The Shack Is Controversial For All The Wrong Reasons

Based on the novel it shares a title with, The Shack premieres March 3rd.  This American faith-based film is directed by Stuart Hazeldine, director of 2009’s Exam and written by John Fusco, best known for Crossroads, Hidalgo, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and creating the Netflix hit Marco Polo.  Starring actors include Sam Worthington(Hacksaw Ridge & Everest), Octavia Spencer(Hidden Figures & Zootopia), and Graham Greene(Unnatural & Longmire.)

 

Mack Philips, portrayed by Sam Worthington, falls into a deep depression after the murder of his daughter on a family camping trip.  This strife causes Mack to question his personal beliefs and things take a turn for the worst.  During this turmoil, Mack discovers a mysterious envelope in his mailbox urging him to return to the location the murder occurred, a shack located far in the Oregon wilderness.  Shaking away his doubts, Mack seeks out the shack and what he discovers waiting for him will change his life forever.

Faith based films have really stepped up their game in recent years.  Though the director seems untested the book the story is based on became a New York Times number one best seller for paperback fiction for months on straight.  The Shack novel has sold over ten million copies, but has met with harsh criticism from some calling the symbolism of the story as “deeply troubling” and even going as far to say ‘includes undiluted heresy.”  Author William Young originally wrote the story as a Christmas gift for his six children with no real intention of ever publishing his work.  It wasn’t until friends got their hands on the book that Young was urged to publish the story, but at every turn the project was rejected by secular publishers.  Eventually Young with the company of Wayne Jacobson and Brad Cummings, both former pastors in Los Angeles, connected with filmmaker Bobby Downes to form Windblown Media to publish the book.  Brad Cummings was reported to have maxed the credit limit on twelve personal credit cards to supply the funding for the project.  Years later a tangle of lawsuits developed with Young stating he was owed over 8 million dollars in royalties, but cases were supposedly settled out of court.