To all the liberal minded Brits who go about their day with nothing more than a rather infrequent “be a winner not a sinner” from a Christian with a megaphone outside Oxford St Tube, a story like the one told in the movie The Ledge might seem a little over dramatic. However the idea of “coming out as an atheist” to your family is downright scary to some and focusing your movie on the topic of free-thinking is a brave move for both actors and producers alike.
According to a recent gallup 2011 poll America is still a very religious society with over 92% saying “yes” to the question “Do you believe in God?”. It’s a regular topic of conversation on main stream news channels and has caused outrage even when used as a topic for jokes in mainstream entertainment.
Many stories have emerged of atheists being persecuted, mostly by the Evangelical groups inside institutions such as the Armed Forces, but there also instances where non-believers have received even harsher treatment when using legal methods to oppose religious practices, such as the case of Damon Fowler and Ellen Beth Wachs.
So the release of the film The Ledge will at least be a controversial one in the US – it’s being heralded as the “Brokeback Mountain” for American atheists and could cause a wave of renewed interest in the movement.
The story focuses on the lives of two people from opposing ends of the spectrum, who become enrolled in a lethal game that neither God nor the police can stop. It stars Charlie Hunnam from Sons of Anarchy, Patrick Wilson, Liv Tyler and Terrence Howard.
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Wow – it’s THAT Charlie Hunnam!
Sounds great, I personally have no belief in god, rather science. Each to their own, no one should be subject to suffering due to their beliefs just as they shouldn’t their sexuality. Time America stopped preaching!
Looks like a good film. Will be an interesting topic to tackle on screen, specially in America. I believe in God, Science, life, spirit, all things real. I agree no one should be subject to suffering on behalf of their beliefs. If those persecuting say they are religious, yet practice hatred, prejudice and evil. How can they say with all their heart, that they have faith ?
Not sure if I’ve missed something Derren, but that film just looks like standard Hollywood fare about a married woman having an affair with a classic serial killer movie twist that if he doesn’t kill himself, she will die.
Seems she is more interested in his pecs than his lack of faith?
Or will the full movie expand on this and show how atheism leads married women into temptation the world over!
COI Lifelong atheist!
If those persecuting say they are religious, yet practice hatred, prejudice and evil. How can they say with all their heart, that they have faith ?
Because that has consistently been the track record of ‘faith’ throughout the ages?
It looks awful.
This sounds really interesting. My husband and I lived in the US for a couple of years, in fairly liberal Chicago and I was amazed by the number of people who asked us about our religion and were genuinely stunned when we said we were atheists. One woman we were chatting to in a bar and had been getting on really well with said to me “so you don’t believe in God AT ALL?”, then when I replied that no, I didn’t, turned her back on us and refused to talk to us any more. Her husband was a little embarrassed by the whole thing I think and carried on chatting a little, but many people did change towards us upon discovering we were godless heathens and happy to be so.
Seems to be great movie, I wonder if it will get the buzz that it needs to be published here in Israel, as we don`t get most movies at time (sometimes after years).
Also, because mostly Jewish/Moslem’s around here, how will they accept Christianity movie.
Great another artless content-free commercial film with an over used plot line. This time the sale comes with lovely packaging to excite blossoming atheist/ agnostic/ skeptic communities, ribbons that taunt the already enormous Christian communities into investigating its contents, and a beautiful bow of hot(ish)/ dangerous sex scenes involving at least one famous person in order to clinch the deal and make the sale to everyone else.
Re. Ribbons: Trolling still has an amazing ability to turn a profit from hardliners. How many copies of the video will be sold to book/ disk burning sheep? It’s no different from the droves of, many close friends, Atheists who scrambled to Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed opening night or the skeptics who paid full price for 2012 – dumping tons of $ € ££ in
LIv Tyler or Dave Grohl?
“Do you believe in God?”.
Irrelevant. The question is, does god believe in me?
“The story focuses on the lives of two people from opposing ends of the spectrum, who become enrolled in a lethal game that neither God nor the police can stop.”
Then maybe I can.
This sounds like my kind of film!
@Andrew
“I believe in God, Science, life, spirit, all things real.”
Are you including “god” and “spirit” amongst “all things real”? If you are then I’m afraid I have some bad news for you…
Christian and US citizen here. Not much of a critic, but thought The Ledge was a damn good movie. Sue me. Not sure if I was supposed to dislike it or what. Wow, what a revelation: an atheist can be a (mostly) good person, though flawed (I’m not referring to his atheism), and a believer can be a (mostly) f-up of a person, though not entirely unsympathetic. Didn’t need a movie to point out to me that people are complicated.
There are plenty of atheists I admire (Derren being one), and believers I either do or would hate to be around. I think most people here would like the movie, believers included. Might get some fundie group raising a stink, but they don’t speak for all of us. The film, didn’t “unconvert” me, but made me ponder anew things I’ve pondered before. Peace.
Hello Derren,
Gosh, that bloke saying ‘be a winner not a sinner’ really does have spiritual / mental health issues. He told me I wasn’t a Christian (I became a Christian when I was nearly 20) as I wasn’t going around 24 / 7 telling people the good news. Of course, he doesn’t actually go to a church either. He’s his own pope, priest and prophet.
I read about that that army atheist. Glad you’ve highlighted such wrong behaviour. Perhaps also you could highlight the rather more general persecution of Christians around the world from muslims, communists, hindus, and atheists? It really is almost unbelievable that this sort of stuff isn’t reported more:
http://www... opendoorsuk.org releaseinternational.org amnesty.org.uk csw.org.uk barnabasfund.org.uk
Regards,
Allan, Bristol