End of the Spear
—1. Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Current Films)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads
The End of the Spear packs a powerful, emotional punch that unfortunately will not be discovered by the flocks of people who swarmed theaters in search of the Passion of the Christ. There’s no big name director, no widely-known historical epic, and no R-rating. Instead, there’s simply a story of love that extends from one generation to another, isolated within the hidden jungle of the rainforest, but finally pulled out into the open for everyone to see for themselves.
This is the story of Mincayani of the Ecuadorian rainforest and Steve Saint, but it’s also the story of the five missionary men who were brutally murdered by Mincayani and his tribesmen. Born into a culture of death and of fear, he had been taught no ways other than those of killing and revenge. Early on, he aids in the escape of young Dayumae but watches her fall in with a group of missionaries. Years later, Mincayani will be reunited with Dayumae, but only after he’s killed Steve’s father.
The depiction of the story lulls us to quiet reflection of the simplicity of the Waodani tribe and the beauty of the jungle. The backdrop for the whole film is beautiful and helps compensate for the sometimes subpar acting and dialogue. The story itself continues to shine through though, as there are subtle pointers toward the endline along the way.
Faced with the murderer of his father, our narrator and sometimes lead is faced with a choice, now an adult. Having watched his father prepare for his missionary efforts, he reflects on the truth that his father “knew where he was going.� He also has the wives of his father’s missionary friends and his Aunt Rachel as role models for peacefully sharing the gospel that he knows. Still, faced with the murderer of his own father, the young adult Steve must choose between revenge and peace.
This seems like the required ‘critical moment’ (otherwise, why would it be a movie?) but the adult Steve is also faced with the choice between returning to America (his adopted home) or staying amongst the Waodani after his aunt’s death (in his childhood home.) At one point, a key convert to Christianity, Kimo, asks Steve if Steve is in fact part of their family? Family, it seems, when defined within the gospel that the murdered missionaries lived, taught and died, extended beyond cultural, geographical or social lines. Within this new gospel-lived community, family rose above it all.
Viewers of the movie will find themselves faced with real choices. Will you choose revenge or forgiveness? Retribution or mercy? Leaving or going? Family or isolation? The answers will not be the same for everyone, but the overarching push of the movie is toward love. From I Corinthians, we see that ‘love is patient, love is kind’ and many more things that follow. More importantly, with love, we learn that we will never fail—the Saints never did.
— Overview
—2. Cast and Crew
—3. Photo Pages
—4. Trailers, Clips, DVDs, Books, Soundtrack
—5. Posters (Current Films)
—6. Production Notes (pdf)
—7. Spiritual Connections
—8. Presentation Downloads
The End of the Spear packs a powerful, emotional punch that unfortunately will not be discovered by the flocks of people who swarmed theaters in search of the Passion of the Christ. There’s no big name director, no widely-known historical epic, and no R-rating. Instead, there’s simply a story of love that extends from one generation to another, isolated within the hidden jungle of the rainforest, but finally pulled out into the open for everyone to see for themselves.This is the story of Mincayani of the Ecuadorian rainforest and Steve Saint, but it’s also the story of the five missionary men who were brutally murdered by Mincayani and his tribesmen. Born into a culture of death and of fear, he had been taught no ways other than those of killing and revenge. Early on, he aids in the escape of young Dayumae but watches her fall in with a group of missionaries. Years later, Mincayani will be reunited with Dayumae, but only after he’s killed Steve’s father.
The depiction of the story lulls us to quiet reflection of the simplicity of the Waodani tribe and the beauty of the jungle. The backdrop for the whole film is beautiful and helps compensate for the sometimes subpar acting and dialogue. The story itself continues to shine through though, as there are subtle pointers toward the endline along the way.
Faced with the murderer of his father, our narrator and sometimes lead is faced with a choice, now an adult. Having watched his father prepare for his missionary efforts, he reflects on the truth that his father “knew where he was going.� He also has the wives of his father’s missionary friends and his Aunt Rachel as role models for peacefully sharing the gospel that he knows. Still, faced with the murderer of his own father, the young adult Steve must choose between revenge and peace.
This seems like the required ‘critical moment’ (otherwise, why would it be a movie?) but the adult Steve is also faced with the choice between returning to America (his adopted home) or staying amongst the Waodani after his aunt’s death (in his childhood home.) At one point, a key convert to Christianity, Kimo, asks Steve if Steve is in fact part of their family? Family, it seems, when defined within the gospel that the murdered missionaries lived, taught and died, extended beyond cultural, geographical or social lines. Within this new gospel-lived community, family rose above it all.
Viewers of the movie will find themselves faced with real choices. Will you choose revenge or forgiveness? Retribution or mercy? Leaving or going? Family or isolation? The answers will not be the same for everyone, but the overarching push of the movie is toward love. From I Corinthians, we see that ‘love is patient, love is kind’ and many more things that follow. More importantly, with love, we learn that we will never fail—the Saints never did.
— Overview
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