The Mission

Author(s): Maia
Location: Los Angeles

"The Mission"

Written, Produced and Directed by Fernando Meirelles

Principal Cast:

Tim Robbins as Joseph Parson
Sigourney Weaver as Sister Edna Meyer
Michael Peña as Manuel Sanchez
Evan Rachel Wood as Marie Parson
Peter O’Toole as Bishop Mariello
Salman Khan as Azeem Jahleh

Tagline: “Faith is a double edged weapon"

Synopsis: Convinced that spreading a new faith is the cure for a land where another one has caused pain and suffering to millions, a group of American missionaries travel to a small village in Afghanistan to evangelize its community and to build the first Catholic Church in the region. After their arrival, the missionaries are soon confronted by the Muslim opposition and now, as they struggle to fulfill their mission, they must battle hate and prejudice on a land where everyone is against their beliefs.

What the press would say:

As a smart study of social dynamics, religious interpretations and culture shock; “The Mission” is a mesmerizing drama about the power of faith in which a group of Americans are placed in the most metaphoric scenario: they are outsiders determined to make their beliefs prevail in a country where they are despised. To face this challenge, brilliant director Fernando Meirelles ensembles a powerful cast toplined by Tim Robbins as the enthusiastic leader of the missionaries and veteran Peter O’Toole, as the supportive bishop commanding their mission from America (the warm dialogues between them let both actors shine, particularly as they discuss faith and devotion on captivating phone conversations). Evan Rachel Wood costars as Robbins’s rebellious daughter who falls in love with his father’s main oppositor, played by Middle-East superstar Salman Khan; Michael Peña is terrific as the inexperienced priest caught in a faith crisis and Sigourney Weaver circles the cast as the courageous nun who is the missionaries’ moral support. The film achieves greatness naturally, due mainly to Meirelles’ brutally honest screenplay. On one powerful scene near the end of the film, after Azeem and his men have burned the church, Weaver’s Edna (giving a performance full of candor and commitment) is finally defeated by her emotions and collapses while Robbins, in one of his most subtle performances as Parson, weeps as he stares vividly to his destroyed sanctuary and then, finds himself uplifted by the event and determined to start over. The film’s highlight is Peter O’Toole as Bishop Mariello, a righteous man of faith and wisdom whose continuous telephone conversations with Robbins’ character give the missionary the comfort he needs to lead his group, even if he has realized they can’t succeed. Meirelles’ nuanced screenplay gives these amazing characters conviction to rise from the ashes and continue their assignment. This, in the end, is what “The Mission” is aiming as its main goal: to teach us that human spirit always triumphs over human actions and this sharp project achieves it perfectly enough to be considered the best and most inspiring film of 2006.

Consider this captivating film for the next awards:

Best Picture (AMPAS)
Best Picture – Drama (HFPA)
Best Ensemble (SAG)
Best Actor – Tim Robbins
Best Supporting Actor – Peter O’Toole & Michael Peña
Best Supporting Actress – Sigourney Weaver & Evan Rachel Wood
Best Original Screenplay
Best Original Characters (written directed for the screen) – Joseph Parson & Manuel Sanchez
Best Casting – Tim Robbins as Joseph Parson, Peter O’Toole as Bishop Mariello