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The Mission

2023

Amanda McBaine, Jesse Moss

Animation, Documentary

6.4

33

Documentary. Animation 26-year-old American missionary John Chau was killed as he attempted to make contact with an Indigenous group off the coast of India, one of the last communities on the planet still living in isolation.

	Media	Author	Review
		Lovia Gyarkye The Hollywood Reporter	"A compelling investigation (...) There's strength in the hand-drawn animation"
		Christian Zilko IndieWire	"Chau's story is about much more than religion and mission trips. The real lesson to be learned is the need for adults to realize that life is more than a storybook with ourselves as the hero"
		Peter Debruge Variety	"Continuing an important pivot for the brand, this thought-provoking doc demonstrates a welcome skepticism toward everything: religious fanaticism, the “imperialist agenda,” even the limits of Nat Geo’s own legacy"
		Allan Hunter Screendaily	"A thoughtful, fair-minded exploration of what motivated Chau, and also spreads out to confront bigger questions on the legacy of colonialism, the delusions of white saviour narratives and the thin line between faith and fantasy"
		Dan Mecca The Film Stage	"Moss and McBaine do well to examine their subject from every angle. And yet, it’s not nearly enough."
		Mark Jenkins The Washington Post	"A nuanced documentary examines the story of John Chau, a zealous if naive outdoorsman who attempted to bring his faith to a remote island (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"
		Robert Abele Los Angeles Times	"'The Mission' shows the dangers of blind faith and the enduring stain of colonialism (...) a heavy-hearted look at an unnecessary death and a cultural superiority long deserving of scrutiny."
		Matt Zoller Seitz rogerebert.com	"For all its near-miss moments, the inside-out approach of 'The Mission' results in a richer film than one might have expected from reading the summary on a streaming menu (...) Rating: ★★★ (out of 4)"

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