The Apostle

When I went to see this movie thursday night, I was extremely surprised. It was nothing like the synopsis I looked up online and I was very confused. Thankfully it was still a terrific movie.

Sonny, the preacher in this movie, has his whole life turned around and is brought to terms with the faith he once had. He is taken through an interesting set of events and meets a mixture of great characters. What made the movie very memorable for me invovles the storytelling. The story felt very real and Robert Duvall did a great job directing, writing, producing, and acting. Duvall was able to deliver powerful messages in the film, the greatest one being the ability to glorify and serve God even while flaws still linger within. The movie has many moments that perfectly show the audience Sonny's problems but there are also good sequences which display his qualities. For example, Sonny takes a look at recent descisions he has made and then he admits he has been in the wrong in many ways. Another example of his qualities is his leadership. We see the southern preacher leave on mission trips, create and gather a church, and even stand in front of a church as a small boy giving a sermon. Sonny really knows how to become accepted, obtain a crowd, and speak with power. Below is a clip of Sonny and a few other powerful preachers talking at a Holy Ghost revival event. We can really see Sonny's gift shine through in this clip.

Tag teaming, the method of preaching in this scene, is also great on film. Duvall and the other members of the crew really captured the pentecostal church of south. In fact, the preachers in this clip are really preachers which is one of the reasons the scene turned out so great. The magic of the performances was so fantastic on set, people were actually accepting Christ while shooting it.

I very recently found out Steven Curtis Chapman wrote a song that ended up in the movie. Its called I Will Not Go Quietly. For those who don't know, Steven Curtis Chapman is a christian musician. The song expresses how Sonny can and will continue to preach and praise God no matter the obstacles he faces. If anyone is interested in the music video, I added it to this post.