La Mission by Roland Joffé perfectly demonstrates the powerful, far-reaching and, frankly, life-changing effects that cultural interaction between different cultures can have. Set in the mid-18th century in the Amazon rainforest, the film primarily focuses on Father Gabriel, a Jesuit missionary played by Jeremy Irons, as he establishes a Christian mission with the aim of converting the indigenous Guarani people, then he organizes resistance. efforts to oppose the closure of the mission. In critical moments of the film, the positive effect of cultural interaction is evident, as the Guarani way of life is greatly improved through the knowledge and technology that Father Gabriel, Mendoza, and the rest of the mission introduce to the Guarani, while in other scenes the obvious downsides of cultural interaction are violently and brutally exposed as Portuguese settlers destroy the mission and enslave the Guarani. Father Gabriel's first meeting with the Guarani ends with his music conquering the Guarani with its purity and perfection. At first the Guarani are hesitant to surround him, but Father Gabriel does not run for safety or plead for his life, he simply continues to play his oboe while the stunned natives listen. No words are spoken and no violence occurs, but the Guarani are intrigued by Father Gabriel, allowing him to live and he gradually gains their trust. Over time, Father Gabriel's mission served as a place of refuge and learning for the Guarani. Father Gabriel and his priests, including Mendoza and others, taught the Guarani how to carve and play the flute, violin, and other instruments, as well as how to sing with vigor and passion. In various scenes the mission choir can be heard...... middle of paper ...... Relations between the Portuguese governments, the Guarani and the Jesuits are strained. During the land exchange, the Spanish minister concluded that the mission must be closed – by force if necessary. All the Jesuit missionaries and many Guarani warriors were wounded and/or killed in the impending battle. The sequence in which the Portuguese settlers burn the mission – in the name of bloodlust – expresses a cultural interaction – between cultures that disagree – has its negative, but also positive aspects. Even if the true heroes of the film are killed, Father Gabriel's convictions live on among the Guarani whose lives he touched. The final lines of the film, spoken by the Vatican emissary, reflect this point well: “But in truth, it is I who died, and they who live. For as always, Your Holiness, the spirit of the dead will live on in the memory of the living..”