The Last Sin Eater (2007) User Reviews

An interesting, compelling, educational release based on the Christian faith

[josbornegdr · 7/10 · 27 January 2007]

Fox Faith has released a Christian movie that is interesting, compelling, educational and yet based on the Christian faith. Michael Landon Jr. did an excellent job of directing The Last Sin Eater that appears in theaters throughout the Lewisville-Denton-Sherman triangle. Try to get to see it if you can, it's worth the 2-hour investment. I googled (is that a verb?) sin eater and found the practice was Welsh and defined as, "A person actually making his living as an outcast who eats food from the chests of the dead, taking those (persons) sins upon himself, to leave pure the departing soul. Usually each village had its official sin-eater to whom notice was given as soon as a death occurred. A groat (a small coin), a crust of bread and a bowl of ale were either handed him or placed upon the breast of the departed, and after he had eaten and drunk he rose and pronounced the ease and rest of the dead person, for whom he thus pawned his own soul."

I can tell you right now to not expect the usual. It starts out creepy — filled with historical, religious and superstitious overtones — turns into a mystery — while you puzzle out the protagonist's (Cadi Forbes portrayed very well by Liana Liberato) problem — whips back to when the Welsh first came to the Appalachian Mountains for the reason for the creation of the sin eater, throws in a romantic triangle then segues to a happy ending.

The major fault I found with the film, since my eyes are not what they used to be, is the number of scenes that take place in semi-darkness, but even then, that's something I'm getting used to and the film is definitely worth the eyestrain.

Good acting, incoherent storytelling

[popdrome · 7/10 · 19 May 2007]

Let me start off by saying I am not a Christian (I DO believe in God but I'm afraid that doesn't make me a Christian) - and to answer your question: YES, this is a *Christian* movie, with a very clear message, but I won't spoil the plot for you.

The story in a nutshell is the awakening of a Welsh community in early America, coming to terms with their dark history, seen through the eyes of a ten year old child.

There are flaws. It's based on a novel, so the director had to make difficult choices to narrow down the plot for screen time. The editing wasn't good and led to some incoherency and superficial plot holes. The story sometimes wasn't going anywhere, and the 'horror' scenes best could've been left out, they seem out of place. Special effects looked cheap. Last and least: the accents. They should've invested a bit more in accent training because this sounded like a far fetched (teethless) dialect..

But there's some good performances to be admired. First of all, I tip my hat for Liana Liberato. What a great actress at such a young age. Secondly Soren Fulton did a great job and there was lots of chemistry between him and Liana. And what about Louise Fletcher?! Excellent. The actress who once played the horrid nurse Pratched (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest).. she performed wonderfully and was brilliantly cast.

So let's see what we have here. If you take all these things into account and you're not scared off by evangelism - not bad for a Sunday afternoon.

Flawed but deeply felt

[donjmiller · 7/10 · 10 February 2007]

This is a film that requires some willing suspension of disbelief, since its makers seem possibly to be prey to the fallacy that it enough that Christian art be Christian. Which is not to say that they didn't get most of it right, just that their missteps are so avoidable. Fortunately, most (like the young star's unbelievably sumptuous wardrobe) weren't major distractions for me. But the crudeness of the special effects scenes (which, thankfully, are brief) did disrupt my experience, as I wondered, "What were they thinking that this looked right to them?"

Most of the cast does a truly fine job, with all the central characters (the Forbes family and Fagan Kai) getting moving, heartfelt and convincing performances from their players. There's a relationship here between quantity of screen time and quality, so the minor characters remain pretty two-dimensional, though not distractingly so.

The cinematography (except for special effects, as noted) is beautiful and effective, and successfully evokes the feeling of confining, dense Appalachian woods and isolation.

Bottom line: despite its minor shortcomings, this is an effective, affecting, non-preachy and original retelling of one of the central concepts of Christianity.

