The Mission

The problem with missionary religious groups is that they are raised in a belief system of absolutes.

Pushing a fantasy on new generations that one "must" convert the globe to their way of thinking never takes into account the opinion of those they're trying to convert.

I don't come away from watching this documentary thinking of John Chau as a sympathetic figure in any way, shape or form. He is just another statistic in a long and - unfortunately - unbroken chain of the imperially arrogant devout who feels that their message is the only one worth heeding. A truly elevated and civilized human being doesn't think that way.

Why on earth do people feel the need to force their views and opinions on others?

Especially ones that live in the middle of nowhere and have made it clear they do not want to be contacted?

I actually think this makes religious nutters look even worse than I thought possible.

I've got a great idea why don't I go and force my opinions and views on other people that aren't interested!? There in lies the problem with the world and this piece of garbage.

The movie romanticised him way too much in the beginning and I actually think he got what he deserved...I know that may sound harsh, but I think the moral of the story is leave people to live in peace and mind you own business.

I read the story of John Chai before. Yes, he was someone's son and a lot of people's friend. But frankly... He was an a$$hole. He could have killed those poor people. There should have been ZERO perspective told from any evangelicals. There shouldn't be any validation that what he did was remotely acceptable. This kid has a messiah complex and caused nothing but pain and suffering to his parents and friends. The disgusting sermon in the end shouldn't have even been featured. To sum things up.. "Whether it's a sweet tribal tattoo or being killed by an isolated indigenous tribe, you just messed up the family Christmas photo"

It's really a story that we all know about.

But the real question is how it's told.

The storytelling, for me, was pretty average. I like the live-action bit, but it did not blow my mind for sure. I wish the interviews had more depth. I like that they tried to humanise Chau - a brilliant but dumb kid who wants to "save" the world from Hell and pave the way for Jesus' return. However, his dad's mournful letter cannot be the sole reason for me to empathise with Chau. I wish the filmmakers tried digging deeper into his life.

Also, how can you give TN Pandit such little screen time? And how can you miss the incredible Madhumala Chattopadhyay in this documentary that revolves around North Sentinel? Wish it was extensively researched and showed the Indian perspective.

What a horrible doc. This could have been so interesting but they spent 90% of it on his background and 10% on the actual mission. What a waste.

How do the filmmakers not realize what is interesting about this story? It isn't John, or his father's journal. An hour in, and we're still nowhere near him actually attempting to go to the island. Then they just skate through that part, completely leaving out the most interesting details of the story.

Man, this was frustrating. Complete and total waste of time. You will learn more about north sentinel and this story from five minutes on Wikipedia. Hopefully someone remakes this story properly.