The Mission - Movie Review

"The Mission": Review Essay

The film "The Mission" illustrated a true story about a group of people dedicated to spreading the

word of God, and educating people of different cultures in a way that benefitted their lives. It is rare to

find a religious group that practices what it preaches and benefits people in a practical way with real

world application rather than just spiritual or religious. The Jesuits embodied the characteristics of what

a true Christian should be: a person that strives to overcome cultural boundaries and makes

connections, contributes to society in a positive way, and possesses the humility to seek forgiveness

when it's needed.

Instead of only teaching the Guarani about God and trying to force them to become Christians, the

Jesuits actually introduced new culture and ways of life into the Guarani's lives. They taught them things

that helped them and also learned about their culture and language, meeting them halfway. This is one

of the reasons they were so successful in converting the Guarani to Christianity. They didn't only use

God as a basis for their decisions, or try to exploit them using God as an excuse as many others have

done. A good example of this in the film is when Altimirano says, "Tell them they must leave the

missions. They must submit to the will of God." Gabriel translates what the Guarani have to respond:

"They say it was the will of God that they came out of the jungle and built the mission. They don't

understand why God has changed his mind". Altimirano is not God, and he doesn't have the authority to

say those things. He uses God as a tool for manipulation, while the Jesuits introduced God into the

Guarani culture for no superficial personal gain.

The Jesuits contributed to the lives of other people and left a mark on the world by following God's

word and being peaceful. Ghandi once said, "I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your

Christians are so unlike your Christ." In that way, the Jesuits won the hearts of many people by simply

doing as Christ did and not engaging