brlfrndz

I've come close a few times: "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Weatherman" are two that I can think of right off the bat that have at least made my eyes well up; but this one...

I legitimately busted out crying in the last few minutes of the film, finding myself overwhelmed with emotion.

If you don't know the story of Paul, it's one of redemption. Of all people to be converted to Christianity, he was perhaps the least likely candidate being that he persecuted the early Church or Christ.

This film isn't a comprehensive study on Paul, but rather the final moments of his life, and the impact that it had on the Church.

Early on in the film, we're shown Paul taken to prison awaiting his execution, and that's where the main focus of the film is. To cover Paul's entire life in the Church would require a massive budget, so it's hard to complain about a film not doing that when the reality is it cost money to make movies, but I digress.

The most amazing things might be what Paul did for Jesus Christ, but the most powerful is his conversion and how he had to fight spiritually in even his last days. We see him revisit his past in flashback sequences that are probably the best interpretation of these events I have ever seen on film. It's beautifully filmed, and tragically dark; but despite the darkness, there is salvation for Paul, and that's what's so touching about the film: salvation is available for everyone, and despite all that Paul had done in his past, he ended up serving God faithfully, right up to his death.

The subplots revolve around a Roman soldier and his sick daughter, as well as the opposition the Church faced, and Luke also finding his place within all of this. The film doesn't shy away from the harsh violence that was inflicted on early Believers either, which makes for simultaneously enlightening and difficult viewing. Much of the film's impact hinges on the final moments, and that's where the emotional punches land; it opts to build up to the ending, even though there are powerful moments before that, some of which are truly unforgettable.

This film is less of a movie in the traditional sense and far more of an experience, as its pacing is slow and methodical but never dull. By the end, I cried harder than I ever had in any movie. I highly recommend this film. It's a film about a very dangerous time in history, and a reminder of the persecution that still happens today, in which many Christians are slaughtered for what they believe.

Watch it!

The Book of Hosea is one of the most compelling books of the Bible for a number of reasons, one of which is because it's a love story, so it's bound to resonate with everyone on some level. So for this film, a camping trip is used to contextualize the story.

It begins with a few young Christians taken to the wilderness for a weekend by none other than Sean Astin, a great casting choice. The core group gets along well enough, but one character is outed because she's different on the surface. With that said, the characters aren't the selling point, but I think they do good enough of a job that they don't weigh down the meat of the story, which is the story of Hosea.

In it, we get an interesting depiction of Hosea, the trials he endured with his wife Gomer, and the relation it had to God and Israel (or His people in general.) We're taken through the story while the characters react to it in a way that I believe teens actually would. They don't agree with God's ways at first, but once they understand the depths of love He has for us, it seems to make more sense. Willingness to sacrifice. The acting and sets in the ancient scenes are also quite good.

The camping trip may seem to be the weaker element at first, but the characters grow on you because they experience their own changes and growth; but as for the depiction of Hosea and his life, those scenes are engaging and compelling. Additionally, the youth scenes contrast the more serious parts for the sake of pacing and variety, as well as relatability.

Overall, it's pretty good. Not perfect, but the message was what mattered because Hosea's story is touching and poignant.

I'm alarmed by the amount of negative reviews this film has received. It doesn't deserve as much hate as it's received, and I'll explain why.

For starters, this film does NOT serve as an exploitative take on the Columbine shooting. In fact, that's really only a small portion of the content of the film. Ultimately, it's not so much about the quality of the film but the purpose and intention, especially considering one like this. There are plenty of films that are expertly crafted and yet reprehensible in their messages, but would be lauded for the former and even the latter.

For starters, this is a very well-made film, near superb. The cinematography, camerawork, editing, and lighting are all good, sometimes terrific, with very powerful images and striking shots. The scene with Rachel walking the edge of the building is hauntingly well-executed. Accompanied by the depth that she is given as a person, it's top-notch.

This was a young girl as conflicted and flawed as any one of us, despite her faith. She isn't depicted as a total saint or a complete do-gooder, but rather as someone who chose to do good, despite having many instances in which she was rebellious, even making wrong decisions in her walk and still feeling empty when everything seemed to be going good. The depiction of Rachel dealing with her emotions is so raw and believable that there's no way this could be seen as exploitive. She was seeking a more intimate relationship with Christ and struggled to see Him, but she never gave up. The performance given by Masey McLain is OUTSTANDING! Not only does she look like her, but she sounds like her. Rachel Joy Scott may have been a Believer in Christ, but that didn't mean that she was sterile, bland, without personality, uninteresting, or sinless, so I STRONGLY admire the realism that was put it in to making her come to life on-screen. I can't really complain about the music choices because it'd be too expensive to license music from the 90s, but what is there works.

So that covers the filmmaking aspect of it; yet does it deliver a good message?

Yes, I'm happy to report. All of this talk about it being exploitation is nonsense. The reality is that the media simply doesn't like the Christian message that's a huge part of this film, considering that it wants to be an accurate depiction of... a victim who was actually a Christian. Why are people so opposed to the way this person lived her life? She wanted to make an impact on others, and that's how she was remembered. She fought to live her life for Christ, and being the victim of a horrendous act of violence, it's all the more tragic.

She wasn't perfect in her walk with Christ, but she seemed to have a heart of gold. The beliefs shown in the film are what she wanted to project in public, and it's honorable that her mother continues her legacy of spreading love.

I highly recommend watching this movie carefully, and if you do, you'll notice that it doesn't use tragedy to exploit. Even though there are conflictions with this, if the last words she gave were truly what she said, then I can only commend her for her nobility in her beliefs in Jesus Christ. This movie had me all kinds of emotional. Loved it.