I'm not really a huge fan of most "Christian" movies. I say that as a Christian and as a pastor. But for the most part I find them formulaic to the point of boring and usually badly (even horrendously) acted. And usually the more seriously they try to take themselves the worse they end up being. So I confess that I had very low expectations of "The Shack." I watched it because my wife wanted to watch it. She had read the book (I've not bothered with it either - for no particular reason) and wanted to see the film adaptation. Well, I watched it with her and I was pleasantly surprised. All in all, I thought this was a pretty well done movie and an interesting story.
First, I thought that Sam Worthington did a great job playing Mackenzie. Abused - and watching his mother be abused - by an alcoholic father as a child, Mackenzie grew up and managed to become a pretty good dad to his three children. Then tragedy strikes. On a camping trip his youngest daughter is kidnapped and murdered (and presumably raped - this was never said but was certainly implied.) Mackenzie and his family are devastated, of course. Mackenzie becomes depressed and angry. He had had a distant faith before all this happened, but it was destroyed by the events. Then one day he receives an invitation to go to the shack where his murdered daughter was taken by the kidnapper. Not knowing what - or who - to expect there, he goes, and begins a journey of discovery and healing when he finds himself in the company of God - the Holy Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all there.
It's an interesting portrayal of God. The Father (Papa, as God is known in Mackenzie's family) was played by Octavia Spencer. Apparently this was criticized by some who couldn't stand the idea of God being black. Or a woman. Or a black woman. Whatever. The point was that this was an image of God Mackenzie would be comfortable with. And God was very comfortable - admittedly almost too comfortable at times, although in the end Mackenzie is forced to confront some painful things before his healing can start. Certainly, though, it's a very "touchy, feely" portrayal of God that some might be uncomfortable with. I thought, though, that it provided an image of a very tender God who stands with his children and never abandons them - even though they sometimes feel abandoned. And it raises a lot of the difficult theological questions that all of us grapple with. The presence and the power of evil; God's role in evil; issues of judgement and forgiveness. They're all there. I wouldn't say that it's an entirely orthodox portrayal of God by any means. And, yes, to acknowledge one of the main theological criticisms the story received from a lot of Christian circles - it does have a universalist tinge to it for those who are offended by that theological viewpoint. (I would say that I'm not a universalist - because being a universalist is itself being judgemental - but I'm open to the possibility that God might be - so that didn't really bother me.) I did like the fact that the Father in one scene switches from a black woman to an older male for scenes where Mackenzie needed a real "father figure." I enjoyed the playfulness of Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush) and the gentleness of Sarayu (the Holy Spirit.) It was really a very warm and comforting image of God.
It's not going to be to everyone's taste - and, being an overtly Christian, faith-based movie - it's going to push a lot of people to the extreme ends of the "loved it/hated it" spectrum. I'm not sure I got as far as loving it - but I did enjoy it very much. (8/10)
