"The Shack" One-on-One Cast Interviews
- TV Toni
- Feb 28, 2017
- 3 min read
"The Shack," sounds like a horror movie about a bunch of high school kids who wander into the forest - of course during a full moon, on the anniversary of the death of 'so and so', with a person who is an unknowing decent of a mass murderer, doesn't it? It did to me. Blame the fact that I rarely if ever watch trailers anymore. But to my surprise the movie was quite the opposite.
"The Shack" - from the book of the same name - could not be more different.
Willie (played by Tim McGraw) narrates the story of a family he has come to know and think of fondly. The yarn he weaves is about Mack (played by Sam Worthington) and his family. He and his wife Nan (Radha Mitchell) have three kids and are, from the first few minutes of the film, a normal family. She is clearly a woman of faith and by extension, so is the family. The point is made pretty early on to the audience that Nan is much more of a believer in the man upstairs than Mack. Yes, he comes from an abusive childhood and clearly has dad issues. His upbringing would only see the kindness from his mother and a stranger who forced fed him apple pie. But, Mack believes in Nan and that is enough for him. Cut to shots of Nan singing along with pride and a church choir while Mack mouths the words with the same commitment that most give a diet - which is to say not at all.
Mack takes the family, sans mom, on a camping trip to the mountains when the youngest disappears never to be seen from again. It is soon revealed that she was kidnapped and murdered in a shack nearby. If he had any faith at all it was gone in an instant.
Fast forward to an understandably withdrawn and tortured Mack when a mysterious letter arrives inviting him to the very place where his daughter we killed. He goes in anticipation of taking revenge when he finds himself invited to another cabin just up the trail. Wave a little movie magic and winter turns to spring... the cold weather is left behind and given way to warmer temps and colorful flowers. And this my friends is where the bulk of the story takes place.
Here we meet "Papa" (Octavia Spencer) and her two... let's call them friends. Spoiler Alert kids! "Papa" is God. Yep, you read that right. There's a new God and SHE is Octavia Spencer. I'm here to tell you she is a rocking God too, literally. She rocks out to music, bakes, and even serves dinner. Before everyone goes on a campaign about how wrong this is. It is important to note that she reveals herself as one of the only comforting and nurturing adults that Mack knew as a child. You guessed it - shes the woman who made Mack apple pie.
The rest of the movie/journey is one that should be taken alone. Enough of the movie has been spoiled already.
"The Shack" is not only for the faithful. If nothing else, it can be taken as just another story born on the pages of a book, taken to the NY Times Bestsellers List (written by William P. Young) and brought to the big screen. However, if you are in search of a deeper meaning - well, you will certainly find that in "The Shack."
6/10
