Holy Moly

Merle is an eight-year-old girl living in the predominantly Catholic south of the Netherlands. She is preparing for her first Holy Communion. She goes to communion classes to learn about the rituals, the sacraments and the Last Supper, and her family and friends bombard her with questions. While Merle’s friends are mostly interested in the bouncy house and the presents, her grandfather and father talk about the deeper meaning of this initiation rite. What about Merle herself, though, the little girl who’s taking it all in with wide-eyed amazement? What does she believe? When it’s over, does she feel closer to Jesus? And what did the sacrament taste like?

Director Eva Nijsten shows Merle’s first official introduction to the Catholic faith in a playful and non-judgmental way. On the big day itself, Merle looks radiant in a gorgeous white dress made by her grandmother. And once the official ceremony is over, it’s time— naturally—for the bouncy house.