Review

[sims-19 · 8 February 2007]

I saw a pre-screening for "The Last Sin Easter" land it is a wonderful movie. The location was beautiful and the acting was outstanding – especially by Liana Liberato as well as Soren Fulton. Liana was amazing as Cadi Forbes. Other standouts: Stewart Finlay-McLennan was excellent and brought a lot of energy and ferocity to his role as the tyrant of the cove, Brogan Kai, and Henry Thomas was very good as the kind, sympathetic Man of God. Actually, all the actors did a very nice job. Plus, Brian Bird did a phenomenal job of orchestrating the essential, intricate plot and back-stories of the book into a movie script. The directing was good as well.

A book character, Cadi's brother, was left out completely and the emphasis on the other "bad" Kai boys was also left out too but it is understandable that it was necessary in order to give more time to the main characters and their actions. The identity of Miz Elda (Louise Fletcher) and her relationship to Iona Kai and her friendship with Granny Forbes was not brought to light either but it wasn't necessary to understand that each child, Cadi and Fagan, had a trusting friendship with this woman. Gervase O'Dara's character was not as prominent as in the book, but, again a necessary omission for the time constraints of a movie. Therefore, I feel those out there who, like me, read and enjoyed the book, will not be disappointed at all (as sometimes happens with books being made into movies) because, as stated before, Brian Bird did an outstanding job of conveying the most important aspects and scenes of the book into the movie script. I highly recommend this movie, as it is certainly complementary of the book.

Not to give away the ending but things were only very slightly changed from what I recall of the book and not quite as harsh. I liked the ending a lot but would have enjoyed a little longer monologue from Cadi telling us more of what happened to the cove and some of the people, but it still tied things together very nicely and was beautifully done.

Although the movie does not leave you cheering, laughing or weeping it does have you leaving the theater very hopeful and satisfied as well as a bit contemplative. Jesus is given credit for being the true, original sin eater yet, for non-Christians, the movie is not preachy. It is a lovely movie and would be a good addition, when it comes out on DVD, to anyone's home library. Congratulations to all those who were involved from the grippers, make-up artists, drivers, and the other crewmembers to the cast, writers, producers and director.

Very Enjoyable....

[coco200066 · 6/10 · 13 August 2007]

I had no idea what this movie was about however I did have some preconceived ideas about "sin eaters" coming from a Celtic background. Having said this....I very much enjoyed this movie, bad accents aside and little inaccuracies here and there, I would definitely recommend. A movie that can make me sad, happy, tearful and ultimately hopeful, is all right in my book!

This movie showed how fear can rule no matter what time or place, how old traditions and beliefs are not always the way to go, especially coming from the old world to the new. Man kinds inability at times to adapt to his surroundings is not only sad but can be brutal and horrific in the process. There is a moral in this story for all.

Happy viewing.

Poor editing destroyed a good movie

[FelineFiend · 4/10 · 14 April 2007]

This movie had very good elements, a grieving family, a community secret, dark undertones, a message of hope.....but it was all destroyed by the editing. While this movie was being filmed, the emotions were palpable on the set; the hair on the back of my neck stood up many times. Unfortunately, the director was so concerned about not showing any violence on screen, that all the passion was edited out.

Mr. Landon edited the most emotional scenes like it was an MTV video. He did not allow many of the camera shots to stay with one character for more than 2 seconds. This created very choppy scenes and disconnected his audience from the story. Mr. Landon did allow the scenic shots to pan, and zoom in (they were beautiful shots due to the DP), but we could have done with shorter scenic shots and longer camera time during the emotional scenes.

The three most disappointing scenes were Brogan Kai choking Caddie, the Sin Eater taking Caddie's sins away, and the Indian Massacre scenes. When these were being filmed, many of the crew had tears in their eyes. You could have heard a pin drop, no one was breathing. These were intense, emotional scenes, and Mr. Landon edited them down to very bad, home movie play-acting.

It is ashame, because Mr. Landon directed this film very nicely, and the original camera shots stayed on the actors for a much longer time. Mr. Landon should not have been allowed in the editing room.

I consider this a Christian movie.

[srmccarthy · 7/10 · 15 May 2007]

First of all, this comment does contain spoilers, but secondly and most important it also contains Christian views, as I consider this a Christian movie.

