The Other Side of Heaven

It is truly a rare thing to see a film that contains a show of true strength and bravery without excessive violence...tenderness without overt sexual content...emotion without dysfunction...humor without making someone the victim. It's the best kind of drama - not white hat versus black hat, but a cast of nothing but ordinary people doing their best to do right by their loved ones, themselves, and yes, their faith. It's exciting in the way that life itself is and should be exciting - it's an adventure with a purpose, driven by the heart, and for that reason, just about unstoppable!

There are those, of course, who dislike anything that portrays a character of Mormon faith, or of any religious faith, in a positive light. For them, there is no point in seeing such a film. For the rest of us, Mormon or not (I am not Mormon myself), it's a wonderful story of human determination, and an inspired young person with a full, multifaceted life, living out an amazing, eye-opening adventure.

It does an excellent job reflecting and honoring Polynesian culture as well. As someone who has taken much time to study and experience Polynesian languages and traditions, I can tell you that there are no cheesy stereotypes here, which is great because for me, a poor representation of any indigenous culture is a total deal-breaker. This film brought me back to some island adventures of my own.

In short, if I had kids, I'd definitely want them to see this movie...but since I don't, I really enjoyed it all by myself!

First of all I wanted to say that if you watched the movie and walked away from it without feeling emotionally moved (in a positive way) you might be emotionally dead. Even if you don't believe in the miracles that occurred in the film, you can appreciate the poignant message behind the story of a young man and his struggles to help the people he fell in love with. I sense that there are a number of "Mormon-phobics" that ended up "getting lured into" seeing this movie somehow and end up screaming "Propaganda!" It's actually quite amusing that these people are so afraid of this religion that they make such unreasonably absurd efforts to avoid anything to do with the religion or people who are members of it. The religious doctrine in this movie was portrayed in such a benign manner that it is nearly indiscernible.

It's kind of like saying that "The Sound of Music" was Catholic propaganda (although some antagonists will probably feel that way anyway).

This movie was deeply moving and it was one of the few movies that had the effect of permanently affecting me in a positive way. If you're looking for the usual Hollywood style of over-embellishing a story to the point of making it unbelievable, or trying to concentrate on some spectacular story line or special effects you'd probably best move on to the fiction section and leave this one alone. This is a real story about real people with real feelings - written and produced for real people.

I'm sorry that the adolescent ravings of the previous reviewer appear first. His profound failure to "get it" is an embarrassment.

First of all, this is about a young man of "white-bread" heritage casting aside all he has and all he is, even leaving the love of his life for two and a half years, in order to immerse himself in a culture about which he is totally ignorant so that he can offer them the greatest gift he has to offer: His faith.

Rather than "looking down" on the people he has come to SERVE, he bears great hardships, and exerts himself in ways he could never have conceived, in order to connect with these people. He comes to love them, profoundly.

And their love for him in return, even those who have reason to be suspicious of him, is a testament to his sincerity.

Please recall that this is a TRUE STORY. Whatever you might think of John Groberg's religion, or his motives, the fact is that these things actually happened in just this way. He DID travel from Idaho to Tonga, he did live among the people there, he did come to gain their trust, he did bring to them a precious gift of faith, and he did return often throughout the rest of his life, with his wife and family, to be among these people whom he loved.

That anyone could be so callously dismissive of this truth is a sad commentary on our "post-Christian" society.

But I found this film to be deeply moving and very satisfying, and I recommend it highly to those who enjoy inspiring film.

There takes something to make a good movie that well represents the feelings that come through special experiences. I am well familiar with the LDS mission experience. To people of the LDS faith this can be one of the most special experiences of their lifetime. The Other Side of Heaven portrayed that better than any other film I have seen. God's Army, a movie that was also made to depict the life of an LDS missionary, was good at introducing the LDS culture to those who do not share that faith. But it lacked the spiritual feelings that also come from such an experience. The Other Side of Heaven was more successful at portraying the spiritual feelings that come from serving an LDS mission. Feelings are big for me, when I watch a movie that is what I look for most. In a scary movie I want to feel scared. In a comedy I want to feel happy. In a film that is suppose to represent a spiritual experience I want to feel a spiritual experience. God's Army didn't do that, The Other Side of Heaven did.

The Other Side of Heaven also did a good job at portraying what it is like for a person from a different culture and lifestyle clashing with a new culture for the first time. The things that happened to the main character, Elder Groberg, while getting to know the people from the new culture are very similar to others who have done the same. God's Army was did well at showing what LDS missionaries serving in the U.S. would go through. The Other side of Heaven did a good job at showing what LDS missionaries on a foreign island would go through. Although many may not experience all the extremities Elder Groberg went through, much of his interactions with the people are similar.

I hope to see more movies based on true stories do their best to portray the feelings and experiences that come from the story of what actually happened. The Movie Gandhi and Seven Years in Tibet did that. The film The Other Side of Heaven is right there with them.

Considering that this movie was neither made by, nor endorsed by, the LDS church, The Other Side of Heaven is an endearing, uplifting movie that celebrates and pays respect to Mormon missionaries without going too deep into LDS philosophy or beliefs. Produced in part by the same producer who brought us such cinematic gems as Schindler's List and Jurassic Park, Heaven is refreshingly devoid of many "blockbuster"-style elements and is a very low-key presentation of a young man's struggle to survive, adapt, and succeed in a world far far away from his familiar hometown in Idaho.

In the early 1950's Elder John Groberg from Idaho Falls accepts a call to serve a three-year LDS mission to Tonga. Although he is thrilled and dedicated to his mission call, he is understandably concerned about leaving Jean, the love of his life, in Utah for fear that she will marry somebody else. Yet his faith and determination to do what he believes is right are shown throughout this movie as his motivation to stay through the hardships, the loneliness, and the difficulties that are faced during his mission.

The Other Side of Heaven is essentially a chronicle of Elder Groberg's true life mission. At times spiritual, humorous, frightening, and uplifting, the movie is a tribute to a young man who faced overwhelming odds and setbacks to continually overcome some of the most difficult situations ever beset a young missionary. Throughout the film, Elder Groberg's letters to Jean and her letters back to him keep the film centered on it's true message, that of a man out of place . . . loving where he is, but wishing at the same time, to be home with the others that he loves. And it is this internal struggle which, I am sure, has been faced by every other missionary in history, that gives the movie its depth and emotional quality.

My only criticism of the movie comes from the very brief explanation of the traditions and culture surrounding LDS missionaries and the way in which they receive their calls. For those who are familiar with LDS missions, this should be no problem, but for those viewers who have not been exposed to the process of a Mormon mission, the first 15 or 20 minutes may seem a bit confusing. There is another bit of Mormon tradition which is very poorly explained, but I can't tell you what it is without giving away a fairly poignant moment of the film's ending.

Nevertheless, The Other Side of Heaven is not just a Mormon movie. It is a movie that can be enjoyed and appreciated by people of all faiths (and even those of no faith). Because in the final analysis, this is a movie about the triumph of the spirit and the joys and rewards of fighting for, and doing something, you truly believe in.