[photopress:errandofangels.jpeg,full,alignleft]The earliest and best LDS films of the recent era have had one thing in common: a missionary theme. Elders with black name tags are all over LDS film: drama and comedy.

So where are the sisters? They may have made a few cameos, but it wasn’t until Errand of Angels that we have had a film dedicated to sisters missionaries.

How did the sisters fare? Read more for our review of this new movie.

There have been a lot of missionary films – some great and some terrible. Christian Vuissa wrote and directed the only effort to take a real look at the sister side of missionary work. The gimmick-free film is conspicuously lacking Elder-potty humor and dramatic ‘God’s Army’ action.

In place of this, the film lays out its well-crafted story with convincing (and endearing) characters, a genuine and realistic story and fine filmmaking. The Best 2 Years was probably the last time I saw a film that portrayed the ups and downs as realistically as Errand of Angels.

The movie follows a sister missionary as she adjusts to the realities of missionary work: companions, investigators, transfers and and personal testimony. The story is a lot like a mission: a journey that at times seems slow, at other times fast and at the end you have a marvelous new understanding of what it means to be a missionary.

The journey takes us past personality conflicts, personal growth, hard work and sometimes serendipitous fruits of missionary labor. One great lesson portrayed in the film is that missionary styles vary according to talent and inspiration. There are also powerful illustration of the difficulty and frustration of the work.

The sister element provides a whole new side of missionary culture to explore, which brings in some fun. The Austrian scenery is beautiful. So are the personalities. You won’t see many familiar faces, but the performances are good. And the story does start gradually but is peppered with enough of the unexpected to keep it interesting.

Errand of Angels is one of the easiest LDS film recommendations I’ve been able to make in a long time. It is also one of the best films in portraying the spirit of missionary work. The movie will entertain youth and adult alike. Though it is shy on men, there’s nothing keeping men from enjoying it. Youth under 12 might find it slow and uninteresting.
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Errand of Angels opens in theaters throughout UTah and Idaho August 22nd.