I applaud "Michael Landon Jr." and "Henry Thomas" for being the replacement for my last admirations "Ron Howard" and "Tom Hanks". I lost favor for Ron & Tom after they insulted our Lord in that totally mendacious movie ('DisMeStupid Code' <-my opinionated name for it)!

Yes, The Last Sin Eater is weird, but it does NOT demean God or try to down play the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us! In fact you will find that it praises Christ Our Lord! I only wish that it said right out (like explained in the movie "Last Flight Out") that you obtain salvation by admitting to God that you are a sinner, that you know that Jesus Christ is way to peace and asking for Jesus to forgive your sins.

I have not said much about the story line of this movie. Please get it from the other comments and the summary of the movie. I just wanted to express my appreciation for the movie.

Thanks also of course to Francine Rivers' who wrote the novel!

like an ABC After Sunday School Special

[Buddy-51 · 4/10 · 24 June 2007]

According to ancient Celtic tradition, a "sin eater" is a person chosen by lottery to take the transgressions of others onto his soul so that the newly deceased can pass over to the great-beyond free of the stain of iniquity.

"The Last Sin Eater," the latest offering from FoxFaith Films (the branch of Twentieth Century Fox Studios that specializes in Christian-friendly movie-making) is a well-meaning but leaden and strangely eclectic work, sort of "The Village" meets "The Old Time Gospel Hour" meets "Little House on the Prairie" (no surprise in this last one, since the movie was directed and co-written by Michael Landon Jr.). Cali Forbes is a sweet-natured young girl, growing up in early 19th Century Appalachia, who believes that a mysterious hooded hermit - the local "sin-eater" - will be able to take away the guilt she feels over "causing" the death of her little sister in a river accident. She spends most of the movie seeking him out, much to the consternation of her parents and the myriad "colorful" folk who inhabit their little cove. However, it isn't until Cali encounters a wandering preacher (played by E.T.'s now-grownup buddy, Henry Thomas) that she learns who the "true" sin-eater really is (though one wonders how anyone in this particular time and place can be as woefully ignorant about the gospel as the people here seem to be).

Although the first half of the movie achieves a certain portentous creepiness in its tone and atmosphere, once the evangelist shows up, the movie devolves into an overwrought melodrama, marked by stilted dialogue, holier-than-thou speechifying and heavy-handed sentimentality. The acting, even on the part of Thomas and Louise Fletcher, is generally amateurish and wooden, although young Liana Liberato as Cali has a natural dignity and poise that work well on screen. And, oh yes, the scenery is eye-popping and gorgeous.

Based on the novel by Francine Rivers, "The Last Sin Eater" clearly has its heart in the right place, but good intentions alone can't make it a satisfying movie.

Small but excellent

[Angel-Ireul · 8/10 · 18 May 2007]

First off the budget is small so be kind. Its a pretty solid story although it probably could have been fleshed out and feels a little disjointed in places. It is still a solid film and an excellent addition for fans of Christian films, unlike many Christian films it does not whitewash its message.

The best part of the film is the performance of Peter Wingfield as the Sin Eater. While he is almost a minor character as far as screen time his performance makes the film. His voice is so sorrowful in his scenes (he is hidden for the majority of the movie) that you could just sob for him. His pathos is spot on. He is not overly dramatic but succeeds in selling the believability of the film.

Good Wholesome Movie

[jaredandjas · 6/10 · 21 August 2007]

This is a good film to watch. Although it has the low-budget feeling, it promotes a good message. It passes a good message, and shows a twist on traditional practices. Not your average movie, that contains sex or gore. The slow developing plot took a little bit to even figure out what the movie was about. The accents are a little off, i agree to that. But who honestly knows what the accents where back then. When everyone was moving west, it was a major culture collision. The only thing I would have changed was a more developing plot towards the ending. "The Dark Secret," didn't even come into play till the last minutes. No reference point what-so-ever to what it was actually was.

