Mackenzie Phillips has recovered well from his abused childhood.

However, one day, his

youngest daughter Missy goes missing during a camping trip and is confirmed dead. This
tragedy fills Mack with such extreme despondence and fury, he struggles with his daily life.
Mack meets three mysterious strangers living in a shack in the forest who endeavor to help him
cope and move on.

Expect the acting from the cast to be effusively positive. Expect this to be sentimental and
melodramatic. Expect beautiful profound words of wisdom and counsel. However, when you
view this with the proper attitude, you will hear words of inspiration and illumination, as this
film was intended to be appreciated.

While Sam Worthington did well in the lead role of Mack, he does not really do anything to
make a distinguishable mark in his performance. Worthington is an actor who remains to be
unremarkable for me despite his many starring roles in big films before.

In other rather fine but rather unexceptional performances, Radha Mitchell plays Mack's
supportive wife Nan, and Tim McGraw plays Mack's best friend Willie.

The ubiquitous Octavia Spencer plays Papa, or God the Father, in a radical casting choice since
Alanis Morrisette's played God in "Dogma" (1999). If Worthington has an indistinct face,
Spencer in contrast, is very distinct. She plays Papa in a relaxed yet authoritative manner,
motherly actually. She is good as always, but this is much like how she acts in her other films,
like "Hidden Figures" and "Allegiant." I preferred the way Graham Greene played Papa in
another incarnation within the film, to guide Mack through a more difficult challenge he had to
face.

Aviv Alush, in his Hollywood debut, is the first Israeli actor to play Jesus in an English-language
film. He played him to be a friendly guy-next-door, someone you can run on water with.

In her first feature film, Japanese model-actress Sumire was absolutely sublime as the Holy
Spirit. I liked the way she delivered her lines. Brazilian actress and Sonia's niece Alice Braga
(who first got noticed for her role in "City of God" back in 2002) had strong screen presence as
God's Wisdom who put Mack through his first wringer.

In the treatment by director Stuart Hazeldine, the Christian concepts took on a New Age feel.
The Persons of God had a hippie vibe in their clothes, words and actions, like a throwback to
colorful flower power in the 1970s. Appreciation of this film will be based on the viewer's faith,
specifically Christian faith. Atheists, agnostics and strict biblical fundamentalists may consider
its ideas to be ridiculous and this film boring or absurd, yes. However, I personally believe that
most faithful Christians will be able to connect and fully embrace the healing spirit of
forgiveness and surrender to the Lord that this film espouses.
 CRITIQUE FOR THE
MOVIE “THE
SHACK”

SUBMITTED BY: CLIVE HUGH B. JASARENO

11- PROGRAMMING