"The
Shack" is a beautiful, profound, and moving film. I'm a lifelong movie fan
and I always look at reviews before I go to see movies. Of course I went to
Rotten Tomatoes and saw that "The Shack" had received uniformly bad
reviews. There is something wrong with the critics who panned this movie. They
probably have a problem with Christianity. I think if a similar film had been
made in Iran, about Islam, with English subtitles, it would receive an Academy
Award nomination. Don't let these bitter, twisted souls keep you from seeing
"The Shack."
The
plot is simple. Mack, (Sam Worthington), an American husband and father, suffers
an unbearable loss. He and other family members sink into depression. One day,
Mack receives an invitation to return to the shack, the site of the worst
moment of Mack's life. He does return, and there he meets spiritual guides
played by Octavia Spencer, Aviv Alush, Sumire Matsubara, Graham Greene, and
Alice Braga (niece of Sonya Braga). Mack engages in conversation with these
spiritual entities. He eventually returns to normal life with a changed outlook.
The
film gets off to a rocky start. There is an unnecessary and amateurish voiceover
narration by country music star Tim McGraw, who stars as Mack's friend. Otherwise,
though, McGraw is excellent onscreen, displaying an understated charisma and
authenticity that are totally beyond the film's actual star, Sam Worthington.
In fact I wish Tim McGraw had played Mack and Sam Worthington had played the best
friend.
Too,
there are many shifts in time in the opening scenes. There are flashbacks on
top of flashbacks and a shocking crime that the movie never makes much use of. Once
the movie gets started, about fifteen minutes in, it gets good.
Sam
Worthington is okay as Mack. The thing is, his Australian accent is evident in
virtually every word he speaks. Again, I wish the filmmakers had made McGraw
the star.
Radha
Mitchell is good looking but chilly as Mack's wife. She looks like a movie
star, not like a wife, and that took away from the film for me.
The
rest of the cast is excellent. Octavia Spencer is assigned to play an almost
impossible part, and she handles it with great professionalism and depth. Aviv
Alush is especially good. Moviegoers have waited a long time for a star like
this to play this part, and he knocks it out of the park.
The
production values are high. The scenery is lush. I was especially moved by how
this family-friendly film handles the tragedy at the center of Mack's
depression and alienation from God. The exact words are never used. Graphic
images are never shown. Yet we know exactly what happened, and it breaks our hearts
and causes us to ask the same questions that Mack asks.
Either
you want to see a movie where an average man works out how to deal with
unbearable tragedy or you don't. Me, I loved sitting there watching Mack
wrestle with his pain and his faith. Many self-identified Christians hate this
movie with a white hot hatred. Big name Christian leaders have denounced it as
heretical. One man told me that seeing the movie would be the equivalent of
shooting heroin.
It
think these folks are wearing their shorts much too tight. The film is an
allegory. Any thinking person who has been through pain has had the same
questions as Mack, and anyone who has read the Bible or other spiritual
literature has pondered the same potential answers. I sincerely doubt that any
filmgoer is going to leave the theater thinking that he or she has actually
seen God onscreen, or heard God's thoughts about human tragedy. Rather, like
any good allegory, the film sets us on our own path of spiritual exploration. That's
a very good thing.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Dr. Goska. A number of my friends have been debating whether to see this film. I may try to see it. At least I have a little better idea what it's all about now.
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