Customer Reviews

The Rapture

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

I've read some of the reviews already posted (from Christians who are touchy about the subject through to those who clearly are Anti-Christian and delight in poking fun at believers). The diverse opinions suffice to tell you this is not as simplistic or poorly done a film as some might suggest. I do not understand the reviews that say they are confused and don't understand. The movie is hardly that complicated that you can't get some coherent understanding of the plot.

NOTE: I may review more detail than you wish. Consider this a spoiler warning, although I don't give it all away, I wouldn't want you to feel cheated.

First off: I'm a believer. Yes, I believe in God, Christ, the Bible, the historic creeds and in the Rapture to come (I'm post-trib, for those who care). With all that, I liked this film. I enjoyed Mimi Rogers' performance and I enjoyed seeing the journey of this troubled character. We're not dealing with a character who does things in moderation. When she was pre-Christian, she didn't just have sex, she had SEX!, promiscuously, in groups, etc. We learn it's her way of filling this void she feels, the boredom of her meaningless existence. She attempts suicide. She's a mess. BUT...she has a vision of "the pearl" and it gives her a sense of peace and soon she's turned her life over to God and she's a Christian with a Z for ZEAL, evangelizing anyone she can--on the job, on the phone, friends, strangers. To some believers, this seems quite fine and laudable. To some, it will seem strange and immoderate. I think that's part of the interest. Where is this woman going now?

The movie has this haunting air about it. You get a sense of being on the edge of doom, which is suitable given the subject matter. Even when she's all aglow and talking about God, you get the sense this character is rushing headlong into another type of excess. The character may have found something that gives her purpose, and a stability, but something about her is still unbalanced emotionally. Even her "peace" is an excessive peace. Tragedy befalls her--SPOILERS--stop reading if you don't wanna know:--when her husband is murdered in a killing spree at work, and still she keeps this strange calm. You don't see her really break down or do anything a normal grieving woman--Christian or otherwise--would do. It's rather spooky.

When she has visions that beckon her to the desert, visions that gave me the willies and seemed kind of sinister, like a haunting--visions that have even her church's Prophetic Boy warning her that they stand unconfirmed by other believers and might be from Satan--we have a growing suspicion that something will go terribly wrong.

And it does.

One can look at this story as the descent into madness of a never very stable woman and wonder if anything in those last minutes is real or if it's all imagined, sanity banished.

From a Christian perspective, I take enjoyment in a more literal reading that, despite any directorial intention is the most taken away from the film. This is a woman we've seen crack up, a woman whose been kept in check by her faith, her husband and her church. When she loses her ties to a husband, who never had that weird, glazed look like the main character, and when she then distances herself from the accountability and safety net of a church by heading for the wilderness, and then when she allows her faith to buckle, she's left with nothing to stop her from rashness and crazed decisions.

What should this woman know? She should know from her church sermons that to go into the desert is typically a sign of temptation to come: Jesus went into the desert and the devil tried to get him to move away from his mission and disobey God. Here, we see a woman who is tempted, perhaps not by Satan, but by her own desires. She wants to be raptured. She wants to go to heaven. She wants to be done with life down here. She wants the culmination of her faith. She's tried to die before and failed, she wants to go to the better place. The temptation is great, so great, she forgets simple admonitions she surely knows by heart--
Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt love the Lord thy God, thou shalt not put the Lord thy God to the test.

A simple prophetic warning that is uttered by the Prophet Boy and subsequently by the character's daughter, one that is ambiguous at best--"Don't expect God to meet you halfway"--is twisted, as any advice can be, to suit one's emotional needs or fears.

To Christians, some things will irk. For instance, the innacurate rendering of a well-known Biblical doctrine/verse: We love Him because He first loved us. Well, here it becomes, "He loves us because we love him." A total turnaround of truth.

The Controversial Ending: To any orthodox (not as in Greek Orthodox but as in traditionally doctrinal) Christian, the ending is not controversial. Are we suprised that God both showers grace and forgives at the last minute or that he implacably judges and condemns? I think not. We know He does both.

