Very disappointed :(

Overrated

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This film is definitely not your typical documentary where certain highlighted persons will mostly succeed in their endeavors. As a matter of fact, as it progressed it turned darker and darker eventually leading to some real shockers at the end.The movie centers on the tireless efforts of 57-year-old Pastor Jay Reinke, of the Concordia Lutheran Church, in Williston, North Dakota., as he tries to run and keep open what has become known as the Overnighters program.Thousands of people have been flocking to Williston to find jobs and the promise of extremely high wages in the then booming oil fracking business. However, many make the journey with little or no money and no place to live. Thus, Pastor Reinke organized the Overnighters program to give these people temporary sleep areas on the church floors or in their cars on church property, believing this is the Christian thing to do by helping others.He will face, though, rising opposition from neighbors, city government, the city newspaper, and even his own congregants. Eventually, we will see things begin to fall apart not only with the program, but with the people that have been chosen by the filmmakers to follow. Finally, I won't reveal it but we get a real shocker as the film nears its end, that I certainly did not see coming.In summary, this documentary, directed by Jesse Moss is, as mentioned, not your typical film of this genre, and left me at the end feeling quite unsettled and sad.

This documentary is gold. As the ending titles begin, you may feel that your world will never be the same. If you were raised and possibly scarred from your small, primarily Christian hometown, this film will especially hit home (pun intended). I watched it with my boyfriend. We were both left questioning our existence. I think they call that thought-provoking. Following are samples of my own questions. My boyfriend was left with many more questions of his own. Where is the balance between Christian love and Christian judgment? Must there be an 'us' and a 'them'? Is doing good for others in essence a selfish act? Do we recognize others' needs and fulfill them just in part to be recognized ourselves? Is the need to feel needed just the need for attention or recognition? Is it narcissistic to think we can bring positive change in others' lives? Must we realize how small we are and what our capabilities are in fulfilling others needs? When can we feel truly fulfilled in the small, local, sometimes unrecognized but integral good we do? How can we feel validated in the good we do for others without applause? To me a great film is not necessarily one that leaves me with questions. A great film is one that does not leave me for many days. This film will surely have me thinking for a very long while.

Forget for a moment that this is a documentary and see this wonderful movie. There are amazing and unforgettable characters, heart wrenching situations, plot twists and a surprise ending... Everything you could hope for in a movie, made only more poignant knowing that these aren't actors but real people. Desperation, hope, salvation and damnation are all interwoven and you won't know which will come out on top until the end. I can't remember the last time I saw a documentary that was so engaging. The film centers on Pastor Reinke, who helps the often destitute folks who find their way to his town looking for work, with a place to stay for the night and a bite to eat. We also discover his own demons and limitations. I hope people will ultimately see him in a positive light as I do, for we all fall short of perfection, but director Jesse Moss doesn't push it one way or the other. The film is timely as it forces us to confront many current issues, including the effects of the new energy boom, the lingering effects of job displacement after the great recession, xenophobia, and the ongoing need to help others. See it, you won't be disappointed. It was among my favorites at the Three Rivers Film Festival.

As I write this, I have come to the realization that the Overnighters is among the most thought-provoking and well-made documentary movies I have ever seen. It is beautifully composed and edited, but sobering and utterly devastating on nearly every level.What makes this documentary so moving is that it draws out, in very sharp relief, the eternal tension we all have as individuals and as a society between choosing love and choosing fear-- and rarely does the right choice seem so unclear as it does here.After all, it's all well and good to say "love thy neighbor" when you're talking about neighbors as abstract entities, but what happens when your Christian community is actually confronted with a strange set of outsiders who walk your streets and sleep in the town's parking lots? How do you react when they seem like scary and violent intruders, the source of crime and chaos in your formerly sleepy Northern town? Then, suddenly, the teachings of Jesus must be rendered unambiguous: are these proclamations to "do unto others" just nice-sounding but impractical platitudes, or are they words to live and act by even when (especially when?) they are difficult? We find this out when the protagonist of the documentary, a small-town pastor in a newly-booming oil town in North Dakota, bravely tries to go far beyond just 'talking the talk' with regards to living out the Bibical teachings. By providing refuge and food to those who have no other place to turn, his church floors become flooded with destitute men and women who have spent their last pennies making their way up to this otherwise desolate land in search of the rumored well-paying jobs that can save their families, salvage their broken lives, and restore their faith in America. These "overnighters" have nothing, and rely on the pastor's kindness to survive until they find the jobs they desperately seek. But they also come with their own problems-- problems that the rest of the town isn't eager to deal with.Over time, we find that this well-meaning man of God-- who is resolutely chained to the idea that he must not simply repeat the ideas of Jesus, but truly live them out-- must travel alone in his journey to do the Lord's work. And it is a path he will pay very dearly to walk.*spoiler alert* He soon finds, like Jesus himself, that all those who surround him will eventually turn on him; first his congregation, then his community, then the destitute overnighters he saves from the streets, and ultimately his own family. Once the final twists and turns make their way through the pastor's life, one wonders if God too has chosen to abandon him.