Sebastian’s Voodoo

I rarely watch a film (especially online) that both chills me and moves me at my core as much as this one (video and link at the bottom of the post). This short film by Joaquin Baldwin is about a voodoo doll that sacrifices itself for the sake of the other dolls in the basement. I don’t think this video in any way was intended to be Christian.  In fact, even from the title and the dark sadistic tone it’s pretty obviously not your typical Vegetales CGI film. Despite all this it portrays a reality of Christ’s sacrifice and defeat of Satan (and sin) in a way better than most Christian portrayals I’ve seen. Makes you wonder why it seems like people who don’t even try to talk about Jesus in their films seem to do it better than those who actually try.

There are definitely many holes in how the film parallels the actual death of Jesus (for one Jesus didn’t kill Himself). So just get past that. What it does marvelously though is paint the absolute bleak and ugly reality of the evil that ensnares and ultimately kills us. It is a dark, sadistic, absolutely scary type of evil. It is an evil that is just set out to torture and destroy us.  One that just sees us, the image bearers of God, as faceless dolls to abuse, to use, to defile, to kill. One that just leaves us with no hope, hanging on a sharp hook waiting for our disgraceful end. This is the true face of evil in this world.  It is oppressive, deceitful, and ugly.  It is absolutely terrifying and chilling.

But that’s what’s so amazing about the film’s depiction. It paints evil in such a real way.  In a way that at least to me seems to reflect the ridiculous amount of crap that actually goes on in this world outside our white picket fences.  The kind of crap I see when I look on the streets of sunny La Jolla Village Drive and see homeless after homeless begging for a meal to eat.  The crap I hear about from students who have been raped and abused or called stupid and worthless all their lives by their parents. The crap I see when I turn on the news to see stories of rape, extortion, and little girls stuffed into suit cases.  That is evil.  That is Satan. That is the great deceiver at work.  The one that seeks to destroy us.  

And it is in the midsts of all that that Christ came to defeat evil through His sacrifice.  And this wasn’t no Precious Moments hanging on the cross with a loin clothe type of story.  It was one full of pain and reluctance. This film portrays it well.  I literally shivered as I watched the little doll painstakingly stick each needle into his hand, into his thigh…  I almost couldn’t watch. I almost had to turn my head as I knew what was coming next. As the needle met his heart and I felt a mixed feeling of absolute horror but victory. Of death but beauty. Of pain but freedom. But isn’t this the true reality of the cross. A cross that if we really understood it would be hard to look at. Hard to grasp and fully take in. A cross of paradoxes. One of death, but also of life.

And so, likewise Christ took the ultimate pain upon Himself to destory the grip of evil and free us from its grips. Man… this is why I follow Jesus, because He is our victory over evil.

Enjoy this film. If you have the internet speed, I would recommend turning on the HD quality and making it full screen. Aside from having a powerful message it’s a really well made CGI film.