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The Encounter (2010): A Movie Review

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6/24/2011 / Entertainment

Director: David A. R. White (producer, What If)
Writers: Sean Paul Murphy, Timothy Ratajczak
Actors: Bruce Marchiano (Matthew), Jaci Velasquez (Chasing Papi), Steve 'Sting' Borden (WCW, TNA Wrestling), Danah Davis (Lost TV series), Kass Connor (Killer Me, The Wager)

If your life's philosophy is to take the easy road, you have little interest in why life holds so many bad times, or your life's just been a care-free joy ride, then you probably won't get too much out of this film. But if you've encountered your share of pit falls and tragedies and can admit you don't have answers to all of them, then the meat of this production may offer something you can chew on for a while.

Not to say the whole film is palatable. Most of the ninety minutes move slowly and many scenes and character reactions are needlessly drawn outit is actor David White's directorial dbut. Much of the storyline is predictable and the characters are single-dimensional; we are given no reasons to care about them except for the circumstances of their lives as exposed, one after another, by Jesus.

Fourteen-year-old Kayla (newcomer Madison Gibney) is running away from abusive parents. The marriage of Hank (Jamie Nieto) and Cathryn (Danah Davis) is on the rocks, while Melissa (Jaci Velasquez) is traveling four hundred miles to see her boyfriend in the hopes he might ask her to marry him. Nick (Steve Borden) is a former NFL All-Pro crusher of quarterbacks who now owns a slew of successful hamburger joints, but his anger must stem from something deeper than being late for a meeting. These five people, on different roads in life, end up together on a deserted, dirt road in northern California and must seek shelter in a roadside diner where they, literally, meet Jesus (Bruce Marchiano)and as Jesus feeds these five, we are offered the substance of the storyline.

Scripturally deep and accurate answers are given to very difficult life-issues: divorce, abuse, anger, loneliness, individual worth, pride of accomplishment, self-dependence, true salvation, and the pervasive way we settle for relationships with people who don't truly care for us. Tough questions include why God allows abuse and pain and suffering; why both self-determination and divine providence are true, and the interplay between them; even why God would command the Israelites to annihilate entire people groups. And Marchiano believably delivers answers, often quoting or adapting Scripture, addressing individuals' needs rather than their verbal argumentsa viable portrayal of the Gospels' depictions of how Christ spoke with people during His three, public-ministry years.

I had a hard time not liking this film because those deep truths to life's questions are offered with compassion; because of the love Jesus displays and the manner in which he demonstrates it, even for those who disbelieve or reject what He offers; and because Jesus has a sense of humor. Those aspects of this film the filmmakers got right.

Unfortunately, it is often difficult for us, the viewers, to see those answers as relevant to us because we are never allowed to connect with the people in the film. The flat characterizations plus tight directorial control over the actors' portrayals seem incompatible with the deep truths. The resulting, inappropriate tension creates a chasm we, the viewer, are unlikely to cross on our own. There is a natural, emotional distancing between viewer and characters because we are not drawn in to care for, to identify with, to connect with those people.

It's difficult to even know which character is primary. I guess we can assume it was Jesus; He is our Ultimate Hero, after all. But the film opens by introducing us to Kayla and her current situation; the filmmakers even attempt to make us care about her because of how she is initially treated by the otherselements which usually indicate for us who we're to identify as the lead role. There is a development, of sorts, in her character that we could label a character arc, but calling it that would be a stretch. And the story seems to revolve more around Melissa, though she has the least character growth. So maybe it's intended to be more a team approachyou know, a group, a la Poseidon Adventure, The Expendables, or Ocean's 11. But the five people in The Encounter aren't connected enough, even via apathy or hostility, to cohere as a group.

Though characters are single-dimensional and the screenwriters gave most of the actors little to work with, there are some strong-ish performances, primarily by Bruce Marchiano, 'Sting' Borden, Kass Connors (as Deputy DeVille), and Danah Davis; Jaci Velasquez is more believable than I've seen in the past.

There are some continuity problems in the film (the name on the diner door changes; timing while various characters travel up and down the road, primarily toward film's end), and the interior of the diner seems needlessly anachronistic (if there was a reason for it, I missed it). Many of these issues come from lack of experience or professionalism on the part of the filmmakers.

And one more thing: Jesus wears a name tag proclaiming, well, "Jesus." Wearing the name tag gives too much away from a storytelling standpoint. The filmmakers missed the easy heightening of tension, anticipation, and conflict by revealing gradually the identity of the provider behind the counter.

So, as with most films in this genre, the discerning movie-goer must endure the faulty to find the substancesomething that's become second-nature to most of the people who will watch this film. What an incredibly sad reality, especially when the people who most need to hear of Jesus' compassion won't waste their time.

(c) 2011 Christine Hunt.

For over 35 years, Christine Hunt has been Bible teacher and storyteller, worship leader and home educator, writer, editor, publisher, and film reviewer at www.GoodNewsFilmReviews.com.

Learn story structure & God's place for story at www.YouAreWhatYouSee.com.

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