| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
A- |
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| Direction: |
B- |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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Pushing the Limits of Faith, Science and the Truth
by Yahoo! Movies User (movies profile)
Jan 14, 2006
7
of
8 people found this review helpful
Wainwright tests the limits of the Christian faith, asking us, "Do we really believe?", not in an evangelical born-again way, but in a test of our compassion, and also our will to expose truth in all its glory and beauty.
Patricia Arquette's acting is quite impressive despite her complex and difficult "Jekyl and Hyde" type role. She must display with simplicity the naivete of an atheist while quickly jumping to the depth of a visit by a messiah. Gabriel Byrne's acting is also good, showing his character's internal conflict between faith and science with mastery. As he falls in the love with Arquette's character, the viewer must ask themselves, "Is he in love with the innocent girl, the violent messiah enraged at his "church", or something else?"
The film is pretty violent and bloody. I would not recommend anyone 14 and under seeing it. I would suggest seeing this film with a group, as it provides many discussion points in terms of faith, science, and compassion.
Its helpful to know the Christian context of the film, so non-Christians may not follow completely. On the other hand, all persons of faith should be able to relate to sacred scripture and the individual faith journey that this film illustrates. |
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