The Last Sin Eater

The Last Sin Eater (2007)

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PG-13 - 117 min - Drama - 9 February 2007
Big Blue Sky Rating : 5.5/10

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Director : Michael Landon Jr.
Writers : Brian Bird, Michael Landon Jr.
Stars : Louise Fletcher, Henry Thomas, Liana Liberato, Soren Fulton

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.

Unconvincing, offensive, and trite film

My husband and I were intrigued by the title of this film because he knew that the concept of the "sin eater" was an old Welsh custom, and we were also interested in Appalachian stories. We did not know when we ordered the film that it was from "Fox Faith" and that it is basically evangelical Christian propaganda filmed in Utah. We found some of the acting to be earnest, but other than that the film was unconvincing, offensive, and trite. My husband teaches Welsh, and the film's "Welsh" accents were pathetic. And the idea that the Welsh settlers in 1830 to 1850 Appalachia were just superstitious Celts ignorant of the Bible and Christianity, and lacking any Christian values and virtues, is totally false, misleading and just plain bad history!

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