An intelligent and moving Christian drama from Brazil.
This movie is based off a true story, however I must admit I have not much knowledge of the true story. Therefore I can not judge this movie on how truthful it is or if the Universal Church is the same as is shown here. I know that this movie was self financed by the man it was about, so there may be a little biased, then again he may just want to tell his story to inspire others. I truly don't know. However as someone who likes to believe in the good in people and as a Christian myself, I prefer to believe the latter. Still I am not here to talk about this movie as a historical document but rather as a film and as I film I felt it was fantastic.
This is a very moving and inspiring drama. It is about a man who is unjustly persecuted and feels the whole weight of the world on him. What makes this work so well is that the majority of the movie serves as a character study. The character is fascinating and very relatable. Despite being a man of faith he struggles with his persecution the way that many of us would. At one point he states that if he didn't know God, he might have killed himself. It is hard not to feel an emotional connection for this man. This is helped by a framing device of him being interviewed for the book this film was based on. When we first see him, we see him as an older man secure in his faith and with the ability to joke about the trails in the past. This is in sharp contrast to him as a younger man who struggles with his faith and could never even think about joking about the trials he is going trough. This contrast shows how much he has grown as a person and gives a sense of hopefulness in the films most hopeless moments. Because of this we get a feeling that we will make it trough whatever trials we are going through right now and will one day laugh about it. The story itself is told in a very straightforward and human fashion that never once talks down to its audience. This is not a film that is pandering to Christians but rather a very good film made by Christians.
-Michael J. Ruhland
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