Foolhardy youthful obsession mixed with evangelical fervor leads to a tragedy—and international headlines—in “The Mission.” The new documentary from filmmakers Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss (the Emmy-winning “Boys State,” “The Overnighters”) goes deep into the story of American missionary John Chau, who was felled by arrows and died on a beach in remote North Sentinel Island in 2018. He was attempting to spread the Gospel to the protected indigenous population, long isolated from the rest of the world.

At once compassionate and profoundly critical, the film explores the Christian mythology that captured Chau’s spirit, and the evangelical community that urged him on, assembling a revelatory archive of home videos, diaries and interviews with friends and family. “The Mission” is a powerful and moving story of faith, idealism and misadventure.