What’s the Right Way to Tell the Story of a Killed Missionary?

Although Justin Lin is best known now for his work on the Fast & Furious (he’s directed five of the franchise’s 10 entries), he got his breakthrough in independent filmmaking with his 2002 crime drama Better Luck Tomorrow, about Asian-American teenagers in Orange County, Calif. Outside of the Fast franchise, the films Lin has directed and produced often focus on Asian and Asian American identity, exploring topics including generational divides and the pressure to achieve.

Those themes are also present in Lin’s latest film, Last Days, which marks his return to independent filmmaking. Last Days, in theaters now, is a drama about the life of John Allen Chau, the young missionary who was determined to make contact with the Sentinelese, an indigenous tribe living on a government-protected island off the coast of India, and one of the last uncontacted indigenous communities. Chau was killed by the Sentinelese shortly after his first encounter with them, leaving behind a story that generated ongoing conversations and debates about the ethics of international missions work. Chau’s story was also the subject of the 2023 documentary The Mission.