The Mission

Name: The Mission
Genre: Documentary
Released: October 13, 2023
Duration: 103 min
Rating: 74
Cast: Adam Goodheart, Arin Okada, Dan Davis, Daniel Everett, Jimmy Shaw

2023

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Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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Movie Details & Credits

National Geographic Documentary Films | Release Date: October 13, 2023 | PG-13

Starring: Adam Goodheart, Arin Okada, Dan Davis, Daniel Everett, Jimmy Shaw, Lawrence Kao, Levi Davis, Mary Ho, Pam Arlund, T.N. Pandit

Summary: In 2018, a shocking event made headlines around the world: a young American missionary, John Chau, was killed by arrows while attempting to contact one of the world’s most isolated Indigenous peoples on remote North Sentinel Island. Through exclusive interviews and with unprecedented access to Chau’s secret plans, personal diaries, andIn 2018, a shocking event made headlines around the world: a young American missionary, John Chau, was killed by arrows while attempting to contact one of the world’s most isolated Indigenous peoples on remote North Sentinel Island. Through exclusive interviews and with unprecedented access to Chau’s secret plans, personal diaries, and video archives, The Mission examines the mythology of exploration that inspired him, the evangelical community that supported his quest, and reveals his own father’s heartbreak as Chau’s youthful thirst for adventure became a fatal obsession.… Expand

Director: Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 103 min

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Critic Reviews

Robert Abele

Oct 15, 2023

In its voices tinged with sorrow and re-examined history, this expertly tuned film is simply pro-introspection: a heavy-hearted look at an unnecessary death and a cultural superiority long deserving of scrutiny. Read full review

IndieWire Christian Zilko

Oct 12, 2023

The first half of The Mission is triumphant, offering a multitude of thought-provoking ways to approach a tragedy. But with so many fascinating angles at their disposal, it’s unfortunate that Moss and McBaine didn’t take a bigger swing with their ending. Read full review

The Playlist Rodrigo Perez

Oct 12, 2023

As an intriguing and complex portrait of humanism vs. idealism (to be civil about it), there’s also a fine line between faith and madness, and to their credit, The Mission filmmakers leave it up to the audience to decide where they stand; perhaps the sign of sharp filmmakers hoping to leave their viewer hashing it out for hours afterward (something that doc certainly engenders). Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Zoller Seitz

Oct 13, 2023

For 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. Read full review

Mark Jenkins

Oct 24, 2023

Although the focus eventually returns to Chau’s disastrous undertaking, the asides gradually take over. The film expands into a debate on the ethics of missionary Christianity. Read full review

Lovia Gyarkye

Oct 12, 2023

Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss’ The Mission is an empathetic and reconstructive portrait propelled by questions surrounding Chau’s voyage. Read full review

The Film Stage Dan Mecca

Oct 18, 2023

Moss and McBaine do well to examine their subject from every angle. And yet, it’s not nearly enough. Read full review

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