The Last Sin Eater (2007)

In seeking her own redemption from the one man of whom she is most afraid, 10-year-old Cadi Forbes discovers a secret sin haunting her community of Welsh immigrants in 1850s Appalachia.

Director:

Michael Landon Jr.

Writers:

Brian Bird (screenplay), Michael Landon Jr. (screenplay),

Stars:

Louise Fletcher, Henry Thomas, Liana Liberato

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Louise Fletcher	...	Miz Elda
Henry Thomas	...	Man of God
Liana Liberato	...	Cadi Forbes
Soren Fulton	...	Fagan Kai
A.J. Buckley	...	Angor Forbes
Stewart Finlay-McLennan	...	Brogan Kai
Peter Wingfield	...	The Sin Eater
Elizabeth Lackey	...	Fia Forbes
Thea Rose	...	Lilybet
Kim Myers	...	Iona Kai
Gabrielle Fitzpatrick	...	Bletsung McLeod
Valerie Wildman	...	Gervase O'Dara
Anne Cullimore Decker	...	Granny Forbes
Michael Flynn	...	Laochailand Kai
Molly Jepson	...	Elen Forbes

Storyline

Appalachia, 1850. A generation ago a group of Welshmen came across the ocean to build a new existence and with them they brought their own traditions and rituals. One of them is the sin eater, a mysterious person, forced to live in the woods and mountains, only to come out when somebody dies. He then pawns his own soul to take away the sins of the deceased. 10 year old Cadi Forbes meets the sin eater for the first time at the funeral of her grandmother and is immediately intrigued. Cadi is torn by guilt over the death of her little sister Elen and wants the sin eater to redeem her. With the help of Fagen, son of the ruthless village leader Brogen, and the imaginary Lilybet, she starts a search to find him, but by doing so Cadi slowly, but surely unravels dark and terrible secrets.

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Plot Keywords:

sin eater | 1850s | funeral | dark secret | abusive father | 

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Taglines:

A little girl's quest for redemption uncovers a dark secret... and the truth shall set her free.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, and some intense sequences of violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 February 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das Geheimnis der kleinen Farm

Filming Locations:

Utah, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,200,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$246,483 (USA) (9 February 2007)

Gross:

$379,643 (USA) (16 February 2007)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Believe Pictures, Last Sin Eater, The

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

"The Last Sin Eater"
Composed by Mark McKenzie
Released by WORD Records

User Reviews

Harmful Superstitions revealed

I watch these missionary films from time to time. There is an earnestness in most of them that makes up for the fact that they are so horrible.

In my city is Pat Robertson's film school, training hundreds of people a year to make these things. I often wonder what will happen when they actually are able to make good movies?

I am beginning to believe that this may never happen. Film may be making Christianity obsolete. I know this may sound strange. Cinema seems profoundly malleable, a vehicle for any story. And Christianity has survived by adapting far, far from what Jesus believed, making any necessary compromise.

But film has rather rigid dynamics when combined with the forces of how we define ourselves through stories. It is extremely flexible, but only within a conceptual marketplace where the collective projections of self reinforce each other. Cinema allows us to define our own cosmos. It worries me that the rivers are sometimes so banal, but such the way of the collective — and young imaginations have surprising sophistication.

Christianity on the other hand is about accepting a prefabricated story. Well, different ones depending on the preacher's agenda, but the cosmos is defined in a very top down manner. Theoretically, they could overlap a lot, but that is not what the world seems to want. Even the most obvious Jesus stories like Harry Potter don't follow the rules of the Christian institution.

This film has prompted me to believe that it may be impossible to make powerful cinema with the existing dogma. Everything about it fails.

The irony is that the story flows are about rigid superstition being made obsolete, not by the Bible in the story, but because people simply want to explain for themselves what the world is.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.