The Other Side of Heaven 2: Fire of Faith

This movie was truly a delight to see. I have been to many motion pictures this summer, but they have not filled that part of my soul which this one has. Thank you to the filmmakers and the cinemas for sharing this.

Even if you haven't seen the original Other Side of Heaven, I recommend this sequel. It's much better and doesn't rely on the first movie for its success. I found myself riveted to the highs and lows experienced by Elder Groberg and his family as they served in Tonga for 3 years. Their challenges, paralleled with a Tongan family's struggles, eventually intersect in a tear-inducing way. Faith, love, charity and focusing on religious similarities more than differences really are the keys to overcoming hardships. Go see it. You will be uplifted!

We took the whole family to this film not realizing it had the PG13 rating. Had to close the young children's eyes a few times. With that said, we found it to be very inspiring. Based on a true story, showing how God works in all of our lives even though at times bad things happen to good people. It is through times that God can work miracles in our lives if we trust Him.

Though I'm not LDS, I really enjoyed the first movie and would have felt the same about this one were it not for so many *very disturbing* moments. This is not for kids, nor is it a family movie. I would honestly feel very awkward watching this with my family...

I also felt there were wasted opportunities to show the real struggles, in more depth, of what the characters went through emotionally and their heartfelt prayers toward God in trusting Him no matter what. It felt like their faith got shaky only to be restored when things went well.

Having said that, I enjoyed the beautiful scenery, both of the island and the architecture, the actors, and of course, the way they showed love and forgiveness, and the power of praying to Jesus.

I wasn't sure what to expect, especially since it's been years since I saw the first movie and can't really remember much of it's story. But we really loved this movie. It was full of adventure, funny, and very heart touching. My family members that aren't LDS welled up and really loved it too. It's a great story for everyone, beautifully shot and very professionally done. I highly recommend it.