The Apostle

I could get into analytical discussion about this movie, but that would be a waste of time. This movie’s worth is a living heart, far beyond the physical virtues of filmmaking and probably invisible to thousands of people who watch this film. Yes, Duvall’s acting is preposterous, so good that it’s just about unprecedented. Yes, the whole cast is convincing and the photography is beautiful. Yes, the script is deep and essentially flawless. This is all true, and worth review, but I like this movie for reasons and emotions far deeper than any of these yardstick attributes. It measures high, wide, and full on all of the above, but The Apostle is one of my favorite films of all time because of what it’s about, how it goes about telling itself, and its integrity in the telling. Few films characterize Christians as at all intelligent people, much less heroic people. Most films portray Christians as holier-than-thou piss-ant busy bodies who don’t know anything of humanity. Those people exist, there is no arguing that, but the frequency with which it happens and the intensity of the debasement makes it nothing less than accepted bigotry. The Apostle does not try to make a pure hero out of its protagonist, either; Duvall plays very much the anti-hero and a deeply flawed person. Not only is this role a more honest and respectful depiction of a Christian, it is an amazing character from ground zero. E.F./Sonny is not a character that could be cut and spliced into a different story with a different theme, however. He is a great character because he is a Christian character. Being Christian is inherently hypocritical, if you look at it in a certain light, because there is no possible way any person can live up to the Ideal that the religion represents. Nobody is good enough to emulate Christ or even come close, but this is also the point of Christianity. It is a religion of Faith, acknowledging one’s inability to live up to the Ideal and accepting the fact that one can’t go alone and get anywhere worthwhile. It is the utter shedding of self-sufficiency. Now, E.F. is as self-sufficient a man as there is, should he be a real person. He is able to get along anywhere and do just about anything (save maintain a relationship with a woman). What he does with his life and his many full-size talents is inspiration, despite his obvious character flaws and his terrible mistakes. He lives for Jesus, to spread the Word of God, and little else. This movie and this character give me chills to watch. It is both humble and grand, maybe grand because it is humble. E.F.’s joy with the simple, everyday, HUMAN things and the way he handles the most grievous of situations with a humble power, confident and broken, driven and genial, unyielding and accepting. These paradoxes create not only a great character in a great movie but also symbolize and portray a way of seeing life and living it fully and unrestrained, owning up to mistakes but never being held down, that inspire my life as a man and a Christian, much less as a movie-goer.