However, God shows his grace by giving the character multiple opportunities to make a different decision. Providentially, someone she knows from her past shows up near the end. Then another character counsels her. Then another gives her an example. So many chances....Then character chooses her final fate, all the while unwilling to see where she is at fault. It's easier to just blame God.

The director/writer may have meant this to be Anti-Christian. Dunno. I didn't HAVE to take that away from it. I could choose to see it as an examination of a particular character with specific weaknesses and how it manifests in the context of Christian eschatology. The other Christians aren't shown being cruel or harsh or encouraging disastrous outcomes. Ultimately, this is about this ONE woman. One woman's choice. A very pro-choice film, actually. And the ending may cheer fans of INVICTUS, but it will make most of us feel pity.

If one wants to see it as a mental degeneration of a troubled woman, that works, too. But I don't think it works as well as accepting the ending as "real". The film's power works only if the woman's choice is a true-life scenario and not the mental figment of a lunatic.

The Rapture can lead to fruitful and interesting discussion after viewing, even for believers. I recommend it.

"The Rapture" is a film that I have treasured for many years, and yet it has failed to become well-known. I was dragging people to see this film in the theater and have introduced dozens of others to the video and DVD versions. Released in 1991, "The Rapture" is a bold and uncompromising picture--one that deserves to be recognized as a classic. Rarely will you see a film tackle the subject of religion so fearlessly, so relentlessly, and so literally. I suppose that's why some people have stayed away. Religion is not a very fashionable topic. Some people stay away for fear of being preached to, while many religious supporters get offended if the film is anything less than pious. Now, you will see many one star reviews claiming this to be Anti-Christian heresy--but I have many Christian friends who have embraced this film as an intelligent and powerful study of faith and commitment.

"The Rapture" starts out with Mimi Rogers living a life of emptiness and boredom. By day, she's a telephone operator and by night she fills her time with promiscuous sexual adventures. In a gritty and brave depiction, this is a lurid world, to be sure--but all she has to "connect" with others. Seeking more, seeking better--she enters into a decidedly spiritual world. Relinquishing her past, she embarks on a monogamous relationship with David Duchovney and attempts to fill the void in her life by spreading the word. She becomes a woman transformed by the church. When an unexpected tragedy strikes, she now has faith to console her. Her support group, led by a prophet, believe in the Second Coming. With supreme and unerring devotion, Rogers embraces a religious fervor and offers herself and her daughter up to God. Her faith borders on a mania, but she never wavers.

The challenging film never backs down from here on out. God, of course, does not respond as she might have envisioned which results in yet another tragedy. Rogers has gone from an empty vessel to a devout churchgoer to a state of dementia--and now faces her biggest challenge yet. The END OF THE WORLD is here. With horsemen, trumpets and other attendant signs of the Apocalypse--Rogers faces the ultimate decision. Will she embrace the God again who she feels has betrayed her commitment? In an ending unlike any other feature film I've ever seen, Rogers stays true to her character. This film lets no one off the hook--it's daring, audacious, and so ambitious.

Rogers has never been better. I've always felt this was her "Sophie's Choice." While perhaps not an actress with the greatest range, she really taps into something primal here. It's as brave and open as you're likely to see an actress--emotionally and physically. It should have been her Oscar nomination. But the secondary star is "The Rapture"'s screenplay. Powerful and thought-provoking, this is a rare and ultra-serious work for adults.

I don't pretend that everyone will love this movie. It definitely pushes buttons and provokes debate. But anyone who out-of-hand dismisses it, they are being unjust. I want films to challenge, move, and engage me. Far from bashing Christianity, "The Rapture" is a major work studying faith in the modern world. It may not always be a pretty picture, but it is a relevant one. An unqualified success, to me, at every level--I'm proud "The Rapture" was able to be made in an era when the least bit of controversy threatens to scuttle adult, intelligent filmmaking. KGHarris, 12/06.

Several reviewers below knock this film's low budget (undeniable) and some committed Christian believers are shocked by Tolkin's protagonist's final word on "The Rapture." BUT SEE THIS AND DECIDE FOR YOURSELF! Writer/director Tolkin does you the not insignificant favor of treating "The Rapture" as something REAL- he doesn't mock it or water down its significance. And for that you should be grateful. This is a film about IDEAS and not for those who can't think for themselves. It is, however, a film for adults, as early scenes show major characters adrift and leading abundantly "sinful" lives.

