Alone Yet Not Alone (2013)

From my favorite movies..

An absolute waste of money

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Just read the title. Liberals almost lost their head when they saw movie was nominated for Oscar

I really wanted to like this movie. I really did. The premise is extremely interesting and the fact that it's based on a true story made it even more of a harrowing tale. My husband and I stumbled upon this movie while channel surfing overseas (go figure!). We had never even heard of this movie, but decided to give it a chance since it was an American-made film. While all of the actors are extremely attractive, the majority of them cannot act. Additionally, the portrayal of the natives is poor at best and racist at worst. I don't think the costume/design team did any research into what the natives in that particular area actually wore. When the main character, Barbara, (played by Kelly Greyson) is kidnapped and shown years later living among the natives, she's wearing a jean jacket and has a feather in her hair. Can you get any more generic?! Not to mention, all of the captives are forced to dye their blonde hair black? Really? It seems unlikely that this act actually took place back then. Additionally, the actors who portray the natives are speaking in somewhat broken English with perfect American accents. It's comical at times and annoying during other parts of the movie. I wish they could have effectively incorporated the natives' language rather than speaking in English. SPOILER ALERT AHEAD: The native who is in love with Barbara, named Galasko, is axed down by his rage-prone brother quite randomly. I understand that the brother has anger issues throughout the movie, but the plot fails to set up an arc of tension between himself and his brother effectively, or even develop the characters enough to warrant this random act of violence. In fact, this is a problem throughout the whole movie. The characterization and plot development are totally lacking. For example, when Galasko expresses his desire to marry Barbara, she is quite content. Literally one scene later, she realizes she cannot marry him because of her Christian faith (and the fact that her father's scalp hangs above Galasko's tent/home). You'd think that the Stockholm syndrome arc would be played out a little longer than one scene, but it's not. Another thing that bothered me, which bothers me about most Christian films, is how forcefully the topic of Jesus is introduced. I am a Christian and agree that we need more religious films out there. However, if the films are poorly made, then what's the point in making them? For example, in this film, Barbara has a discussion with Galasko about Jesus. The scene is so forced and cheesy, it's quite painful. Overall, this could have been a harrowing story about faith, love of family, and never giving up hope. Instead, it's a movie you watch to have some laughs.

First the good news. The sets and scenery are absolutely top notch. Much of it was shot outdoors in woodland areas, caves, waterfalls, etc. The exteriors and interiors of the cabins, fort etc. are quite realistic. It seems to be very authentic.The story was excellent. It was fascinating and based on real events involving real people. I found it interesting and compelling from start to finish. The music was great.Now for the not so good news. Unfortunately the acting was somewhat spotty. A few actors did a decent enough job however many, too many, appeared to be amateurs on their first job. The lead actress is, in my opinion, just way too beautiful.

I watched this film solely for the reason that it was nominated for an academy award and I had never heard of it. What this movie turned out to be was a racist ultra conservative fever dream of this time period only the acting was on par with a middle school play with about one day of preparation. I later learned that the reason that it was nominated was due to corruption in the voting process but I only hope to warn people that started with the same idea that I had, do not watch this movie it's not even laughably bad it's just painful. Also the original song isn't even that good compared to what it beat out, it's just a hymn