Speared

First of all, I realize I'm about two years behind on this, but Kelly just blogged about Alias being the greatest show ever, so I'm in good company :-). I watched the movie "End of the Spear" for the first time last night, and it really speared me through the heart. It was so powerful. For anyone who doesn't know about it, the movie is based on the true story of a group of Christian missionaries who went to the Amazon to reach a violent tribe called the Waodani. After scoping out the area for a while and eventually spotting the tribe, which no one had ever contacted and lived to tell about it, a group of six guys plans to go in and meet the tribe. These men had wives and kids who were also living in the Amazon but in safer, more civilized areas while the men went off on their journey.

The thing that made the story so powerful for me was that the missionaries' attempt to save the tribe seemed to fail so miserably at first. The tribe was so violent and vengeful that they were quickly becoming extinct, so they needed to be saved physically as well as spirtually. So the missionaries arrive, spend about 5 minutes trying to communicate with 3 of the tribe members, there's a misunderstanding, and about an hour later the warriors come back and spear them all to death. So I'm thinking... well, THAT was pathetic... now how are they going to salvage this movie?

But, they really did. After news gets back to the families of the missionaries, they stay in the area and continue to try to communicate with the tribe. Just seeing the GINORMOUS sacrifice these families were willing to make to save these people was so inspiring and humbling. Although the original 6 guys barely said two words to the natives before they died, the way they died (without fighting back) and the things they taught their wives and children had a phenomenal ripple effect. The things they instilled in those around them throughout their lives were more than enough to overcome their deaths and accomplish their mission with the Waodani.

I can't really put into words the effect this movie has had on me, but I know it has changed my life. Something about the way the characters and the story were portrayed got through to me in a new and profound way. I cry everytime I think about it. Now that's the kind of movie I want to make... and more importantly, the kind of life I want to live.