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The Last Sin Eater (film)
Encyclopedia
The Last Sin Eater is an American movie released on February 9, 2007, directed by Michael Landon Jr.
and distributed by Fox Faith
. It is based on the 1998
novel of the same name
by Francine Rivers
. It was produced by Believe Pictures
.
in a settlement community of Welsh American
s. Ten-year-old Cadi's grief over the death of her beloved grandmother, the only person who seemed to love her unconditionally, is compounded by a previous family tragedy for which she believes her family blames her. During her grandmother's funeral rites, Cadi sees the face of the village sin-eater
, a person who absolves the deceased, at death, of their sins in this tiny Smoky Mountain community.
About the same time, a preacher comes to the isolated valley and camps outside the village. Through dialogue with the holy man, the young girl slowly realizes that the sin eater is false and learns of Jesus
and Christianity
. Cadi's baptism leads to a reconciliation with her family.
But Cadi's new found faith leads to tragedy and confrontation as the close-knit community must finally face the horrific secret on which their village was founded.
the film grossed only $388,390 in these 14 days. However, the film earned $246,483 in its opening weekend (63.5% of total income).
said, "Handsomely produced, earnestly performed and 100 percent irony-free, The Last Sin Eater is religious art for mainstream consumption." The review gave credit to the direction and photography, saying, "The movie is a big-screen Sunday school story with sumptuous scenery, graceful crane shots and Rembrandt lighting — designed mainly to impart and then repeat wisdom about guilt, sin and redemption — this can't really be considered a flaw." Laura Kelly of South Florida Sun-Sentinel said, "With its dulling straightforward pitch for Jesus, The Last Sin Eater seems like the worst of films from a non-born-again perspective."
Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle said the direction of The Last Sin Eater, "The camera always seems to be too far off when you wish to get a better look and too close when you wish that it would point at anything other than what’s in the frame." However, Betty Joe Tucker of Reel Talk
was impressed by the cinematography, saying, "This extremely well-photographed film establishes a compelling 'you are there' atmosphere. It also boasts impressive performances by children and adult actors alike. Liana Liberato, who plays Cadi, is a real find. Because of the intensity and vulnerability she projects." Additionally, Variety
complimented the look of the film: "Pic was attractively lensed by Robert Seaman in Utah locales that adequately double for Appalachian mountain country."
Michael Landon Jr.
Michael Landon, Jr. is an American actor, director, writer and producer.- Biography :Born as Michael Graham Landon, Landon is the son of the late actor Michael Landon and his second wife, Marjorie Lynn Noe. Michael is the brother of Christopher B...
and distributed by Fox Faith
Fox Faith
Fox Faith is a brand of film studio Twentieth Century Fox targeting evangelical Christians. Established under Fox's video division, Fox Faith acquires independent Christian-themed films for theatrical and video release...
. It is based on the 1998
1998 in literature
The year 1998 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*March 5 - Tennessee Williams' 1938 play, Not About Nightingales, receives its stage première....
novel of the same name
The Last Sin Eater
The Last Sin Eater is a 1998 Christian book by the American author Francine Rivers. It deals with the themes of sin, guilt and forgiveness, and tells about the atonement of Jesus Christ.- Plot summary:...
by Francine Rivers
Francine Rivers
Francine Sandra Rivers is an American author of fiction with Christian themes, including inspirational romance novels. Prior to becoming a born-again Christian in 1986, Rivers wrote historical romance novels...
. It was produced by Believe Pictures
Believe Pictures
Believe Pictures is a Christian film production company founded by partners Brian Bird, and Michael Landon, Jr. They have created major films such as The Last Sin Eater, the Love Comes Softly film series and Saving Sarah Cain, which won a 2008 CAMIE Award.Most of the releases went to Fox Faith for...
.
Plot
The Last Sin Eater is a story that takes place in 1850s AppalachiaAppalachia
Appalachia is a term used to describe a cultural region in the eastern United States that stretches from the Southern Tier of New York state to northern Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia. While the Appalachian Mountains stretch from Belle Isle in Canada to Cheaha Mountain in the U.S...
in a settlement community of Welsh American
Welsh American
Welsh Americans are citizens of the United States whose ancestry originates wholly or partly in Wales. In the 2008 U.S. Census community survey, an estimated 1.98 million Americans had Welsh ancestry, 0.6% of the total U.S. population. This compares with a population of 3 million in Wales. However,...
s. Ten-year-old Cadi's grief over the death of her beloved grandmother, the only person who seemed to love her unconditionally, is compounded by a previous family tragedy for which she believes her family blames her. During her grandmother's funeral rites, Cadi sees the face of the village sin-eater
Sin-eater
The term sin-eater refers to a person who, through ritual means, would take on by means of food and drink the sins of a household, often because of a recent death, thus absolving the soul and allowing that person to rest in peace...
, a person who absolves the deceased, at death, of their sins in this tiny Smoky Mountain community.
About the same time, a preacher comes to the isolated valley and camps outside the village. Through dialogue with the holy man, the young girl slowly realizes that the sin eater is false and learns of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
and Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Cadi's baptism leads to a reconciliation with her family.
But Cadi's new found faith leads to tragedy and confrontation as the close-knit community must finally face the horrific secret on which their village was founded.
