Sandcooler
This was an almost unrealistically ambitious co-production between Belgium and a whole bunch of other countries, but the many different sources of interference don't hurt the finished product as much as I thought it would. More funding brings more supplies, and that shows. Paul Cox may not be a particularly skilled director, but his country does appear to have a lot of money so it evens out. The visual style to this movie looks really professional, sometimes it'll give you a made for TV-vibe, but that will just be a sporadic feel. The screenplay has some pacing problems, but that doesn't mean it's slow. It just keeps randomly changing in pace, which isn't nearly as exciting as you'd think. There are bunches of scenes where there's nothing happening, but when father Damien ends up contracting leprosy, the movie suddenly looks like it's sick of itself and just takes every possible shortcut to the ending. I do like that very last line though, as corny as it may be, and it is very corny. The biggest plus this movie has is the performance by David Wenham. Hiring an Australian guy to play Damien sounds like the worst idea ever, but he's really authentic. He's pretty much why I kept watching. This movie is fairly well-made, but there's room for improvement.
David Watson
This is a surprisingly intimate look at some of Father Damien's experiences, but the dramatic structure of the film is often frustratingly fragmented.Scenes of the authorities on O'ahu struggling with how to deal with the amazing man and his demands on behalf of his community seem to have been shot very hastily, and they fit poorly with the more carefully conceived segments from Moloka'i. Even there, the scenes with Peter O'Toole seem poorly integrated into the progression of the story.Despite the participation of many top-flight actors and actual local victims of Hansen's disease, this film offers only fleeting, tantalizing glimpses of what could have been a tremendously powerful drama of the life of a man who may yet become an actual saint. In isolation, the leading performances are very fine, but the package failed to gel and the film is, finally, only a carefully-drawn series of vignettes.
sistermoon7861
I knew nothing of Father Damien until I saw this movie, but after seeing it I immediately sought more information on him. I strongly recommend this movie for those who are curious about the saint or have a special devotion to him.
serena.s
This is an unusual film in our present fashion for films to be about a "day in the life" of insignificant people doing insignificant (usually antisocial) things. This is a story told with great compassion and notable expertise. The cast is remarkable for the number of "stars" playing minor roles. Paul Cox's films leave you with a greater understanding of the human spirit and this was is one of his best.
AD
