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The Last Sin Eater

Play trailer Poster for The Last Sin Eater PG-13 Released Feb 9, 2007 1h 58m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
22% Tomatometer 36 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Cadi (Liana Liberato), a 10-year-old girl in 1850s Appalachia, feels tremendous guilt over the death of her sister, and apparently her family blames her too. While visiting the grave of her beloved grandmother, Cadi sees a "sin eater," a person who can absolve sins. Though Cadi yearns for forgiveness, she realizes that the "sin eater" is false; instead she finds what she is looking for through Christianity.
The Last Sin Eater

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Critics Consensus

This earnest Christian parable is undone by its pompous dialogue and cheap FX.

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Critics Reviews

View All (36) Critics Reviews
Frank Scheck Hollywood Reporter Squanders its good intentions with its numbingly bloated 140-minute running time. Feb 15, 2007 Full Review Stephen Garrett Time Out Unfortunately for God-fearing youths in desperate need of counseling on the horrors of sin-eating, [Cadi's] spiritual awakening will likely put audiences to sleep. Rated: 1/6 Feb 10, 2007 Full Review Jeff Shannon Seattle Times The Last Sin Eater is close to nature and boasts many of the elements we expect from solid family entertainment, albeit with tragic overtones that keep the story grounded in a rich emotional context. Rated: 3/4 Feb 9, 2007 Full Review Micheal Compton Bowling Green Daily News This adaptation of a Francise Rivers' novel feels a little heavy-handed at times, but works, largely do to an outstanding performance by 11-year-old Liana Liberato. Rated: B- Nov 21, 2019 Full Review Pam Grady Reel.com Defects in the story are bad enough, but other issues truly doom The Last Sin Eater. Rated: 2/4 Mar 3, 2007 Full Review James Kendrick Q Network Film Desk The story has enough mystery and drama to keep the attention of any audience. Rated: 2.5/5 Feb 25, 2007 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member It's a Hallmark channel movie, unfortunately. Liberato and the older tenured leads deserved a very different screenplay and director to convey the murky albeit fascinating story about a child unintentionally discovering Christianity. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/20/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie should be as well known as The Titanic, The Godfather, or The Sound of Music. The story is masterfully told, effortlessly weaving together so many themes: The thrill of an enticing mystery, the agony of a loathsome outcast, the pain of a heartbroken child, the longing of forbidden love, the horror of ruthless murder, the helplessness of a caring father, the evil of dark rituals, the empathy of a noble stranger, the yearning of hearts for truth, the weight of sin, the hollowness of human religion, the rage of guilty men, the unspeakable joy of forgiveness, the tension of a stand-off, the satisfaction of justice served, the refreshment of redemption, the hopelessness of humankind, and the hope of Someone to save them. The music is beautiful, and timed well with the action. The plot is sure of itself, demanding your attention because every scene matters. The effects are poor, but easy to overlook when your focus is the story. The spiritual message is spoken clearly and naturally, yet manages to not be overbearing or patronizing. The acting is engrossing, and the lines feel natural, unlike many films of this sort, where the actors often sound stiff and forced. When the last scene fades to credits you are left feeling such satisfaction that you can taste it, and you wonder how it is that you have never before heard of The Last Sin Eater. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved this movie! Even though the harsh violence in the movie were edited out to make it less emotional than it could have been, I enjoyed it as a true family friendly movie. The story was interesting with mystery and a few twists. I love seeing the Welsh Celtic/Briton culture in the Appalachians. I felt emotion and got lost in the story. I highly recommend it! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member Terrible movie. Completely geared towards the greatest possible emotional impact via diverse dei ex machina (motiveless appearance of an angel; preacher that spends the whole blessed day by bathing in the river and preaching to the trees; suddenly American Indian Genocide as backstory; the mother's hating her daughter turns out to be only a misunderstanding ...). Characters aren't psychologically believable at all. Sledgehammer approach to deliver its message. Plus, the trailer already gives away the most important twist. Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member My Rating: 4.5/5 stars; Grade: A-; Gesture: Two Thumbs Up; Status: Significantly Terrific (Fresh); Emoticon: :-D. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Audience Member Between the terrible production quality and the even more terrible score, I just could not sit through this. It went nowhere in the time I spent trying to watch it, and I just did not care how it ended. Don't waste your time. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/16/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Last Sin Eater

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis Cadi (Liana Liberato), a 10-year-old girl in 1850s Appalachia, feels tremendous guilt over the death of her sister, and apparently her family blames her too. While visiting the grave of her beloved grandmother, Cadi sees a "sin eater," a person who can absolve sins. Though Cadi yearns for forgiveness, she realizes that the "sin eater" is false; instead she finds what she is looking for through Christianity.
Director
Michael Landon Jr.
Producer
Brian Bird, Robert Gros, Michael Landon Jr.
Screenwriter
Brian Bird
Distributor
The Bigger Picture
Production Co
Believe Pictures
Rating
PG-13 (Thematic Elements|Intense Sequences of Violence)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 9, 2007, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 10, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA)
$379.6K
Runtime
1h 58m