Christians anticipate a series of signs that signal judgment and the end of all things, but these are recorded in the book of “Revelation,” not in the book of “Exodus,” which provides a type of Christ in the person of Moses and an illustration of how God sets us free from bondage. This is not the interest of The Reaping, which never offers any serious attempt to grapple with the theological significance of the 10 plagues or the spiritual purpose of the “Exodus” account. Although Katherine is forced to confront her lack of faith, the film is not interested in theological plagues or ultimately in Katherine’s recovery from her hardness of heart.

There’s a different kind of plague that afflicts winners of the Best Actress Oscar, such as Swank. To win the Best Actress Oscar in the past several years has been a sign that an actress’ best work is behind her. In the mid- to late 1990s, winners included Frances McDormand, Gwyneth Paltrow, Helen Hunt – none of whom have since approached, not to mention topped, their winning roles. In 1999, a little known actress named Hilary Swank won the Best Actress Oscar for her role in “Boys Don’t Cry” – and then promptly dropped off the cinematic radar by choosing little seen, poorly reviewed films like The Affair of the Necklace and The Core. But unlike the other Best Actress winners of that era, Swank roared back with Million Dollar Baby, giving her a second Best Actress win. When Swank’s performance in Freedom Writers earlier this year elevated that formulaic but inspirational movie, it seemed she would avoid the embarrassments that followed her first Oscar win. The Reaping calls that into question. It’s a step in the wrong direction, a major turkey that will revive concerns about Swank’s artistic choices.

Swank is a talented actress who has bounced back once before. Let’s hope she manages to do so again.

AUDIENCE:  Adults

CAUTIONS:

• Language/Profanity:  Lord’s name taken in vain; some profanity and crude terminology
• Drugs/Alcohol:  Katherine says a drink tastes like bourbon
• Sex/Nudity:  A sex scene shows little flesh but simultaneously leaves little to the imagination and is set to “None but the Righteous” on the soundtrack; a bare-chested man is shown; a man and woman working together are assumed to be involved in a relationship; blood on a young girl’s leg is claimed to be a sign of her first period
• Violence:  Plagues include water turning into blood, raining frogs, afflicted cattle, boils, locusts that swarm and attack, flies/maggots, lice; a dead African man is shown; depictions of child endangerment and murder; bullet-wound scars are shown; preparations for the killing of a man and child are shown; verbal description of ritual sacrifice; a bloody egg; skulls and bones of children are shown; people are incinerated
• Faith:  Katherine doesn’t believe in God and explains away biblical accounts of miracles and plagues; church signs express thoughts about God; an upside-down cross is pictured, as is an altered cross that serves as a warning to Katherine