As a Polish person, I'm a little bit offended

You need to calm your tits and being so *beep* sensitive. Nobody disrespected anyones culture here.

If I can't smoke and swear I'm *beep*

When I visit America I get someone always saying "put another shrimp on the barbie mate". Happens all the time. We don't even call prawns shrimp for a start. Secondly I've never had a prawn on my barbeque even once. One time I walked into Radio Shack and the guy says to me say Gidday Mate. Ok now that does get said all the time in Australia so you know it's no big deal. Another one was always that we have Kangaroos jumping down Bourke Street. Rediculous! Also the country is supposed to be full of convicts. There are these ingrained cultural stereotypes for most countries right?

Most of Australia's recent stereotypes came from Paul Hogan in the late 80's. A big part of pre 80's Australia was the ANZAC sprit. Then we got very multicultural after the end of the Vietnam war. Australia was founded with the "White Australia Policy". We were a country of European origins. There was a Dutch colony in Tasmania, a Germanic settlement in South Australia as well as British colonists other than those sent here as a prisoners from England. In the 1980's it all got stuffed up with the influx of non-whites.

It's really such that there isn't anyone who would be described as typically Australian anymore. I understand why you would take offence at this movie in terms of the language and wanting to preserve your culture. I agree with what you're saying in that area. Language is the basis of a culture and it should be preserved. One of the biggest issues with the ridiculous scourge of Political Correctness is that racialism is being misrepresented as racism.

The thing I think you're missing is that this needn't even be set in Poland. I didn't actually think it was Poland till I looked on these boards. I thought it was Latvia. I don't think this movie would give anyone who saw it the idea that Poland is in anyway like what is depicted in this movie. People are a little more worldly now days than to believe such things.

I think you're being a tad culturally sensitive about this film. As someone has said about movies like Wrong Turn. As much as I'm sure there are some hardcore redneck bastards running amok in the woods, possibly slightly inbred, I don't think they're going to be mutants nor cannibals.

It's a movie for entertainment purposes. If it makes it easier for you just imagine this is some place in outback Australia. I won't take offense at that, and nor should you over this.

---
Scientologists love Narnia, there's plenty of closet space.

Everybody Just calm down for a minute....Breathe. I am not usually the type to step into the middle of a mudslinging fight. And, even though my points may be "Moot," considering the age of this thread and the sad fact that not enough people have seen and/or commented on this film, I just HAD to put my two cents in.

My Partner and I watched "The Shrine" (for the second time this year) last night. He is Second Generation full Polish. His parents got off a boat with no old fashioned ideas except maybe where pottery and recipes are concerned. But who isn't, really? He doesn't know the language very well, but he does know how the Polish people live. And he was NOT offended by this movie. In fact, he quite likes it, being that we are both Horror Movie aficionados. And we don't take things like films so seriously. They are fiction. They are not (a very different animal) Documentaries, nor are they to be taken as anti-"Any Countries' People" propaganda.

I am in no way trying to pick a side in this debate. I just wish you could be a little less tenacious, not to mention closed-minded, in your arguments. And this thread has some deleted responses... Wonder what THEY had to say? It probably got even nastier. So let me pluck out one idea that is getting batted around here: The American side has suggested that there may be an Amish/Quaker/Un-Modern Society somewhere in small town Europe. I guess, being that they do specify Poland as the country of destination in this film, one would have to admit that this would be the country with the supposed Society. The Poland side has confirmed that there are no such Communities. This assumes that the "Polish side" has seen all of Poland. And, that even if there are any out-in-the-middle-of-nowhere small towns, none of them are as the one depicted in this movie. My only comment on this is: Poland is a relatively large Country. It's impossible to believe that all of it's lands are metropolitan. So even if there are only a few scattered small communities, isn't there a chance that one or two of them might be living a "simpler life?"

One more thing. It is never implied, in the film, that the people of this town worship the Devil. It is implied that they are Christian/Catholic. In fact they search out those that are possessed and perform a ritual (a really violent form of exorcism) to remove the Demon from the body. It is explained at the very end of the film, albiet very abrubtly, that the Statue in the woods is what possess those who see it. It was put there as a "Curse" on the town. We are never told why they have been cursed. So I guess all sorts of conclusions could be drawn from that. But I feel right about how the town has chosen to deal with it, and that there are those who Protect the community in the only way that they know works.

So.... It's only a movie Folks! Or we could all be here until the end of time picking apart what, more popular, movies May be impling about us!

"Reality is only what we TELL each other it is." John Carpenter's "In The Mouth of Madness."

LMAO...You are calling the previous poster ignorant and you didnt even understand the damn movie. You thought the villagers/priests were worshipping the devil. Wow, just wow.