Camino al cielo

I didn't grow up down South, or even in the midwest, but I do know a little bit about the Pentacostal Church and Christian fundamentalism. Robert Duvall is an ambitious actor and film maker, and The Apostle hits home with its perceptive and loving portrayal of country people in the United States. It is refreshing to see that culture portrayed as something other than gaggles of yahoos. The Apostle focuses on the community spirit of the church, and thereby shatters some of the mystery of its appeal in a culture as self-centered as our own. There are no saints in this story, just a protagonist and his supporters trying to make sense of a country in which there is little love and way too much usury. The film is harsh on a number of levels, very no-nonsense though drawn out at various moments. But it's real, and that's more than can be said for ninety per cent of what passes for films about U.S. culture these days. It's said by some folks that Robert Duvall has been trying to make this film for a lot of years, and there are parts of The Apostle that contain faint echoes of his 1983 project Tender Mercies. It hardly matters, since both are interesting films for different reasons. Some day we'll see Robert Duvall as the vast repository of Americana he really is, until then, The Apostle is one of the best testimonies to his strengths that I know of. Can I get a witness?

The Apostle hit close to home for me. I spent me teenage years attending churches in the holiness tradition. Since about my senior year of high school, I have grown increasingly skeptical of the emotional and spiritual experiences displayed in these Pentecostal churches. Because of my skepticism, I am glad I watched this film. Maybe somewhere along the journey I dismissed the possibility that God manifests Himself to different people in different ways. In some ways it is easy to dismiss Sonny (Robert Duvall). He is a flawed man. He is divorced, full of lust, and a murderer. However, it is also clear that his faith is enormous and despite his struggles he sees God perform miracles in his mist. Residing within him together with all his shortcomings, Sonny is full of love for God and for other people, especially those who do not yet know Jesus. The amazing accomplishment of this movie is that it shows you Christ in the form of a sinful man. And you can really see it. Over the film's 2 hours and 14 minutes, the audience's love and concern for Sonny grows increasingly stronger. He is a real person; the real Christian everyone wishes they knew because even though they know he is a sinner they also know that he really has a relationship with the God he speaks of. I'm glad I watched this movie. I hope that I am more tolerable to other Christian traditions. I hope that I am more loving and real with people. I hope that in the mist of adversity, in the darkest valley, I know who is with me at all times…Jesus.

Sonny Dewey (Robert Duvall) is a preacher in Texas. His wife Jessie leaves him for a younger minister. She takes their children and gets his church after a vote. Desperate to see his kids, Sonny beats up Jessie's man with a baseball bat. He goes on the run and ends up in rural Louisiana. He befriends Brother Blackwell and starts dating receptionist Toosie. He starts a new church with new identity Apostle E.F. He preaches on the radio. His mixed congregation enrages a racist (Billy Bob Thornton).

Robert Duvall is a master. His character is complex. He is awe inspiring. His journey does meander at times but it is always fascinating. Despite the long running time, it doesn't lag. I love his preaching. The montage of preaching is wonderful. This is a character study of the highest order.

I absolutely loved this movie and strongly recommended people in my own ministry to rent the video. From the very beginning you can tell this was not a "Hollywood movie" with the stereotypical preacher. It seems in the past, either the minister or priest is depicted as either the saintly sinless man (i.e. Father Flanagan in Boys Town) or as some perverse twisted child molester or monster. This simply portrays a man who loves God and His people with a pure heart but is a human being, subject to fall and make mistakes the same as anyone else. I especially enjoyed the flavor the extras gave the movie, as you could tell they were real people and not actors. The sound track to this movie was an added delight featuring a fine taste of Southern Gospel for us who have not been exposed to this kind of music too much. Put an Amen on it brother and give it a hearty hand clap for the Lord! : )

This movie is another powerful exhibit in the case for why there *should* be an Oscar category for Best Casting.

Apart from Mr. Duvall's identifying acting, so rightly hailed elsewhere on this forum, what truly makes this film stand out as so genuine, so founded, so real, is the casting.

Take the radio guy, right down to his supermarket-style glasses. Take the Rev. Blackwell, fighting to hold back his bursting enthusiasm for Jesus so as not to have another heart attack. Take the talkative lady who almost clashes with the fat woman with twins - haven't we seen them both in our churches? Take the Church Board representatives at the beginning of the film, I feel like I know a few like them! Take the elderly gentleman with the trumpet, struggling to play but doing it from his heart, I've seen it. And in the midst of it, enter mega-star Billy Bob Thornton - blending into the mix just like one of the rest. Bottom line is, there is simply not one character that doesn't come across as believable simply by *being* there, even before you see them act.

Academy, awake, let there be a Casting Category now.