A curious film that sometimes conflates the scourge of human trafficking with ordinary, healthy sexual impulses, filmmaker Dan Parris’s When the Saints looks at an honorable mission to create a shelter for trafficked girls and women in Malawi, Africa. But a broad streak of well-meaning yet rather naïve observations linking garden variety desire and libido with sex slavery and monstrous exploitation undoes some of the goodwill here. The leader of this African effort, an American named David Peterka, confesses that after a spell of being a youthful stud, he began to feel guilty and wanted to purge superficial lust. Why he didn’t just make a commitment to pursue more meaningful and respectful sexual relationships is Peterka’s business, but he did decide his calling was to go to Malawi and try to help, while also preaching that the problem of predation begins with men allowing sexual interest in their hearts in the first place. Over time, Peterka is joined by more young evangelicals, and the shelter takes shape. While it’s very hard to find fault with When the Saints, especially when considering the dire need to rescue enslaved girls and women, it’s a shame that the mission is a bit undercut here by calling for a sublimation of part of our humanity. A strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)
When the Saints
(2018) 60 min. DVD: $14.99. DRA. Vision Video (avail. from most distributors). Volume 33, Issue 3
When the Saints
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As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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