Broken: Path to Redemption

Louis Zamperini imprisoned

“Broken: Path to Redemption”

A Review of Unbroken: Path to Redemption by Nick Olszyk

MPAA Rating, PG-13

USCCB Rating, Unrated at the time of this review

Reel Rating, Four Reels            

            Unbroken: Path to Redemption is a direct sequel to Louis Zamperini’s heroic journey for surival in 2014’s Unbroken (although this film has a different cast, crew, and even production company). That film demonstrated a man who was absolutely “unbroken” despite a plane crash, forty-seven days at sea in a raft, and years of torture in a Japanese POW camp. Having survived all that, this film covers a still more difficult chapter as Zamperini battles alcoholism, PTSD, nightmares, self-loathing, and intense spiritual anger – leaving him decidedly not unbroken. Willpower cannot save him now, but something else – or rather someone else – can.

            In the beginning, Zamperini (Samuel Hunt) is treated as a hero and after a brief visit home goes touring throughout the country giving stump speeches for military bonds. He meets the dashing Cynthia (Merritt Patterson) on a beach and is soon married with a baby girl. As a former Olympic athlete, he is good at hiding his secret problems – recurring nightmares, alcohol binges, and incredible self-hatred. The film also alludes to – but never directly demonstrates – the horrific torture he endured daily from an infamous Japanese guard known as “the Bird,” a man who would admit decades later that he derived sexual pleasure from inflicting pain on his prisoners. Slowly these waves mount into a formidable tsunami that threatens everything he loves. Zamperini can’t keep a job, hangs out with bad company, hits his wife, and soon finds it hard to interpret reality. Initially, Cynthia contemplates leaving him but comes home one day with a joy never before seen. “I love you,” she says, “and I will fight for you.” She found Jesus at one of Billy Graham’s early 50s tent revivals and encourages her husband to come. Having hit rock bottom and then some, what has he got to lose?

            Central to the film is its portrayal of Zamperini’s mental illness, and it’s here that Unbroken shines. Rather than CGI monsters or bizarre camera angles, director Harold Cronk (God’s Not Dead) uses practical effects and clever juxtapositions to recreate his hopelessness at sea or his helplessness at the end of the Bird’s stick. Like most men of his town, he is hesitant to seek professional help, insisting that he just needs a job. He is hates God and blames Him for His suffering, despite his survival.

            Less compelling is Zamperini’s moment of redemption. During his first revival meeting, he meets Billy Graham who insists he stay when Zamperini tries to leave quietly during prayer. After the prayer is finished, he falls on His knees and gives his life to God, finally fulfilling a forgotten promise he made on the raft so many years ago. The credits tell the audience he never drank again and started a camp for wayward youth. It’s a powerful moment and probably true but will ring hollow with many devout Christians who continue to experience mental and emotional illness long after their conversion. Some critics will go the opposite direction, suggesting that psychiatry is the real hero and religion does little to help troubled minds. They forget that the most famous and successful support group of all time – Alcoholics Anonymous – was founded with a strong religious base. The film also briefly discusses forgiveness, but this and Zamperini’s conversion take up precious little screen compared to hours and hours of watching his life slowly fall apart.

            The greatest struggles in life are not external but internal. Surviving is hard, but living is even harder. Unbroken gives its audience permission to acknowledge these facts and find hope in a God who broke Himself so that we could be mended. Independent of cinema craftmanship, that is reason enough to see it, but fortunately, it’s a great movie too.