Love and faith are both powerful concepts that fuel human existence. They are what guide people through life and support them in the most challenging of times. Some might argue that love and faith are all anyone needs to achieve any feat, but which idea is stronger? What about the person who has no faith? "The Ledge," a thriller starring Charlie Hunnam ("Sons of Anarchy") and Liv Tyler, explores the battle between faith and love, making audiences question what someone should be willing to risk for either.
"The Ledge" premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, which piqued my interest because of my affinity for decent independent films. The premise has all of the elements one could expect from a typical drama about adultery, but with a slightly different angle. When a fundamentalist Christian uncovers his wife's infidelity, he decides to hold her at gunpoint until her atheist lover agrees to jump from a ledge to his death. This dilemma raises several questions. Does disbelief in the afterlife make a person less willing to sacrifice themselves for others? Is love worth more than faith?
Although I was intrigued by this conflict, I found a lot of the backstories of the characters to be contrived and tiresome. Shana, played by Tyler, is a gentle woman who was rescued from a life of drugs and prostitution by her self-righteous husband, Joe, who has an equally dark past of his own, but devotes himself to serving the Lord in order to compensate for his former life of sin. It seemed as if the creators of this film felt that they had to justify why someone might believe in God. Why is it that only people with sordid histories are portrayed as the most intense Christians? Faith doesn't always need a reason, especially one as trite as a previous life of drug addiction.
To further the string of overdone backstories, the non-believer, Gavin, played by Hunnam, also has skeletons in his closet. The creators seem to have thought that as much as a Christian has to have a reason for believing, a non-Christian should have an equally devastating justification for not believing. The pasts of the characters came off as stale -- failing to progress their personalities in any effective way. The tales of their suffering have been overworked in countless other storylines and have become essentially meaningless.
Despite the unoriginal development of the characters, the actors fill their roles fairly well. Tyler has perfected the pouting, doe-eyed look, making her perfect for the part of a wounded soul searching for love. Her big lips and soft voice make her irresistible. Hunnam is charming as the intelligent, kind-hearted Gavin, with his entrancing smirk and ability to deliver poorly written wit. Together, Hunnam and Tyler have incredible sex appeal. Patrick Wilson flawlessly transitions through Joe's personas as a seemingly friendly Christian neighbor to a stubborn bigot to a love-sick, irrational villain.
Everyone's performance was commendable, but the actor who stole the show was Terrence Howard as Hollis Lucetti, the detective who attempts to talk Gavin down from the ledge. Howard delivers a raw, emotional performance in every scene. His storyline, though minor, brings the plot back around to something hopeful, even if it is unrelated to the main issues.
This film touches upon some tender subjects that may leave some people uneasy. For instance, Christians are often portrayed as overzealous and close-minded people, a stereotype perpetuated by this film. I built up this intense negativity towards Joe so strong that it seemed right for his wife to cheat on him. Morality is always a grey area in both life and film. Is her infidelity to Joe really justifiable? Joe let his faith consume him in a highly radical way. It becomes clear as Joe unhinges that he truly is a deranged man. I was incapable of feeling sorry for him because his actions were so extreme. Faith is sometimes too powerful.
There were quite a few points in the film where I was questioning whether the director was achieving the impact that was intended. This was until I surprised myself when I suddenly burst into tears at the end. Apparently, "The Ledge" found its way into my emotions despite my expectations. There are subtle ways in which this film touched my heart. Although love and faith are two very important aspects of life, their existence might be considered mutually exclusive to some. We must all ask ourselves what we value in life and how much we're willing to risk for it.
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