Sky Yang channels the evangelical-minded intensity of John Allen Chau, a young American who risked his life to bring Christianity to North Sentinel Island β but to what end? By Peter Debruge. Chief Film Critic. What was Chau doing halfway around the globe, trying to convert a tribe that had nearly zero contact with the outside world?
Popular on Variety. As he looks down for a moment, DP Oliver Bokelberg observes him from the shore, oblivious and exposed to the impending spear attack. What else could John have expected though Lin speculates as to the gesture that triggered it? Yang, who plays John over the span of four years, undergoes both a mental and physical transformation over the course of the film. His earliest scene takes place at Oral Roberts University, where John is a skinny, clean-shaven senior wrestling with his future β his immigrant dad Ken Leung wants him to attend medical school.
But John has other plans. Instead of fingering someone outright, the film invents a slightly older and questionably intentioned role model named Chandler Toby Wallace , whom John meets while doing mission work in Kurdistan. Working with a fraction of his usual resources, Lin delivers a film that has a slightly amateurish feel at times. Home Film Reviews. Jan 28, pm PT. By Peter Debruge Plus Icon. Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic askdebruge.
See All. Related Stories. Jump to Comments. In Sundance Film Festival Premieres. Running time: MIN. Executive producers: Guja Quaranta, Ernesto M.
Crew: Director: Justin Lin. Camera: Oliver Bokelberg. Editor: Dylan Highsmith. More From Our Brands. Expand the sub menu Film. Expand the sub menu TV. Expand the sub menu What To Watch. Expand the sub menu Music. Expand the sub menu Docs. Expand the sub menu Tech. Expand the sub menu Global. Expand the sub menu Awards Circuit. Expand the sub menu Video. Expand the sub menu What to Hear.
