rtorgerson4

This film seeks to inspire and enlighten viewers by summing up the goodness, challenges, and triumphs of six Mormons from diverse backgrounds and locales. 'Meet the Mormons'does a great job of storytelling, and breaks new ground in the genre of Mormon movies (i.e., One Good Man, Saints & Soldiers, The Other Side of Heaven, Charly, etc.), by providing the breadth, depth, and good pacing of an official documentary, coupled with a refreshing degree of authenticity and sincerity that is difficult to ignore or deny. 'Meet the Mormons'provides an opportunity to peer briefly into not only individual lives, but into the functions of the LDS Church and its unique global Gospel culture. Each member appears to live rich and service oriented lives and is presented in tandem with their loved ones, their religious community, as well as in key societal interactions - many of which are quite striking (e.g., a US soldier dropping candy out of airplanes for German kids, an educated Nepalese building schools and improving water supply for his people, etc.). As some critics have mentioned, film-goers may not fully appreciate the basic purpose of the film (even despite being keyed in by the films title) and get a little confused as to why there is no greater attempt at resolving doctrinal questions or controversies. If you are looking for a film length version of Mormon apologetics, this is probably not the film for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for an opportunity to be inspired by great lives, to reevaluate your own conceptions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, while also being taken on an interesting trip around the world, this is a film for you to see (and see again).