It’s time for a mind-clearing trip to a foreign place and a different era. The terrific 1980s film “The Mission” fits that bill beautifully, deep in the tangled rain forests of South America, full of scenery and intrigue and great acting.
Your teenagers may learn that rain forests are not just the playground of environmental groups or major corporations. “The Mission” presents dueling philosophies and lifestyles, caught up in the politics and power of colonization.
The always-troubled Jeremy Irons comes to the Brazilian jungle as Father Gabriel, establishing a new mission among the Guarani tribe. It’s a deadly task: one of the most memorable scenes of many in “The Mission” is a previous priest getting tied to a cross and sent over a waterfall by locals who weren’t interested in a Catholic conversion.
The sprawling tale also explores the story of Rodrigo Mendoza, played by Robert De Niro, who journeys to the jungle in penance for his killing of his own brother. He finds a kind of peace at Father Gabriel’s successful mission, and decides he will pursue the priesthood himself.
The best-laid plans get messed with by higher powers, as negotiators an ocean away haggle over whether Spain or Portugal will dominate the region. The treaties will determine whether the missionary priests or the growing ranks of plantation owners control the destiny of the native tribes.
The scale of the story is rightfully considered epic, backed up by a level of acting rarely assembled these days. (This is not Hugh Jackman in “Australia,” for one example.) Director Roland Joffe’s other career work was “The Killing Fields,” about humans struggling with death, destruction and foreign intervention in Cambodia.
“The Mission”
Rated: PG, for some violence and mature themes.
Best suited for: Teenagers curious about the spread of religion and the play of power politics during colonial times