See this movie and discuss it with those you love. If you're an agnostic or atheist, it's a fascinating window into another world, with a first-class script and sterling performances. If you're a Christian, especially one who believes in "The Rapture," there's much here to both challenge and confirm your thinking. Don't look for a big Steven Spielberg ending-- the budget is too low for that. But the IDEAS found here are worth any amount of Hollywood flash.... An excellent film.

Sharon (Mimi Rogers) is a phone operator who leads a hedonistic lifestyle of swinging sex. But she's empty and tired inside. She discovers a religious sect who follow the prophecies of a child ("...and a child shall lead them...") about the rapture, the second coming of Christ and judgement day. She is hesitant at first, but after a near suicide, she crosses over and becomes "saved". She marries an old boyfriend from her past (David Duchovney) and has a little girl. When tragedy strikes and she's troubled by an apparent vision, she steadfastly believes the rapture is here and takes to the desert with her child to await God. There, her faith will be put to the ultimate test. While some may find this film arty, far-fetched or even pretentious, I found it excellent and quite unlike anything I've ever seen. Rogers is marvelous as Sharon and believable as a modern woman who has questions about faith and God. Duchovney is also good as Randy who sticks by Sharon because he loves her. The film has shocking moments to be sure but it has a dream like quality which gives the subject matter an eerie edge. There are times when it even approaches spellbinding. For those who enjoy challenging films that leave you talking about it later, this is one to watch. Even if you don't like it, you'll think about it. "The Rapture" is not a religious film nor is it preachy. It takes no stand on anything really but it does leave you wondering about faith and what heaven is. The DVD has interviews with Rogers and others involved in the film. Recommended and very watchable.

The Movie: One of the boldest and most interesting films of the early 90's, and one that deserved far more acclaim and attention than it ultimately recieved, this is a smartly written and beautifully acted film that should be seen by any cinemaphile with an open mind. And despite the whining from some, usually hardline Christian, corners, it's not anti-christian at all. What it is is simply great, imaginative and clever film making, and a superbly done character piece centered around a magnificent performance from Mimi Rogers, ably supported by the likes of David Duchovny, Will Patton and Patrick Bauchau.

I'm not going to go into it too deeply simply because it's one of those films that should be seen and experienced with as little up front knowledge as possible.

(Please note that I'm not attacking Christians or Christianity above, just a small, but, as usual, vocal closed minded minority that always gets up in arms about any film that dares tackle any such subject with any degree of honesty instead of going down the traditional biblical fawning path. People who will instantly hate a film like this just "on principle" and then proclaim to all that they should avoid "such trash". You know exactly the kind of people I'm talking about. They're a minority, they just happen to be a very vocal and closed minded one. And none of that has anything to do with their christianity as much as it has to do with their absolute closed mindedness and their fear of anything that dares stray from a certain comfortable path.)

The DVD: The good news, this film is finally on dvd, and with a pretty decent audio commetary to boot. The bad news, the movie has been badly misframed, which is something that becomes obvious in a couple of key scenes especially. I'm not sure whether this was done as a form of censorship (as the misframing of one scene does effectively nullify a sequence of any real nudity that it once had) or whether it was just a botched transfer, but it is clearly misframed regardless as I saw this film twice on it's theatrical run and the framing is different now than it was then. Plus the misframing is quite obvious anyway, and on the audio commentary you can even hear remarks about the film pertaining to parts of the print that are no longer visible due to said misframing (so clearly they were watching the film in it's proper framing).

Unfortunately this doesn't appear to be available anywhere else on dvd, so if you want the film on dvd right now this is your only option, just be aware going in, and hope for a better release somewhere down the track. Apart from the framing issue the sound and audio quality are perfectly fine, and the only other notable extra is the film's trailer.

The bottom line: A really good, bold, interesting film on a disappointing and variable quality dvd.

Mr J.

