The Shack is a 2017 American Christian fantasy film directed by Stuart Hazeldine.

It is based on a novel
of the same name written by Canadian author William P. Young that was published in 2007. The Shack is
set in the American Northwest place called Wallowa Lake and the titular shack in the woods.

The main character is Mack Phillips, played by Sam Worthington, who as a child was abused by his
drunken father and poisoned him. Mack is a loving husband and father of five. After his daughter, Missy,
disappears during the camping trip and the police find the evidence that she has been killed by a serial
killer, Mack falls into a deep depression and faces a faith’s crisis. Four years later he receives a
mysterious letter from ‘Papa’ inviting him for a meeting at the old shack for a weekend. Despite being
unsure of what he will see and foul weather, he decides to abandon his house and face the unknown.
What Mack finds at the shack changes his life forever.

In my opinion, this film is worth watching. It offers some very interesting insights into life and death,
resentment, grief, loss and forgiveness and wrestles with the timeless question: ‘Where is God in a
world so filled with unspeakable pain?’. The Shack is the mixture of realism and fantasy. The film
presents true-to-life Mack, whereas the picture of heaven is fantastic and amazing. Additionally, I was
really taken aback by the new spin the film put on the Holy Trinity presenting an African-American
woman as God the Father, a Middle Eastern carpenter as Jesus and an Asian woman as the Holy Spirit.
The film is well-acting and very moving. The soundtrack for the film falls into the genres of country and
pop music as well as contemporary Christian music creating the uplifting, deeply inspiring tone.

In my judgement, the screenplay generally is not very far from the novel. The storyline of both is the
same. The film deviates from the book as it does not feature Missy’s murderer or the fact he is even
caught. Furthermore, Mack’s sadness is better portrayed in the novel. I find the book more heart-
rending and moving.

All in all, I can highly recommend the Shack because of its script faithful to the novel and very strong
lead performances. I challenge you to remain unmoved after watching this exceptional movie.