The Plot:

  Based on the novel by Francine Rivers, The Last Sin Eater is a tale of Welsh emigrants who settled in 19th century Appalachia. A young girl named Cadi Forbes (Liana Liberato) experiences the death of her grandmother and for the first time takes part in an ancient Celtic funeral rite involving a Sin Eater. A Sin Eater consumes bread and wine over the body of the deceased and pawns his own soul before God to absolve them (deceased) of their sins. Cadi, who feels responsible for the death of her younger sister years prior, becomes obsessed with the idea of the sin Eater (Peter Wingfield) and wants him to cleanse her of her sins while she is still alive. As if Cadi’s quest isn’t distracting and upsetting enough to her neighbors, the appearance of a Christian stranger (Henry Thomas) in the valley below is some cause for concern, especially when he has a story of a different way to absolve people of their earthly sins.

The Point:

  The Last Sin Eater may sound like a movie about a bunch of pagan, hayseed mountain-folk; in fact it is exactly that, but it is also much more. The movie speaks about a cornucopia of human issues not the least of which is guilt, sin, redemption and even mob rule. 
  The Sin Eater, formerly a hayseed hillbilly himself, was unlucky enough to take the job, along with its fringe benefit of being a village outcast, through a drawing of lots. As it later turns out, the contest was more than just a little dubious and the Sin Eater was chosen as a scapegoat in more ways than one.
  Clearly this movie touches on religious themes through a Christian-dominant point of view. But the film is far from dogmatic and doesn’t present the message in a way that seems either evangelical or overbearing.
  Liana Liberato, whose career has been relatively short due to her age, brings a maturity to the role of Cadi that transcends her years. At the same time she is clearly still a young girl that can be overwhelmed by the forces around her. She is vulnerable but not fragile.
  My only complaint about the film lies in the continued depiction of the “evil” white people that came from Europe and mercilessly killed the American Indians who lived here first. There is no denying that there was bloodshed between the original Native Americans and European settlers, but in addition to being a serious, if not tragic, part of American history it is also an often overused Hollywood plot device. Plenty of American Indians and European settlers shared their homes, their families and even gave their lives to live in peace with each other.