The Shack (2017)

The Shack is about a father dealing with the aftermath of his daughter, Missy, being kidnapped and killed during a family trip. All that was left behind was her bloody dress, which police found in an abandoned shack out in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, a grieving Mack gets this strange message—an invitation to return to that very same shack. He hesitates, but he goes anyway and ends up meeting God. Or rather, the Holy Trinity, appearing as a kind, bubbly Black woman named Elousie (the Father), a short man with Middle Eastern features (the Son), and a gentle Asian woman named Azijka Saray (the Holy Spirit). After getting answers to some pretty heavy questions, Mack finds peace with God, whom he had almost given up on after losing his daughter.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872518/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Anyone seen this?
It's a good movie, based on a book that became another bestseller in the USA and everywhere else...
Watched it yesterday. It was alright, I guess. Pretty emotional and full of messages. A bit different from the usual stuff we see... worth a look. 👍

just watched The Shack. honestly, the cinematography was gorgeous... killer visuals. the lead guy felt a bit off though, maybe just not that convincing, but hey, at least he’s hot 🙂 Octavia Spencer was incredible as the Father 👍

1) Life has been so hectic lately that I haven't had a spare second to write down everything I’ve been wanting to say.

2) I’ve been meaning to start a thread about this movie, but I just couldn't find the time.

3) It honestly blows my mind that there are discussion threads here for every single flick playing in theaters across the US, yet this absolute masterpiece hasn't even been mentioned.

4) I was actually planning on getting the ball rolling tonight when I stumbled upon this existing thread.🙂

5) First off, it’s pretty fascinating to me that people will spend dozens of pages dissecting mediocre movies, while profound films like The Shack don't even have their own dedicated space or any real commentary.

6) If you ask me, it’s because most people are looking for pure entertainment and surface-level cinematic thrills. BUT anything that demands actual reflection—anything that forces you to confront suffering, death, and those heavy, fundamental questions of who we are and where we're headed—either goes right over people's heads, or they simply aren't interested in doing the heavy lifting required to face those truths.

Before we dive into the movie, I really feel like we should talk about the book it’s based on!

I recently finished reading "The Shack," which has gone on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.
The author is an American, William P. Young, who is a father of six. He even traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of his book tour. 🙂

What’s truly fascinating is that he originally wrote this just for his friends, printing only about 15 copies because he simply wanted to share his personal vision of God with his children.
They absolutely loved it and were actually the ones who convinced him to try and get it published.
Believe it or not, 26 different publishers turned him down! 😲

In the end, he decided to publish it himself, and the success was unlike anything anyone could have predicted.
-----------

Now, some might roll their eyes and say, "Oh, great, just another bestseller."

But honestly, in my opinion, this is one of the most profound books ever written regarding God and the problem of suffering. It uses such simple, compelling language to explore the encounter between humanity and the Divine, revealing what God is actually like.

The story tackles the ultimate question: where is God when we are suffering? The protagonist is grappling with the violent loss of his daughter, and in his deep disappointment, he encounters God in a very unconventional way and finds solace.
-------

Have any of you read this book?
What kind of impact did it leave on you or your worldview?
Even if you identify as an atheist or an agnostic, did the story change your perspective in any way
regarding suffering, the existence of evil, or the nature of God?

(To be continued...
I'll share my thoughts on the film next time!)

A deep movie? Please. It’s nothing more than a collection of someone's shallow, half-baked personal opinions.

My biggest mistake was letting myself be talked into going to the theater without having any clue about the plot or even what the damn pamphlet was actually about.

Watched this last night. 🤦

Honestly, I don't even know what I was expecting...

"Pick one of your two kids to go to hell"...
What a great comparison, considering one of his kids actually raped and murdered someone, so yeah, hell is where they belong...

Black woman (God, whatever), your kid raped and killed a little girl—that's a monster.
And you're out here comparing that to his kids who are innocent...

The movie was so stupid I legit wanted to lobotomize myself with a fork.

I won't be recommending this movie to anyone, regardless of what their taste in cinema might be. 😁

Honestly, I checked out of the film right at the moment he stepped from that snowy forest straight into some sun-drenched greenery.

This movie uses a bit of Christian kitsch to deliver an incredibly positive message wrapped in a heavy subject—losing a loved one, specifically a child. I wasn't quite myself while watching it (I think I was just hungry), so everything hit me a little harder than intended... though the sentimentality was definitely a bit much at times. The core message actually veers away from traditional Christian views, which might be hard for the average person today—someone caught up in frustration, sarcasm, and general cynicism—to swallow. I did appreciate how it highlighted that vicious cycle of evil and how relative everything truly is; once that wheel starts turning, we all end up acting as both judge and executioner to one another. It’s really about forgiveness and stripping away a person's illusions of righteousness. And then there's that eternal question: "Why does God allow this or that?" In reality, God doesn't "allow" anything; we are the ones driving our own actions. Ultimately, the film is a reflection on humanity and all of us.
While the lesson clashes with many mainstream Christian perspectives, it does so in such a subtle way that even some very rigid believers probably won't take issue with it. Through its use of biblical figures, it weaves a story about unconditional love and absolute forgiveness. We all tend to have such narrow views of the world, often failing to see past our own egos and the personal delusions we mistake for universal truths. There are people out there who cause suffering or even kill others, all while being convinced they are doing the right thing.
I honestly can't even give this a proper rating because I'm torn between my own biases against this style of storytelling and what the film was genuinely trying to communicate. It managed to say a great deal without pointing fingers directly at anyone, yet it made it crystal clear that, far too often, we are our own worst enemies.

