‘Last Days’ Tells Missionary John Chau’s Story without Taking Sides, Director Says
The death of 26-year-old missionary John Allen Chau sparked a worldwide debate over his actions—with some defending his call to reach an unreached people group and others condemning his actions as reckless. The new film Last Days (PG-13) tells Chau’s story but—director Justin Lin says—doesn’t take sides in the debate but instead leaves it up to moviegoers to decide what to make of Chau’s mission.
Chau died in 2018 after he was fatally struck by an arrow shot by members of an isolated tribe on North Sentinel Island, who then dragged his body onto the shore and buried it. The island is located in the Bay of Bengal and is part of an Indian archipelago. It is illegal to visit it. Lin, who is best known as the director of five installments of the Fast & Furious franchise and Star Trek Beyond, said he dismissed Chau’s story as foolish when he first read about it in 2018 but became fascinated with it the next year when he came across an article in Outside magazine about Chau’s life.
“You got a window into John through his father, Patrick. That really kind of moved me and made me want to see if I could bring the story to life,” Lin told Crosswalk Headlines.
Last Days is not a faith-based film, and Lin himself says he is neither Christian nor religious. Lin, though, wants the film to spark a dialogue among people of different worldviews about a subject that divided the world in 2018.
“I'm not here to change people's minds. But my 20-second rush to judgment and dismissal led me down this three-year journey, and I feel like I have a better connection with John and his journey,” Lin said.
“... I hope there's a dialogue on the ride home from the theater and hopefully that leads you to seeking people of very different opinions and have more dialogue,” Lin said. “The story is something that is very complex.”
The first screening of the film, Lin said, was to a theater of 1,200 people filled with both Christian and secular moviegoers.
“And five minutes in, I could feel that there was a common bridge that was built just through dialogue. And I feel like that's something that is kind of missing in our world—and I personally wish there's more of.”
Last Days is rated PG-13 for some violence, strong language, sexual material, and smoking.
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Listen to Michael's Podcast! He is the host of Crosswalk Talk, a podcast where he talks with Christian movie stars, musicians, directors, and more. Hear how famous Christian figures keep their faith a priority in Hollywood and discover the best Christian movies, books, television, and other entertainment. You can find Crosswalk Talk on LifeAudio.com, or subscribe on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an interview that will be sure to encourage your faith.
Originally published October 28, 2025.
