, Young Mothers, When Fall Is Coming, In the Summers and Familiar Touch. We also get a trailer for Prayer.
Despite an inherently melodramatic tale at its core, A Little Prayer remains understated. This means it can feel a little too chilly at times but buoyed by strong performances, it ends up as a fairly involving journey. The Blu-ray brings satisfactory picture and audio along with a mix of supplements. This winds up as a largely solid character piece.