I haven't caught the movie yet, but I definitely plan to... I've actually read the book twice already. Honestly, it’s easily the most profound thing I’ve ever read regarding God and what it actually means to have faith (real faith, not just organized religion)... In my opinion, maybe only Dostoevsky has ever managed to dive that deep into the heart of belief. I'm just crossing my fingers that the movie stays true to the story and doesn't totally miss the mark.

I ended up turning it off halfway through. The preaching was getting on my nerves, and honestly, the movie itself was just pretty dull and uninspiring.

Paul Rogers94 said:A deep movie? Please. It’s nothing more than a collection of someone's shallow, half-baked personal opinions.

That’s exactly why it’s a bestseller. It's made for mediocrity.

Shallow and pure propaganda. I only watched it because I felt obligated to. Now I’m here just to vent my frustration. This is the last thing I’ll ever say about this movie. I'm erasing it from my memory.

A beautiful film, I guess.

Honestly, the book was such a massive disappointment that I’m actually a little terrified to sit through the movie version.

hiddenpuma75 said:Before we dive into the movie, I really feel like we should talk about the book it’s based on!

I recently finished reading "The Shack," which has gone on to sell over 20 million copies worldwide.
The author is an American, William P. Young, who is a father of six. He even traveled to Washington, D.C. as part of his book tour. 🙂

What’s truly fascinating is that he originally wrote this just for his friends, printing only about 15 copies because he simply wanted to share his personal vision of God with his children.
They absolutely loved it and were actually the ones who convinced him to try and get it published.
Believe it or not, 26 different publishers turned him down! 😲

In the end, he decided to publish it himself, and the success was unlike anything anyone could have predicted.
-----------

Now, some might roll their eyes and say, "Oh, great, just another bestseller."

But honestly, in my opinion, this is one of the most profound books ever written regarding God and the problem of suffering. It uses such simple, compelling language to explore the encounter between humanity and the Divine, revealing what God is actually like.

The story tackles the ultimate question: where is God when we are suffering? The protagonist is grappling with the violent loss of his daughter, and in his deep disappointment, he encounters God in a very unconventional way and finds solace.
-------

Have any of you read this book?
What kind of impact did it leave on you or your worldview?
Even if you identify as an atheist or an agnostic, did the story change your perspective in any way
regarding suffering, the existence of evil, or the nature of God?

(To be continued...
I'll share my thoughts on the film next time!)

The first part of the book is pretty engaging until you hit that cabin scene... after that, honestly, even a dog wouldn't bother chewing through it. It's probably for the best he stuck to those original 15 copies.
As for God, this book has about as much to do with Him as Harry Potter does.

If there’s one movie you should steer clear of, it’s this one—mostly because it features Olivia Spencer, who easily ranks in my top three most pathetic characters ever put on screen.

Raymond Anderson4 said:If there’s one movie you should steer clear of, it’s this one—mostly because it features Olivia Spencer, who easily ranks in my top three most pathetic characters ever put on screen.

Probably Octavia...🤔

Anyway... I already wasted several hours of my life reading that trash years ago, so all bets are off regarding whether I'll actually sit through this movie.
If this is what passes for faith or spirituality these days, it’s no wonder the world is falling apart.🤦

neonorca38 said:The Shack is about a father dealing with the aftermath of his daughter, Missy, being kidnapped and killed during a family trip. All that was left behind was her bloody dress, which police found in an abandoned shack out in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later, a grieving Mack gets this strange message—an invitation to return to that very same shack. He hesitates, but he goes anyway and ends up meeting God. Or rather, the Holy Trinity, appearing as a kind, bubbly Black woman named Elousie (the Father), a short man with Middle Eastern features (the Son), and a gentle Asian woman named Azijka Saray (the Holy Spirit). After getting answers to some pretty heavy questions, Mack finds peace with God, whom he had almost given up on after losing his daughter.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2872518/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1

Anyone seen this?
It's a good movie, based on a book that became another bestseller in the USA and everywhere else...
Watched it yesterday. It was alright, I guess. Pretty emotional and full of messages. A bit different from the usual stuff we see... worth a look. 👍

I was already feeling pretty skeptical after reading that one line.
And then I kept scrolling down, and honestly... it was totally justified... 😁

Look, Americans can be so hot and cold... one minute they're all "there's no such thing as a free lunch," and the next they're like, "Hallelujah, amen!" So, usually, even the most mindless spiritual garbage sells like crazy over there. In the most materialistic country on Earth, any crap wrapped up in fancy packaging looks profound—including those televangelists and their cheap spirituality.

Oh, and of course, if someone isn't being murdered or brutally attacked on screen, Americans can't even get their brains up to operating temperature to actually pay attention...

Anyway, I think I'll pass on this one.

I watched the movie, and while I wouldn't say I was particularly impressed by the acting, I suppose the core message is what really matters, at least in my opinion.