Pew

At the beginning of the week leading up to a small Southern town’s yearly high point, a quasi-religious event called the Forgiveness Festival, an individual of indeterminate name, race, age, gender, and biography is found sleeping in the church. Dubbed simply Pew, the stranger is taken in by Hilda and her family, who hope to provide succor and discover the identity and backstory of their guest. The typically mute Pew doesn’t cooperate with Hilda’s well-meaning attempts to help or with the efforts made by the friends, social workers, and ministers she recruits. Interestingly, those who work with Pew often end up confessing their own sins, fears, and inadequacies to this quiet figure. But as the townsfolk move through the week, their curiosity and good-heartedness begin to turn to fear and suspicion.