If you want a life changing experience, this movie might just be what you are looking for to see things from a different perspective.

“The Shack” is an American Christian drama based on the story of a father, that has to go through an incredible spiritual journey to not only get over his own family tragedy but the abuse he received from his own father when he was just a kid. This film was released in the United States on March 3rd of 2017, and grossed over $96 million world wide.  The cast includes: Sam Worthington who plays Mack the main character (and was known for his role as: Jake Sully in the 2009 film Avatar, Marcus Wright in Terminator Salvation, and Perseus in Clash of the Titans); Octavia Spencer who plays one of god’s forms (from:  Red Band Society, Halfway Home, The Chronicle, Malcolm in the Middle, Are You Sleeping); and Graham Greene who is another version of god(who was featured in TV shows like: Defiance, The Red Green Show, Into the West), amongst many others. Amazingly this catholic based film has not only attracted the attention of the members of the church, but that of millions of people  that seek to learn the importance of character and faith. 

Religion is a key concept in this movie, not only in the beginning since it shows the context in which the main character grew up in, but also throughout the story, since it develops the idea of forgiveness and misjudgment.  However the way it portrays god through different characters is so broad, many priests have categorized the film as a promoter of universalism and heresy. Nonetheless, the church has never supported films that threaten people’s faith. For instance,  in other controversial films like “Spotlight”, the church has been accused of immoral actions that go against god’s teachings. Which exposed a dark side to this religion, that many preferred remained hidden from the public eye. For others in the catholic community such accusations were the unmasking of years and years of physical and psychological abuse by their religious superiors. Which left the church in a deplorable position.  “The Shack”, portrays the same abuse in Macks relationship with his father, who was an alcoholic and loyal catholic. In both movies we can see the consequences  these situations have on a person’s life and how it affects their relationship with people around them. It is important to highlight however, that both films do an excellent job teaching forgiveness and misjudgment, since it is important to look at both sides to a story before pointing fingers. The morals, these movies teach, are clearly a tribute to modern society and to outstanding individuals, who have dealt with tremendous pain throughout their lives.

Furthermore, the movie portrays a slightly exaggerated idea of grief. Considering, Mack becomes the worst version of himself for an incredibly extended amount of time. It is true that people have different ways to deal with grief, but the amount of time, Mack spends grieving could have been shortened for the movie to have a more fluid plot. “Irreplaceable You”, is a recent NETFLIX original movie that talks about the grieving process of a woman and her husband when they discover she has an unstoppable cancer, the way Abbie the main character (Gugulethu Sophia “Gugu” known for her role as Kelly in Black Mirror, Dido Elizabeth Belle in Belle, Noni Jean in Beyond the Lights, and Plumette in Beauty and the Beast.) has to accept the fact she will leave this world by going through a series of emotions, portrays a much more realistic idea of what grieving really looks like, from an outside perpective. Not to say there is an absolute way in which this process has to happen.

In a nutshell, “The Shack” is a movie that not only fits current society’s morals, but also seeks to teach its audience about religion and processes all humans have to go through in life.  The movie’s cast made an excellent job showing the emotions that needed to be transmitted to the public and at the same time exposed how good and bad the catholic church and all religions can be to one’s life. This film will certainly touch the hearts of many, it is a true piece of artwork, and it is worth the watch.