Evan Brown

If you watched the trailer, you’ve basically seen the whole movie. The production and acting was great, just get ready for a YAP FEST. It’s not a bad movie, but it’s not exactly a great one either PURELY because of the plot and the storytelling. If you’ve ever questioned the authority of organized religion, you will see right thru this movie for better or for worse. You may like it, or you might get bored because chances are that you have already thought about and made your peace with many points that this movie deliberates. SPOILER ALERT IF YOU READ FURTHER: For those saying it misrepresents the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, I personally do not believe this to be the case. Kudos to the writers for doing their homework and accurately representing aspects of LDS history and doctrine. Members of the LDS church may be apt to say this “is just another movie that dumps on mormons and further reinforces stigmas” okay but, TO A DEGREE, in order to have the philosophical debate that the whole movie was focused on, the villain HAD TO BE A HATER. It’s justified because it reveals his motives to be a critical, cynical, annoying theologist and philosopher trying to kill 2 missionaries. His character wouldn’t make sense if he didn’t shit on Mormons at least a little bit. WITH THAT BEING SAID, the Missionary characters did a great job at defending their belief system. Keep in mind that one of the sisters LITERALLY survives and are the protagonists of the film. This movie does a good job at representing these missionaries as more than just missionaries, but also as people. as HUMAN BEINGS, more than just walking advertisements for the LDS church. An important takeaway from this movie is that sure, control is everywhere and influencing our decisions, BUT it’s WHAT WE CHOOSE TO DO that matters. Speaking as someone who grew up in the LDS church and who served an LDS mission myself, I can say that the church stresses one’s freedom of agency throughout their lifetime. Agency was present theme throughout this movie. The missionaries were being controlled to a degree, yes. However, they still had the agency to make the decisions that were made. The missionary who survives had the agency to kill or not to kill the villain. Either way, i believe this movie to be a positive representation of LDS missionaries and the church at large. She literally survives in the end like come onnnn.

this movie is aggravatingly bad. it’s only redeeming quality is mia goth, but even then, her character is plagued with making the most illogical decisions that take away from the movie’s plot and premise. There are multiple scenes in this movie you can tell director Cronenberg had to sit the actors down in a room and say “Okay guys… hear me out..” in order to get them to carry out his “creative” vision. Creativity is subjective, to each their own, but unless you find graphic nudity, sex, hallucinogenic drugs and uncomfortable gore creative, this movie will be entirely lost on you. The premise and concept of this movie is actually intriguing, but its execution completely distracts you from it.