How do I review this movie? Well lets start by saying that I overall liked The Rapture, but I still don't understand the whole concept either. The Movie deals with Mimi Rogers caracter Sharon, a telephone operator by day, swinger by night. After fealing (the emptyness) in her heart Sharon begins to look for something else, in her life, and that something happens to be a new kindled love with God. And then the movie really starts to shake things up. Sharon's husband is murdered by a disgruntled employee(this scene is really hard to watch), and then she thinks God is telling her to take her child out in to the desert and wait for the second coming of Christ. The movie ends with a real negative aspect on God and the Church, that I really don't understand, or mabey I don't want to understand. Whatever the case may be, The Rapture leaves you with a sence to depression, and hurt fellings for the caracters, and your self for years to come.

Sharon suffers great confusion about her role and nature in her body/space/time matrix. After she immerses herself into body and sensate consciousness about as much as a human can, she finds despair. A message is creeping into her through dreams, and she attaches its meaning to the prophecies of a cult of sincere fundamentalists who are possessed by the idea of the Rapture. Passionate and obsessive about one thing or another as always, Sharon becomes as immersed in her interpretation of Revelation as she was about thrill-seeking. In her bottom-line desire to "lose herself" in one thing or another, she finds that she cannot lose her Self at all. At the end, she can neither accept the idea of a total, forgiving Authority any more than she can accept responsibility and forgiveness for her own misinterpretations of reality. She is left at the edge of the River Styx, unable to cross. She will not surrender her grievances, because they have become - and may have always been - the basis of her Self-Concept. She would rather cling to her judgments and grievances that be delivered.

Tolkin is an astonishing filmmaker, and THE RAPTURE has not lost any of its eerie power since I saw it in a Century City theater in 1991. What amazes me is some Christians' inability to grasp its depth or sincerity, but it is a theological rubix cube, and those who like Kirkengaard and more mystical investigations into Christianity will relish it, as it cautions against 'literalism' as much as it eviscerates 'pride'.

Is it outrageous that Mimi Rogers was not awarded some honor for her portrayal of the troubled "Can't find my limits" Sharon. Nevermind she has probably ruffled some Hollywood feathers with her personal life, but everytime I watch this film I am left speechless by her immersion into this tragic character, whose angst will move anyone that has searched the Long Night for under-standing.

Add to her bravura acting a well-cast David Duchovny, the wonderfully sybaritic Patric Buchau (spelling?), and a fine score by Thomas Newman, along with some great use of pop songs (Nico's "I'll Be Your Mirror" creeps through the wall like an Angel just as Sharon is about to kill herself in a dingy motel room!), and one has a knockout film.

Nevermind the special effects are on the low-end, what does that matter, really? This is a film about content, soul's content, so Tolkin can be forgiven his restrictions for bells and whistles. In fact, the FX are rather in keeping with Sharon's consciousness, anyway, and to have them blown up would have derailed the film's focus.

Also recommended: Tolkin's underrated comedy, "THE NEW AGE".

If you yawned you missed this one when it first came out in the movies years ago. An "R" rated look at the Christian Rapture, it scared off Christians with its rating and heathens with its topic matter, so basically had no audience.

After watching it twice now, I still don't know what to make of it. The life of sexual hedonism and its emptiness is shown, but not to a degree that you really got the feeling she would be suicidal. Her Christian conversion and subsequent life changes were interesting, and true in many respects, but with the typical hollywood portrayal of all personal Christianity -- rather shallow. It had the feel that "7th Heaven" has as a TV show showing Christianity. The people trying to show what it's like are on the outside looking in, not those who trully experience it.

The main character's turning back away from God is equally as puzzling. Things don't happen the way she expects "We'll give God one more chance", then she chooses actions that she can't forgive God for. She's in the desert several weeks, then shoots her daughter the day before the Rapture comes. Oddly, she never seems to figure out that if she waited one more day everything would have been fine, and God didn't ask her to shoot her daughter.

The Rapture scenes are cursory and not filled out, which fits the movie. It's not deep theology and isn't meant to be. The film is much more about concepts than specifics. Some of the lines will make Christians cringe because they don't match Christian thought "God loves us because we love Him", but overall for a Hollywood movie they do a good job.

I recommend the film, but I'm not sure why. You'll either like it or you won't, but for a semi shallow undertaking if does create a depth of thinking.

