Based on the novel by Christian author Francine Rivers, this film has a much more overt message about the faith – namely, that Jesus is the true “sin eater.”  At times, this is quite moving.  Christian audiences looking for solid teaching about the faith will appreciate this very much, along with the beautiful Utah scenery.  Landon, who co-wrote the script, is unfortunately a bit heavy-handed with his gospel presentation, however, leaving little to the imagination.  As a result, non-Christian viewers will probably not enjoy the film.

The film’s production values are perhaps a bigger issue.  Because the dialogue appears to be in service of the film’s message, rather than the art per se, it has a very didactic feel.  Though suspenseful at times, the pacing is also off.  Many scenes could have been cut and most could have been shortened.  The film’s editing is choppy; its cinematography and special effects look stale and the sound is off kilter.  With almost every indoor scene, I had to strain to hear the characters, especially when they whispered (which they frequently do).  When the music soared, however, I had to drastically lower the volume.  Sometimes the score even drowned out the actor’s voices.

Another problem is that Landon forces Liberato to carry most of the film on her young shoulders and doesn’t make use of his other, more seasoned characters.  For example, Louise Fletcher (who played the infamous Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest\ years ago) and Finley-McLennan are both outstanding, and should have received much more screen time.  Overall, the acting is fairly good, however.  Liberato and Fulton do a great job with their accents, especially for young actors.  As usual, however, the Southern character (Henry Thomas) uses the old Hollywood standard for accents – that bizarre, 19th century-sounding, Charleston accent that non-Southern actors always adopt, thinking they’re being so authentic. 

I applaud Landon’s goals, and I have no doubt that he put his very heart into this movie.  I also sympathize with the film’s message.  As a film critic, however, I’m obliged to hold him to the same standard as other filmmakers.  So, while it’s uncomfortable to criticize the work of a brother in Christ – especially one who dreams of leading people to the Lord through his art – I also know that as Christians, we can’t cut ourselves slack, just because we have a message.  Nor can we ask Hollywood to do so. 

AUDIENCE: Older teens and adults

CAUTIONS:

• Drugs/Alcohol:  None.
• Language/Profanity:  None.
• Sexual Content/Nudity:  None.
• Violence:  Various scenes in which a man beats children and others and various threats of violence which are mostly thematic in nature.