End of the Spear

An Incredible New Movie that was released in Australian Theatres in March 2007

Note: this movie is classified M
for its moderate violence and themes

Synopsis:

In the Ecuadorian jungles of the Amazon, the Waodani people, one of the most violent societies on the planet, live totally cut off from civilization.

Their homicide rate has brought them to the brink of extinction.

In January 1956, five American missionaries and their families went to live in the Amazon region of Ecuador. Their intention was to establish contact with a savage tribe, known at the time as the Auca, but now known as the Waodani.

Nate Saint, Jim Elliott, Pete Fleming, Ed McCully and Roger Youderian eventually locate the Waodani village and find a sandbar on which to land their small plane.

When one of the tribesmen lies that the foreigners on the sandbar have abducted and killed a tribeswoman, Mincayani and his fellow warriors find their site and spear the five Americans.

The missing missionaries make headlines in the world’s media and a search ensues.

When the Waodani see the helicopter and the size of the search party they think the foreigners will take their revenge, so they burn their huts and flee deeper into the jungle.

Within months of the killings, a Waodani woman who had fled the tribe, helps gain entry into the tribe for the wife of one missionary and the sister of another, as well as Nate’s son, Steve.

Subsequently, following the arrival of the missionaries’ wives and sister to the tribe, the Waodani moved from a violent lifestyle to one of peace.

As a result, the Waodani homicide rate dropped by more than ninety percent.

Steve returns as an adult when his aunt, Rachel Saint, who had spent the rest of her life with the Waodani, dies.

The Waodani want Steve to live with them the way Rachel did, but Steve’s unanswered questions keep him from agreeing.

Mincayani takes Steve to the river where his father was killed and confesses to spearing him.

At that moment, Steve and Mincayani are forced to confront the true meaning of the life and death of Steve’s father and the other men who were killed.

This amazing true-life story – a story of adventure, suspense, tragedy, and reconciliation – became a classic missionary story. It made headlines in the world’s media.

One noted photojournalist, Cornell Capa, who covered the story for Life magazine (resulting in a ten-page spread in the world famous publication), described it as “one of the most extraordinary adventures of my life.”

He added: “It was certainly my most rewarding assignment, and Life’s readers responded with a deluge of enthusiastic letters.”

The story was also the genesis for numerous successful books.

In the fifty years since these events, the Waodani have made the remarkable transition from the Stone Age to the twenty-first century.

Many people have wanted to make the story into a film, but for a variety of reasons they were unable to – not least among the reasons being that they could not claim the confidence of those closest to the Waodani people.

One man, producer Mart Green, was interested in the story and wanted to tell it from the Waodani perspective, recounting what happened to the tribe after the missionary contact. Because of his unique approach, he was able to persuade Steve Saint, the son of the missionary pilot who was killed, and nephew of Rachel Saint, who befriended and lived with the Waodani, to agree to help him.

Steve Saint was born in Ecuador and bridges the North American and Waodani cultures.

Writer-director Jim Hanon says, “Steve has seen his family become part of the Waodani family. He respects and protects the people in the story. This makes him the kind of friend you would really want to have, and a hard man with whom to discuss movie rights.”

Saint wanted fifty percent of the proceeds of the film to benefit the Waodani and other indigenous people like them. Mart Green, who was responsible for the main financing of the project, was in complete agreement.

[photo shows Steve & Mincayani today]
rked Backwards - Christianity Today - 2006

They came to my home, and Mart said, "I don't want to tell the five North American heroes' story. I want to tell this from the Waodani's perspective." I thought, That's really different. I said, "Well, you should ask them for permission, not me."

Then I knew I had him, because these six guys weren't going to go down to the jungles to ask the Waodani. So I figured, that's it. But they said, "Well, how do we do that?" I said I know where they are and I'll interpret for you, if you want to go. And they all cleared their calendars just like that. I thought, Wow, these guys are pretty serious if they're willing to go down to the jungles to do this ... Link

End of the Spear – Story of Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Redemption - Christian Post

"... With a spear in hand, just centimeters from the heart of Waodani tribesman Mincayani, Steve Saint refused to kill his father's killer but instead stepped back and said, "Nobody killed my father. My father chose to give his life."

On Jan. 18, 2006, the two stood side by side at the AMC Theater in Times Square, N.Y., with the love and affection of father and son as photographers flashed away two nights before the opening of the film based on the true story.

"People always want to know how I forgave Mincayani," said Steve Saint at a special screening Wednesday night. "My father thought these people were so precious and so special that he was willing to die for them." ... Link

Learning to Forgive - beliefnet.com

"... If Mincaye was responsible for Saint's survival in the jungle, the positions were reversed when Saint brought Mincaye to America for a visit to help tell their story and solicit humanitarian aid for the tribe.

"Here he's not totally helpless but close to it," Saint said. "He can't read words or numbers, doesn't really know about money, does not understand about cold, and he doesn't want to learn, so I do it for him."

During the credits of "End of the Spear," we see footage of the real-life Saint and Mincaye. Saint explains that Mincaye loves grocery stores because if you just smile, the woman at the cash register lets you take all the food you want. Saint tried to explain that he had given the woman his credit card, but Mincaye said he was not fooled-he saw her give it right back! ... Link

Plugged in Online (Focus on the Family) Movie Review

The Gospel is clearly presented, stated not in Christianese—or even English—but via the beautiful and unique terminology of the Waodani. That accomplishes two things. It helps allay criticism from skeptics who believe Jesus and movies should be mutually exclusive; and it demonstrates the complete relevance of God's universally applicable Good News. As Saint says, "It's free from a lot of the churchiness and expressions we use. They aren't as sophisticated, so it comes across as more palatable." ... L