Unconvincing, offensive, and trite film

[pswitzertatum · 1/10 · 20 July 2009]

My husband and I were intrigued by the title of this film because he knew that the concept of the "sin eater" was an old Welsh custom, and we were also interested in Appalachian stories. We did not know when we ordered the film that it was from "Fox Faith" and that it is basically evangelical Christian propaganda filmed in Utah. We found some of the acting to be earnest, but other than that the film was unconvincing, offensive, and trite. My husband teaches Welsh, and the film's "Welsh" accents were pathetic. And the idea that the Welsh settlers in 1830 to 1850 Appalachia were just superstitious Celts ignorant of the Bible and Christianity, and lacking any Christian values and virtues, is totally false, misleading and just plain bad history!

This wrung me ten different ways simultaneously

[kaylenns · 10/10 · 28 October 2007]

I was expecting an awkward preachy "Christian" movie, but the acting was excellent and the story twisted me around and I practically cried straight through the last half hour of this movie. Every single character was well motivated, and the plot and character development played out at a good pace. Characters that you hate you later come to sympathize with. No one is all good or all bad; they felt real. Their actions made perfect sense, in retrospect, given their experiences and their isolation. Their accents took a little while to become accustomed to, though. We found that we had to use the subtitles to follow everything that was going on. Once we got used to them, though, we were drawn into the story. The flashbacks at the end of the movie were particularly wrenching. You'll be emotionally drained and elated by the time you finish this movie. It's a must-see.

Pathetic Drivel

[Franco-72 · 1/10 · 14 May 2007]

Liana Liberato did a fine piece of acting, given what she was supplied with. The accents used by the actors in this movie had me and my partner in stitches from laughing. We heard poor Irish, poor Welsh and poor Scottish accents, nearly every player in this 'movie' did a bit of each in the same sentence.

The special effects were straightforward blue-screen backdrops they use on the local weather forecasts on television and just as believable. Landon has plastered his name on most bits of this in the credits, someone should have told him not to bother, this is a turkey of a movie with a capital T.

The Christian theme to this was so poorly veiled only the most gullible will think it to be a message of God. Unless you are a relative of the cast, even if you are partially sighted and hard of hearing, do not assault your senses watching this film.

Really bad movie

[j__greenberg · 1/10 · 19 February 2007]

Heavy handed, simplistic Christian message aside, this movie was more than just bad, it was awful. The script, like the book, was poorly conceived and written. The plot, contrived and incoherent. And the action, coy and distracted.

The main story line centers on a little girl trying to absolve herself of the accidental death of her sister by way of the "sin eater." But this story line seems to end as soon as she finds the sin eater and it jumps to trying to "save" the sin eater. Throw in some murder, a love triangle and a stereotypical villain who, in trying to hide his family secrets, makes beating his "good" son into what seems like a hunting activity.

The scenes were badly lit and poorly composed. The editing, with several instances of disjointed and ill placed and executed cuts, only seemed fitting for how third rate much of the footage appeared. Several shots were very grainy and out of focus. It was as if nobody actually looked at the film before releasing it.

What scenes did end up looking fit enough to be released in theaters were ruined by bad dialog and even worse acting. While the actors were committed, their tendency was to over act and either no effort was made by the director to mitigate this tendency, or it was encouraged. The movie's action is suspended in a hyper-emotional state.

It doesn't help that one of the main characters has a hood over his head the whole time, or that the little girl spends half of the movie "hiding" her "sin." This coyness is the only way that the movie keeps the audience sitting in their seats, however restlessly, and keeps the film moving along.

This film was a poorly executed "Little House on the Prairie" movie bereft of the benefits of decent scripting, directing and, yes, acting. Even the few of the accomplished actors couldn't save this one. Not even Peter Wingfield, of whom I'm a fan.

If you want to see it, wait for the DVD to be released. Or better yet, wait until it makes it to television, where it should have been relegated in the first place, as a made-for-TV movie.

Welsh, Irish may be Scottish

[michael_mainds · 1/10 · 17 July 2007]

This is one of the worst films I have seen, good to see Landon Jr keeping the family name going. The accents are terrible, its obvious that no one had actually heard a Welsh voice before the making of the film, the actors must have went to the Dick Van Dyke acting school. The acting is wooden and the editing is so bad it make an already bad film worse.The amount of times that the line "My dear child" rears its ugly head is unbelievable. Did this film ever make it on to the cinemas or was put straight onto Fox day time coma channel. I don't see the point on wasting time and money on a film that should never have been made. If your bible belt US and don't appreciate quality films then this is for you.

