Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

Bea Swanson This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Marva-nova Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

Foreverisacastironmess So touching this movie. To me as far as true movies go this was definitely very good, but I agree that there was room for improvements. I mean my only real complaint about this simple and straightforward, yet profound and involving story was that it was a bit of a slow-going one to be sure, and very noticeably so when it gets to the final act, and it was perhaps also a little dull and some of the actors were more interesting than others, but that's all I can really think of. The best, most important and powerful themes of the story worked, and I think that's all that really matters. And unlike some I never found it depressing, saddening painful and downbeat yes, but at the same time to me, honest and thoughtful and ultimately a very positive experience. I loved the beautiful island setting, the ever-present blue skies and oceans of the location were so peaceful and calming to look at. I was also very impressed with the music score, with the theme that plays over the credits bringing tears the first time I heard it. I found it mildly shocking and disturbing how many of the extras were real life native lepers of the island. They were all very good, their presence added much to the authenticity. It was very well acted by all involved, but most of all the fantastic underplayed performance of David Wenham, who I believe is what makes this drama as effective as it is. The part that I enjoy most is the first half where Damien first arrives on the island and gains the trust of the natives with his kind and compassionate nature and the way he shows that he's not afraid at all to touch and be among them, and how he begins the arduous task of creating a better life for the people he cares for so much... I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I'd actually never heard of Father Damien before this movie. But I certainly have now, and he made quite a big impression on me. His amazing story was so humbling, I was deeply moved by it. Never had I seen such honourable and totally selfless behaviour from a person before. He gave himself over to his cause so completely that he was willing to let himself die for what he believed in. I only wish that I could be half as brave. And even though their deaths were a forgone conclusion, he still gave them hope and dignity in their darkest days, and showed them that they still mattered and were human beings and not forsaken animals. And even though this is a film that has strong running themes of religious faith, I don't think it requires at all that the viewer be religious in order to appreciate the worth of such self-sacrificing behavior. He saw how they were in pain and even though he couldn't save them, he tried his hardest to bring them spiritual consolation and comfort in their hour of need, and that just matters, that's worth something. And it is no gift from any gods, but simply something that comes from deep inside, it's what makes us human, and what's truly the best in all of us... I personally believe that the only heaven and miracles are what people can feel and do for each other, and I think that can be enough most of the time. In the Wikipedia article there's an image of an old photograph of the real Father Damien that was taken shortly before his death, and he's in the full leprosy state and looks horrendous, but also definitely steadfast and I think in fact proud to bear such terrible scars of a life of true faith. He should have been. He was not merely a man, he was a man who possessed great fortitude of will, and whose ideals were beautiful and to this day are something that should be admired and looked up to. If anyone ever deserved to be declared a saint, he did. He was what all men should be. A true inspiration to those who believe in the goodwill of the human spirit. They should have christened him Damien the Hero! Peace, 'God' willing.

