October 26, 2023
FILM: THE MISSION
DIRECTED BY: AMANDA MCBAINE, JESSE MOSS
STARRING: PAM ARLUND, DAN DAVIS, LEVI DAVIS
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There’s a “funny line between faith and madness.” It’s one of the significant points made in Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss’s new documentary The Mission. This sensational film tells the story of John Chau who was killed in his attempt to bring the word of Jesus to the natives of North Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman Islands. This not to be missed film explores just how far one man’s faith took him and asks the question of whether doing so was ethically sound or not.
Using his home videos, social media posts, and journals read by actors, the film delves into Chau’s background which led to his ill-fated journey. His desire to reach people, who speak and unknown language and have an unknown culture, in one of the most difficult remote places on our planet, began with his love of exploration as a child and his complete commitment to Christianity. Born half-Chinese and half-American, Chau’s father was spiritual but not to this degree. Via voice over narration, his father, a psychiatrist, discusses Chau’s sense of exploration which was always a part of his son’s life. However, he also expresses his own disappointment with how his story ended. Apparently, Chau believed that the only way Jesus would ever return would be to expose all cultures to the ancient scriptures. In effect, Chau developed his own Messiah complex, for better or for worse.
This isn’t a totally one-sided view of what Chau was trying to accomplish though. That’s what is, in part, so great about this film. The different sides of “civilized” man’s perspectives are broken down here. We may never get to understand the natives’ rationale for killing the missionary but we do get some interesting insights. The filmmakers interview other members of the Christian church to which Chau belonged and they all question the extreme level that Chau went to spread the word of Jesus. There’s also the perspective of at least one individual who fell away from the church who suggests that Chau’s goal to spread Christianity to this region might have been harmful and unethical as it may have contaminated and disrespected the other culture’s own way of life and looking at the universe. Maybe they don’t want outside influence. Sure, as the film relates, we’ve seen many films featuring native people who are seduced by stories of outside people, often viewing them as Gods themselves, but is that right for everyone on the planet? It’s a bold and provocative statement that will leave viewers philosophically debating.
The Emmy-winning filmmakers (for the great 2020 documentary Boys State) also create a very visually stimulating piece of work here. While there are plenty of talking head interviews with Chau’s teachers, friends, and other explorers, they infuse the story with Chau’s own footage, scenes from other documentaries and fictional films (King Kong was said to originate in the same geographical region) which may have incorrectly told us stories about people like those in the Andaman Islands, and a number of animated images which bring many of Chau’s words to life. The fact that this film is produced partly by National Geographic Films means that the filmmakers had access to a wealth of other footage that only adds to the visual intensity of this story.
In the end, this is a very thought-provoking film that isn’t afraid to express a number of different perspectives about our role in trying to change other people’s minds about something they may have no interest or need in exploring.
It is one of the best films of the year.
The Mission played at the Chicago International Film Festival. It opens this week at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.
FILM: THE MISSION
DIRECTED BY: AMANDA MCBAINE, JESSE MOSS
STARRING: PAM ARLUND, DAN DAVIS, LEVI DAVIS
RATING: 4 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
There’s a “funny line between faith and madness.” It’s one of the significant points made in Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss’s new documentary The Mission. This sensational film tells the story of John Chau who was killed in his attempt to bring the word of Jesus to the natives of North Sentinel Island, one of the Andaman Islands. This not to be missed film explores just how far one man’s faith took him and asks the question of whether doing so was ethically sound or not.
Using his home videos, social media posts, and journals read by actors, the film delves into Chau’s background which led to his ill-fated journey. His desire to reach people, who speak and unknown language and have an unknown culture, in one of the most difficult remote places on our planet, began with his love of exploration as a child and his complete commitment to Christianity. Born half-Chinese and half-American, Chau’s father was spiritual but not to this degree. Via voice over narration, his father, a psychiatrist, discusses Chau’s sense of exploration which was always a part of his son’s life. However, he also expresses his own disappointment with how his story ended. Apparently, Chau believed that the only way Jesus would ever return would be to expose all cultures to the ancient scriptures. In effect, Chau developed his own Messiah complex, for better or for worse.
This isn’t a totally one-sided view of what Chau was trying to accomplish though. That’s what is, in part, so great about this film. The different sides of “civilized” man’s perspectives are broken down here. We may never get to understand the natives’ rationale for killing the missionary but we do get some interesting insights. The filmmakers interview other members of the Christian church to which Chau belonged and they all question the extreme level that Chau went to spread the word of Jesus. There’s also the perspective of at least one individual who fell away from the church who suggests that Chau’s goal to spread Christianity to this region might have been harmful and unethical as it may have contaminated and disrespected the other culture’s own way of life and looking at the universe. Maybe they don’t want outside influence. Sure, as the film relates, we’ve seen many films featuring native people who are seduced by stories of outside people, often viewing them as Gods themselves, but is that right for everyone on the planet? It’s a bold and provocative statement that will leave viewers philosophically debating.
The Emmy-winning filmmakers (for the great 2020 documentary Boys State) also create a very visually stimulating piece of work here. While there are plenty of talking head interviews with Chau’s teachers, friends, and other explorers, they infuse the story with Chau’s own footage, scenes from other documentaries and fictional films (King Kong was said to originate in the same geographical region) which may have incorrectly told us stories about people like those in the Andaman Islands, and a number of animated images which bring many of Chau’s words to life. The fact that this film is produced partly by National Geographic Films means that the filmmakers had access to a wealth of other footage that only adds to the visual intensity of this story.
In the end, this is a very thought-provoking film that isn’t afraid to express a number of different perspectives about our role in trying to change other people’s minds about something they may have no interest or need in exploring.
It is one of the best films of the year.
The Mission played at the Chicago International Film Festival. It opens this week at the Music Box Theater in Chicago.