Universal, iconic themes: a jewel of a film

[spinnwolf · 10/10 · 19 May 2007]

This is a work of art with universal appeal. The fact that the "Christian right" is claiming it as their own, should not turn off everyone else. Whether your world view is shaped by Jungian archetypes, Western philosophy, Eastern karma, or the books of Judaism, you will find deep meaning in this tiny-budget film.

The landscape is overwhelming, the characters captivating and the last few minutes of the film will require at least two hankies. Liana Liberato turns in a stunning performance as Cadi, the guilt burdened child around whom the story revolves; and Peter Wingfield brings incredible warmth and passion to a character whose face is obscured for most of the film. This work will endure as an art classic.

Very Preachie

[skywise88 · 2/10 · 9 February 2007]

I was disappointed with this movie. This story was way too Christian for me. The community is guilty of the most heinous crimes, but it is all OK because a stranger says Jesus forgives them. Even the worst offenders receive no real consequences for their actions simply because someone with a bible tells them it doesn't matter. They don't even have to go to rehab. The message of this story is utterly disgusting - that Christian values allow for genocide with no more than a quick "Sorry about that Jesus." The trailer promoted a tale of the celtic old world but it turns out the story is really no different than those pamphlets pushy Christian leave on your door.

Resolving Grief and Guilt Associated with Death during the Pioneer Era

[red861 · 9/10 · 18 December 2007]

During the 1850s there were a lot of immigrants to North America. Many wanted to escape religious strife and recover from the horror of famine that had ravaged western Europe during the 1840-1850 period.

This film reveals how individuals - and indeed an entire community - coped with death for many years after arriving in North America. Landon wisely produced a film that was not pious, nor a bloody horror-story, but shed light on how these generally good people went on living and dealt with feelings of guilt about their real, imagined, or inherited responsibility for death and dying of others.

These people never had our current-knowledge and skills about resolving grief and guilt associated with death and dying, so this film demonstrates how organized religion around 1850 might have brought peace-of-mind - at the very least- and helped them cope more effectively with death and dying.

Misleading, manipulative piece of rubbish cheats the viewer last minute

[Der_Schnibbler · 1/10 · 23 December 2007]

What a vile, disgusting piece of propaganda. No, not Christian propaganda. I have seen the comments from many folks here saying they were surprised the film did not end up preachy because it was a "Christian" film. I saw nothing of Christian indoctrination in it, or even Christianity at all. The role that religion does play in this film is almost in passing.

What we have on first glance is a little girl's burden over a horrible accident involving her and her sister when they were younger. In a time before grief counselors and the "five stages of grief," people have their own ways of rationalizing and dealing with sorrow, some not all too healthy for those still left living.

The film really promises to be beautiful. A really beautiful offering. And yet... we stick for this entire film for ONE HOUR and THIRTY-SIX MINUTES so that we can arrive to the "surprise" ending. The "shocking" revelation. The "appaling" truth. And what might that be?

***SPOILERS AHEAD*** ***SPOILERS AHEAD*** ***SPOILERS AHEAD***

What the entire film comes down to is a "dark secret" the community of Welsh immigrants hides. What, you ask?? Is it something relevant? NO. It all comes down to some idiotic, contrived, imbecilic hidden "past" which shows the newly arriving Welsh immigrants double-crossing those poor, accepting Indians and slaughtering them.

Red alert! Evil white men on the prowl! I am so sick and tired of these pathetic one-sided anti-white portrayals of history. I cannot imagine any other country other than a Western one where films are made on a routine basis to disparage the very people at whom they are directed. (Then those same people, replete with unfounded "guilt," come here and vote down reviews like mine. Morons.)

Throughout history people have committed atrocities on both sides on every continent. And yet, the writers of this film operate under the stupid assumption that we "white men" (as was so obviously pointed out in the film) are by now so fully conditioned to hating ourselves that even the most contrived portrayal of "white injustice" is enough to win us over and make us justify a now utterly destroyed film? What hogwash.