Cast
- Henry ThomasHenry ThomasHenry Jackson Thomas, Jr. is an American actor and musician. He has appeared in more than 40 films and is best known for his role as Elliott in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.-Early life:...
... Man of God - Louise FletcherLouise FletcherLouise Fletcher is an American actress best known for her role as Nurse Ratched in One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress, and as Kai Winn Adami in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. She also guest starred on the science fiction television series Heroes...
... Miz Elda - Liana LiberatoLiana LiberatoLiana Daine Liberato is an American television and film actress. Liana is known for the 2010 film, Trust. She starred in the Fox Faith film The Last Sin Eater and recently appeared in the House episode "It's a Wonderful Lie"...
... Cadi Forbes - Soren FultonSoren FultonSoren Fulton is an American teen actor, best known for playing Rob Austin in A Ring of Endless Light, Caleb Cottrell in Saving Sarah Cain, and Fermat in Thunderbirds. He also voiced the character Mordred in Justice League. He starred in the television pilot of The Oaks, playing Young Dan...
... Fagan Kai - Stewart Finlay-McLennanStewart Finlay-McLennanStewart Finlay-McLennan is Australian actor. He is also credited as actor under the names of Stewart McLennan and Stuart McLennan....
... Brogan Kai - Peter WingfieldPeter WingfieldPeter Wingfield is a Welsh born television actor, well known for his television roles as Dan Clifford in Holby City, Dr. Robert Helm in Queen of Swords and Inspector Simon Ross in Cold Squad...
... The Sin Eater
Box office
The Last Sin Eater was unsuccessful commercially. It was released in 429 theaters and remained in theaters for just two weeks. It fell far short of recovering production costs: according to Box Office MojoBox Office Mojo
Box Office Mojo is a website that tracks box office revenue in a systematic, algorithmic way. Brandon Gray started the site in 1999. In 2002, Gray partnered with Sean Saulsbury and they grew the site to nearly two million readers when, in July 2008, the company was purchased by Amazon.com through...
the film grossed only $388,390 in these 14 days. However, the film earned $246,483 in its opening weekend (63.5% of total income).
Reviews
The Last Sin Eater received mixed reviews. Matt Zoller Seitz of The New York TimesThe New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
said, "Handsomely produced, earnestly performed and 100 percent irony-free, The Last Sin Eater is religious art for mainstream consumption." The review gave credit to the direction and photography, saying, "The movie is a big-screen Sunday school story with sumptuous scenery, graceful crane shots and Rembrandt lighting — designed mainly to impart and then repeat wisdom about guilt, sin and redemption — this can't really be considered a flaw." Laura Kelly of South Florida Sun-Sentinel said, "With its dulling straightforward pitch for Jesus, The Last Sin Eater seems like the worst of films from a non-born-again perspective."
Marjorie Baumgarten of The Austin Chronicle said the direction of The Last Sin Eater, "The camera always seems to be too far off when you wish to get a better look and too close when you wish that it would point at anything other than what’s in the frame." However, Betty Joe Tucker of Reel Talk
Reel Talk
Reel Talk is a syndicated weekend movie review series hosted by film critics Jeffrey Lyons and Alison Bailes. It was produced by, and originally ran exclusively on, WNBC, a New York City NBC affiliate.-Airtimes:...
was impressed by the cinematography, saying, "This extremely well-photographed film establishes a compelling 'you are there' atmosphere. It also boasts impressive performances by children and adult actors alike. Liana Liberato, who plays Cadi, is a real find. Because of the intensity and vulnerability she projects." Additionally, Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
complimented the look of the film: "Pic was attractively lensed by Robert Seaman in Utah locales that adequately double for Appalachian mountain country."
Differences from Novel
- In the book, Cadi has an older brother named Iwan, but in the movie, he is completely omitted, along with much of the epilogue.
- A few subplots are also left out, such as Miz Elda turning out to be the mother of Iona Kai, making Fagan her grandson, along with the reason Sim Gilivray never doubted that his being chosen as the sin eater was a punishment from God. (In the novel, it is revealed that he killed Bletsung's father when he found the man raping Bletsung.)
- In the book, Fagan has two older brothers, Cleet and Douglas, while only Cleet appears in the movie.
- In the epilogue of the novel, Cadi says that for a short time Fagan leaves the valley and receives an education. He returns with a Bible, which is the first ever brought to the valley. In the film, the "man of God" is in possession of a Bible and gives it to Cadi as he is dying.
- The scene in which Cadi and Fagan announce that the practice of sin-eating is useless and what the man of God has taught them is much altered from the novel version. In the movie, it takes place in the cemetery, while the book presents it with Fagan and Cadi (mostly Fagan, while the film shows Cadi as the main speaker) speaking from Miz Elda's front porch, as the townspeople have gone to her house upon hearing the bell, believing her to be dead. In the book, Sim Gillivray is not saved at the gathering as presented in the movie, but on Dead Man's mountain, and is converted by Fagan, not Cadi.
- In the written version of when Cadi finds the sin eater and persuades him to attempt to takes hers away, the sin eater asks her to promise to do him a favor in turn when the ceremony is complete, no matter the outcome. He asks her to go and see what the man of God has to say, and she is terrified, but knows she must keep her word. The movie presents her as going on her own after the sin-eating fails.