isabelle1955 I hate to be negative about a film that was obviously made with such good intentions, and I certainly don't want to offend anyone who sees Father Damien - the self-sacrificing Belgian priest - as a saint, but there isn't much that's positive to say about this inferior biopic. It isn't bad enough to be unwatchable, or good enough to deserve a second viewing. It's just very, very dull. I rented it on DVD and came to it open-minded but after half an hour I was struggling to stay awake. The opening twenty minutes are probably the best part of the movie, where the background is laid down and we see young, keen, fresh, athletic Father Damien striding off to fulfill his destiny.I can't quite put my finger on what went wrong, although I have read of "dissension" between the director and producers. The cast, crew and financiers appear to be drawn from just about every nation on the face of the planet, and maybe that's one of the problems because the film has no distinctive "feel" to it; it's not a British movie or an Australian movie, or a Belgian movie, although all of those countries are well represented amongst the players and producers. What it so obviously lacked, was anyone strong enough on the production side to stamp some kind of distinctive character and style on it. It feels like a movie made by committee rather than created by artists. A committee may succeed in writing a technical manual, but it's not the way to create a passionate piece of cinema. And that's what it lacks. Passion.Here we have a film set against stunning natural beauty; an ensemble cast list that reads like a Who's Who? of highly competent English speaking actors, (including Derek Jacobi, Leo McKern, Peter O'Toole, Sam Neill and David Wenham in the lead, with a mop top haircut that Ringo Starr would have envied in 1964); a moving, true story of a man who was obviously a remarkable human being; and more than enough controversy in his dealings with authority to create some real tension in the story. It's an appalling tale of the isolation and virtual abandonment of thousands of sick people from babies to grandparents, who had the misfortune to contract Leprosy at a time when it was still regarded as a biblical plague, and who were left to die alone in misery. That should be more than enough material for a really good movie, yet it's inexcusably dull, dull, dull, and really quite badly filmed. The photography looks "muddy" in shot after shot and some of the dialogue is hard to discern against what appears to be a permanent Force 8 gale.It might work as an educational tract, (in fact it reminded me of some of the worthy but dire stuff I sat through 30 years ago in my last high school, a convent, when the teachers decided to go all "trendy" and treat us to an educational film) but it doesn't work as a cinematic piece. It would have been dull, even as a TV movie. Australian David Wenham gives an honest, engaging, workmanlike performance as the priest who arrives on Molokai expecting to take confessions and officiate at Mass, but finds himself instead making coffins for children, and trying to scrounge money for beds and medicines from uncaring superiors. Try as he might, he can't lift this one. (Anyone who has also seen Better than Sex will appreciate that he has range, and this movie is now 7 years old in fairness.) The film moves from scene to scene showing him treating the sick, comforting the dying, dragging people out of the surf, building houses etc etc. in an utterly formulaic way which never generates any real passion. He writes letters to HQ, and complains politely, but there is a remarkable lack of tension and drama in his dealings with his superiors. The sick shuffle around Molokai wrapped in rags, and we feel suitably uncomfortable, but it is all so dull. I wanted to be moved and I wasn't. Eventually Father Damien succumbs to Hansen's Disease (Leprosy) himself, literally giving his life for these forgotten people. It's a strong story that should have had audiences weeping in the aisles, but personally I was just glad when it finished. I can't really fault any of the individual performances, (in fact Aden Young was excellent as the young doctor and Sam Neill is always good value), it's just the overall effect that's so second rate.Given the subject matter, it's really quite sad that such a good tale got such an inferior treatment. I know nothing about Father Damien but I'm sure he deserved better.

brude2000 A stellar supporting cast, rich cinematography and a fine eye for detail all punctuate this near-epic account of the trials and tribulations of the legendary cleric who devoted his life (quite literally) to the care and salvation of a doomed Hawaiian leper colony. Australian David Wenham's most important role to date is set at the turn of the century, when ignorance and greed ruled most levels of secular government. This left the beneficent young priest to suffer alongside his charges while much-needed funding was going to higher-profile healers in richer colonies.Peter O'Toole is wonderful (in a brief appearance), as are Sam Neill, Leo McKern, Alice Krige, Derek Jacobi and even Kris Kristofferson but, ultimately, it is Wenham's chore to haul this monster ashore. It's evident early on that "Molokai" lacks the heart and conviction of the selfless giant who inspired it.

harris-6 The fact that this movie was primarily filmed in Kalaupapa on the north shore of our island, does not unduly influence my judgment that this is a very interesting movie. The acting of the "international" cast is quite fine. But so is that of my childhood friend, Keanu Kapuni-Szasz, as a young girl who contracts leprosy and later presents a slight temptation to Father Damien. Many, many "topside" Molokai residents joined with the few remaining Kalaupapa residents (who have Hansen's Disease) in this production. Viewers will be inspired by their beauty and spirit. Aloha.