This could've been a wonderful film. Instead it completely leads you on, making you think something deep and moving will happen, and instead you get liberal American history manure.

Someone said they cried for this film's entire half hour? Huh? Stay away from this thing unless you are an easily led automaton.

Harmful Superstitions revealed

[tedg · 22 August 2010]

I watch these missionary films from time to time. There is an earnestness in most of them that makes up for the fact that they are so horrible.

In my city is Pat Robertson's film school, training hundreds of people a year to make these things. I often wonder what will happen when they actually are able to make good movies?

I am beginning to believe that this may never happen. Film may be making Christianity obsolete. I know this may sound strange. Cinema seems profoundly malleable, a vehicle for any story. And Christianity has survived by adapting far, far from what Jesus believed, making any necessary compromise.

But film has rather rigid dynamics when combined with the forces of how we define ourselves through stories. It is extremely flexible, but only within a conceptual marketplace where the collective projections of self reinforce each other. Cinema allows us to define our own cosmos. It worries me that the rivers are sometimes so banal, but such the way of the collective — and young imaginations have surprising sophistication.

Christianity on the other hand is about accepting a prefabricated story. Well, different ones depending on the preacher's agenda, but the cosmos is defined in a very top down manner. Theoretically, they could overlap a lot, but that is not what the world seems to want. Even the most obvious Jesus stories like Harry Potter don't follow the rules of the Christian institution.

This film has prompted me to believe that it may be impossible to make powerful cinema with the existing dogma. Everything about it fails.

The irony is that the story flows are about rigid superstition being made obsolete, not by the Bible in the story, but because people simply want to explain for themselves what the world is.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Christian Propoganda

[natashaisac · 1/10 · 2 August 2018]

Could have been really interesting subject matter until Jesus saved the day.

Bait and Switch

[dyanneo · 1/10 · 15 August 2018]

Totally not what I expected - hoping for something the likes of the Wicker Man. Sad these people betrayed the old ways.

Excellent Movie

[fptidewater · 10/10 · 11 February 2007]

Great movie, not the same old Hollywood crap I'm used to seeing. Strong acting, great storyline, good family movie. There should be more movies like this coming out of Hollywood! Michael Landon needs to be commended for his vision and having the insight to bring this film to the big screen. The Last Sin Eater is a film with a great message of forgiveness and hope. It is an enjoyable film to watch without the same old comic and or dramatic efforts out of Hollywood we've been accustomed to seeing. The storyline provides forgiveness from the past, power for the present, and hope for the future. Thanks to the power of Fox studios and Michael Landon, Jr. to bring this great story to fruition! (p.s., and to the big screen).

Another movie about the evil white man

[hcurrie77 · 1/10 · 1 April 2019]

Not one settlement killed Indians for no reason. They fought when they were attacked but not for no reason. I am sick to death of hearing how bad white people are. Explain why whites help every other race but never ask for any help for their own. White people are the kindest most giving loving race of all and I am done hearing otherwise.

Warm, Compeling Story

[dbb-hd204 · 9/10 · 10 February 2007]

I enjoy all genres of movies (with the exception of horror.) I can watch Mission Impossible one day and The Lake House the next and enjoy both of them. I saw an advertisement for The Last Sin Eater just this afternoon on the Hallmark Channel. Having seen the other movies Michael Landon Jr. has written and directed, I knew I might want to see this one, although the title left me wondering.

Being a Christian, I enjoy movies with a Christian theme. Although I was disappointed that the movie gave such a simple message of what it takes to be a Christian, I can understand also that it might be a turn-off to the general public to preach the whole message of salvation. Hopefully it will give unbelievers a reason to search for deeper truth.

All in all, I felt that this was a great movie with good acting, good cinematography, and a good storyline.

Liana Liberato and Soren Fulton were good together. They both did a great job of acting. In fact, everyone did a great job. I look forward to seeing Fulton again in Landon's next film and will look forward to Liberato's next project.