The Shack is a film based on the story of Mack Phillips, a caring father who takes his children on a camping trip one weekend and ends up missing his youngest daughter while recuing his other two children from drowning in a lake nearby. This tragic family even turns into something mysterious when Mack goes outside to get his mail and finds a letter telling him to travel back to the crime scene of his deceased daughter; A shack. Mack questions his religious identity after losing his daughter and finds himself in what seems to be a fairytale. After returning to the shack he comes face to face with the holy trinity who redirects his anger and changes his entire perspective to one of forgiveness and faith in God. In a major plot twist at the end of the film we understand that Mack was hit in a car crash and was in critical condition throughout the duration of his experience, in which it can be inferred that his spirit and not his physical being attended this journey.

This film was hard to watch in the beginning as it is every parent’s worst nightmare, however the plot was extremely intricate and well thought out to describe how one recovers from traumatic experiences through the help of God’s spirit and guidance. Even for atheists this film is a great account as to how we must look at life and it’s challenges in general, and reevaluate our own perspectives I would give this movie a 5/5 as it was highly underrated and under marketed though had a great plot and overall message.