The Other Side of Heaven

As a recruitment device for the Church of Latter-Day Saints, Mitch Davis' sincere but amateurish film about a young missionary's stint on a South Pacific island during the 1950s might suffice. For general audiences, however, it will seem like a very long, haltingly delivered sermon indeed. Personable Christopher Gorham portrays John Groberg, whose service on the islands of Tonga is recounted as a series of random but invariably uplifting episodes that might reflect the actual chronology of events, but do not provide an effective dramatic arc (nor does the habit of interrupting the action with sappy narration from letters between Groberg and his fiancée back home much help matters). Moreover, the distinguishing features of Mormon doctrine have been largely suppressed, presumably to make the picture more palatable to the uninitiated. Granted, the accomplished cinematography nicely captures the beautiful scenery, but that's about the only virtue on display here. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by writer-director Mitch Davis, a 24-minute behind-the-scenes making-of featurette, and a stills gallery. Bottom line: a standard extras package for a so-so film.] (F. Swietek)