When I first saw The Rapture (when it first came out), I was struck by how meticulous (and amusing) the (non-denominational) portrayals of the Born Agains (or, as I prefer to call this particular stripe of same, Apocalyptic Wowsers) were, from the faux Mormon missionaries to the painful earnestness of the young daughter asking to be with God and her daddy. This movie was saying everything I had wanted to say about religious Millenialism, and saying it (I thought) loud and clear.

Sharon, the character played by Mimi Rogers, was not living a life she was happy with, so, like so many others, instead of looking within herself to see what she could do to fix it, she (however unconsciously) sought without. Naturally there are always people willing to provide a sense of safety, surety, and surface happiness, or to show you how to achieve those things. All you have to do is give up what you are, and put all your faith in something that demands everything (and everything most certainly is demanded) of you, not only your life, but your soul.

Michael Tolkin is laughing at Born Again-ism, Millenialists, and fundies of the Christian persuasion in this movie. The Rapture is a primer on getting just what you pray for - here is what will happen if this is what you truly believe. Fortunately, he is also able to show us a woman who is strong enough to resist, at the end, although it means spending her eternity caught between Heaven and Hell.

When looking for meaning or layers, or subtext, or whatever, in a movie (or any other work of art, for that matter), it always helps to put the thing in context with other works by the same person. It may be well to remember that Michael Tolkin is also responsible for The Player and The New Age.

THE RAPTURE explores a subject that few films dare explore with any effort at seriousness: religion. In movies, religion is usually made fun of or satirized. Rarely is it shown as a force that can actually make people's lives better. (Exceptions include Robert Duvall's remarkable THE APOSTLE).

In THE RAPTURE, we have Mimi Rogers (in a performance that should have gotten her some awards) as a telephone operator ("What city, please?) by day and a party-girl swinger by night. She leads a VERY hedonistic lifestyle...one that clearly leaves her empty and full of self-loathing...as it would any thinking person. During one of her trysts, she meets David Duchovny, and the two develop a closeness (despite Duchovny's horrible mullet!). Meanwhile, Rogers begins to overhear conversations at the workplace about The Rapture and other portents of the end of the world.

She is drawn to these people, because they seem to have a peace and a certainty that's missing from her life. Eventually, she is born again and even manages to bring Duchovny along with her.

Years later, her faith is put to the test, and she undergoes some severe personal loss. When the rapture does arrive (this is when God is supposed to call all the Christians to heaven just prior to the start of the end times), Rogers has some mixed feelings. I know this paragraph doesn't tell much, but if I go into details, I easily spoil the second half of the film...and it's full of interesting ethical, moral and religious dilemnas.

Here's what I like. Rogers is great. She's almost worth the price of admission on her own. She's never done anything since to approach this. Will Patton, in a small but important role, is charismatic. And as an X-Files fan, Duchovny is an added bonus.

Furthermore, as I said, the film explores...without laughing...the idea that believing in God and turning your life over to Jesus is a viable choice. That Christians do find peace in their choice and that God does perhaps answer prayers. Whether one is a Christian or not...one must also recognize that a lot of people are and that it is a lifestyle that the movies all but ignore.

However, that being said, the movie does depict all its Christians as being obsessed with prophecy about the end times, the coming apocalypse and the rapture. Yes, many Christians are concerned with this. But the vast majority of "mainstream" Christianity hesitates to try to interpret the Book of Revelations and discussions of what the end of the world will be like are avoided. Revelations is too strange. The movie would have you believe that this is pretty much the only book in the Bible that Christians read. I would have liked more balance...fewer extremes. Just as Rogers character at the beginning is extreme in her hedonism...so is she extreme in her beliefs.

But at least they aren't mocked, and I liked that. There has never really been a movie quite like THE RAPTURE before. It takes on big subjects and isn't afraid to provoke thought or debate. It has moments of pretty raw emotion. While obviously made on a VERY low budget...that helps the film seem more real, the people more mundane and down to earth.

The film is a hard R, and should not be viewed by kids...who would be exposed to sexual images they don't need early on and who would be bored to tears by the more intellectual parts later on. But for adults who are looking for something different, and who don't mind having some hard-core beliefs explored...then I highly recommend this flawed but riveting work.