The Unusual Calling of Charlie Christmas (2012)

The Unusual (Calling of) Charlie Christmas is the story of a socially awkward, thirty-two year old high school janitor who is inspired to become a costumed vigilante in his small Oklahoma town. Bullied and overlooked his entire life, Charlie receives his 'higher calling' even as his tender friendship with his neighbor, a meek and mysterious woman named Gracie, begins to develop into something more powerful. As Charlie begins to craft his crime fighting alter ego, the line between costumed hero and everyday reality begins to blur. He is guided by an apparition of Jesus as he begins to confront both the loss of his parents as a child and his fear of "getting hit" which stem from his own experience of being bullied. Flush with his new found conviction to rid the town of bullies he finds himself in a personal confrontation with Gracie's abusive boyfriend Brad. The conflict between Charlie and Brad serves as a parallel to Charlie's attempt to clean up the town's criminal element. While Charlie dispenses his own brand of "masked" justice to various street thugs and gangs he steps out from behind the mask to deal with Brad making this conflict more visceral. Charlie loves Gracie, if only at a distance, and Gracie sees Charlie as someone she may have loved if life had only taken a different path. Although their relationship seems hopeless and at times quietly desperate, it more than anything else is the catalyst for change in both of their lives.