A Caminho da Fé

'COME SUNDAY': Three and a Half Stars (Out of Five)

A drama about Bishop Carlton Pearson, who was ostracized by his own church for preaching the belief that there is no Hell. The film was directed by Joshua Marston, and it was written by Marcus Hinchey. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Jason Segel, Lakeith Stanfield, Condola Rashad, Martin Sheen and Danny Glover. The movie has received mostly negative reviews from critics, and it was released by Netflix through it's streaming site. I found it to be really good in many ways, but it's still missing something.

Ejiofor stars as Bishop Carlton Pearson, who was at one time very popular with evangelicals. Then one day he started preaching that there might not be a Hell, and everyone might be 'saved' by God, despite their religious beliefs. He was then ostracized by his own church, and rejected by many of his closest friends and family. This movie tells his story, and it's based on an episode of the public radio series 'This American Life'.

I love the message of this film; about rebelling against authority, and what's accepted as normal, to always support what's right. It's also of course about inclusion, and challenging traditionalism and religion so that no one is ever left out, or oppressed, even if it means you yourself will be ostracized. You can't beat the message of this movie, and it's nicely shot and directed, plus Ejiofor is fantastic in the lead. Still, even with all of it's strengths, the film seems to be lacking something. It just doesn't quite live up to all of it's great potential, but it's still definitely worth seeing.

Yes you've got it, I don't believe in any of it. But the film was a decent portrayal of someone who does, but then asks questions of their own belief, that's true enlightenment. As Voltaire very cleverly put it, " if God didn't exist, man would have to create him ". Make no mistake there has to be a creative power, I just happen to be one of those who thinks we don't and never have been able to comprehend it. All of human history has had a Heaven, be it Valhalla or Nirvana, basically a fear of mortality. Hell in the modern sense was a late arrival, if you crossed the river Styx, it was just the dead underworld. Hell and demons take centre stage with the advent of Christianity or specifically Catholicism. All pagan gods now become the hierarchy of demonology. All heretics are doomed to hell, salvation must be sought or bought. Christ threw out money lenders, so Christians could be millionaires. If I lie, strike me down now, Aaaaarrrrrgghh.

A well crafted film, I was interested how they were going to approach the controversial topic of religion and its doctrine Hell. I was excited to see this film because, I don't believe in hell or the trinity. The low rating must be from those who believe in hell, but a good film should make you think about your core beliefs and maybe make you a little mad. Then the actors did their job, the bishop was believable and outstanding, the calm of the movie was real. Growing up in bible study I can see this happening this way. I've learned something interesting about Isaac Newton who is considered one of the smartest man who ever lived he didn't believe in the trinity but kept his findings in his journals because he said the leaders weren't ready for a change, I wonder what he would say about hell? This movie didn't offend me because through research I've already known hell is a made up teaching, you can find things in the Bible to support hell and the trinity but were these teachings come from would amaze some if they diged for the truth. This movie is an awakening for those who question the status quo.

Based on a true story, this intriguing drama follows the self-discovery of an Evangelical preacher, played by Chiwetel Ejiofor. I'd never seen a movie of his before, and I was extremely impressed by his performance. What an actor! I believed every single word he said, and his emotions were so personal, it was as if he didn't even know a camera was filming him. While he did give broad "performance" preaches, he also had some very private scenes.

When the movie starts out, he's a prominent member of the church and beloved by all. He has a little strain in his marriage, but that's to be expected when he's traveling all over the country to different churches, and when he's home he's pulled in different directions by his best friend and business manager, Jason Segal. When Chiwetel visits his uncle (Danny Glover) in prison, he's brokenhearted that the sinner refuses to repent. Shortly after, he receives the news that his uncle has killed himself. Because he's wracked with guilt, disappointment, and despair that his relative is burning in the fires of Hell, he turns to his family, friends, mentor (Martin Sheen plays Oral Roberts), and God for help. (There's also a little scene where he watches the genocide in Rwanda on television, and he feels terrible that all the innocent souls weren't saved and were therefore sent to Hell.) God finally tells him that there's no need for despair; everyone's soul has already been saved and therefore no one is going to Hell.

You can imagine the uproar Chiwetel receives when he preaches the news. Everyone turns on him! His friends, his family, his congregation, his mentor, the other preachers throughout the country. . . It's a huge backlash, and he gets intense pressure to publicly change his story. The rest of the film shows his enormous struggle, within himself and within the community.

I found this movie fascinating, and Chiwetel's performance was a tour-de-force. I'm not sure how regular churchgoers felt about the film and the message, because in real life (and as portrayed in the film) it was very controversial. Since it is a touchy subject, there are those who might not want to watch it. But for those who appreciate fine acting, I would absolutely recommend this movie.

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. There is quite a bit of handheld camerawork throughout the film, and it will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

Well acted, well paced biopic, good music. What happens when an established pastor's thinking takes a radical turn? Balanced portrayal of sincere religious people grappling with different interpretations of what defines faith.