Christians in Cinema BLOG

When The Last Sin Eater came out in theaters, most of our staff went to see it together. As we often do, we hung around the theater after the credits had stopped rolling and talked about our reactions to the film. Jennifer, our wholesale account manager, was very moved by what she saw, so I asked her to share her thoughts with all of us. [Note: if you haven’t seen this film, there are a couple of spoilers in Jen’s notes]

“I was deeply moved by this movie. It is about the power of guilt and shame and how it can overwhelm your entire life. [It’s also about] the power of forgiveness for sin and a life of peace and freedom, and how that can not only transform you but all those around you.

Seeing how freedom and true forgiveness transformed her heart and the hearts around her was a beautiful thing.

“I could identify with Cadi the most. [The young girl who is the main character] Her character is overwhelmed with guilt for her sister’s death. At a young age she has taken on something that she didn’t need to take on. She is determined to figure out a way to absolve her guilt or die. I think in my life I have taken on things that God never intended me to take on. I carried them around as if there was a way for me to learn to absolve this guilt in me. I knew that Jesus had died for my sins but felt this need to show Him how sorry I was. Somehow the message of forgiveness and the freedom that goes with it never quite made it to my heart, until recently. I saw that in Cadi, and could readily identify with her pain and the relief she felt when she realized there really was a way to know freedom and true forgiveness. Seeing how that transformed her heart and the hearts around her was a beautiful thing.

“As a mom I could actually identify with Cadi’s mother in this movie. As a mom, you feel the need to make everything even, and if one of your children feels left out or hurt by someone, you want to make them feel special. The mom in The Last Sin Eater had shown her youngest daughter favoritism because she felt a special burden for her. She felt Cadi, her oldest was very capable and healthy and strong, so that maybe she could handle life a little easier than her youngest. Cadi had taken this to believe that her mother loved her sister more than her. When Cadi’s sister dies, her mom feels an overwhelming sense of failure. Failure to protect and shelter. The grief was overwhelming, and as a mom it is easy to let that kind of grief overtake you. Without the love and peace only Jesus can give, it can overtake your life.

“I would take a non-Christian to see this film because at the very heart of the movie it is a message everyone needs to hear. Everyone at some point in their life feels that they have a burden too heavy to carry. Everyone needs to know that they do not have to carry that burden alone and that there is a Savior who wants to take your sin away and give you peace.

“It was a little preachy but not too much that it dominated the entire movie and it would serve as a great discussion-starter about how people deliver the message of Jesus differently.

“After watching the film for the second time, I really had a chance to look at what I wish the maker of the film would have added or done less of. All I could come up with was that when the ’stranger’ in the movie shares with Cadi the love of Jesus, it was a little vague. I wish the salvation message would have been a little clearer for those struggling and wanting to know how to have that forgiveness themselves. I suppose this could serve as a great discussion after the movie, but for me, if you are going to bring up the salvation message, let’s do it so it is perfectly clear.

“This movie brought me laughter and tears. I thought it was just great. It is one I am glad to have in my library at home.”

What do you think? Do you agree with Jennifer’s thoughts about the film? Did you have a different reaction to the message of the film? Share your thoughts with us! We want to hear from you.