Some time ago, I passed on information about a new feature film called The Ledge (2011) that had an atheist character as the lead. The film was written and directed by Matthew Chapman, who happens to be the great-great-grandson of Charles Darwin. I finally had a chance to see it over the weekend and I have to confess that it was a big disappointment. Even though I wanted to like it, the film has so many flaws that I simply cannot recommend it anyone.
The story begins with a person standing on the ledge of a high building and threatening to jump, and consists of flashbacks as he and the police officer assigned to talk him down exchange their personal histories.
The main problem is that it is overwritten. The script is too preachy and tries to hit too many obvious points in the religion/atheism debate. It is not subtle. Furthermore, the story is highly implausible and three of the main lead characters (the atheist, the Christian, and the Christian’s wife) are unsympathetic and their portrayals (by Charlie Hunnam, Patrick Wilson, and Liv Tyler respectively) are leaden.
The one redeeming feature in the film is Terrence Howard as the police officer who tries to talk the atheist off the ledge. He has more acting skills than the other lead actors combined and the subplot involving his character was more interesting than the main story.
I think that the best way to deal with religion in films is with humor. Religious beliefs are so preposterous and the history of religions so bizarre that it makes for ripe pickings for comedians. Monty Python’s Life of Brian and Ricky Gervais’s The Invention of Lying are good examples of how to do it.
Maybe a serious film that deals with atheism well will come along someday.