Finding Hope

I thoroughly enjoyed this heartfelt film. It is full of love and redemption and has a solid group of talent on both sides of the camera. Truly well worth seeing. The cinematography is top notch and the story has great characters that the audience can't help but fall in love with. Truly beautiful! It also has some nice story elements or twists that give it a really interesting creative edge in what otherwise might be a more linear or single layered story, in other words it delivers! While is is a faith based film with the characters belonging to the Mormon faith or The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints it doesn't try to force it's teachings on the audience but rather presents their faith in an honest and loving way. It really should appeal to a wide audience.

I was invited by a friend to attend a screening of Finding Hope in Chicago. I almost didn't go because I am not a big fan of faith based films, but I'm so glad I did. This film featured wonderful performances and a beautiful message. I did not feel like I was watching a faith based film, but rather just a great story that certainly highlighted family, faith and values. There was a realness, almost a rawness to the film that most indie film buffs, like myself, will really appreciate. There is love, loss, tragedy, gut wrenching decisions and a couple of pretty well disguised twists that make this film a must see for all indie lovers. The performances are wonderful. The leads, Shannon and Suzette Brown, are very powerful. They are both very honest and daring with their choices and it plays brilliantly. Both of them play very challenging roles and these two pull it off seemingly effortlessly. Shannon Brown has become a trailblazer in the indie scene and I believe his star will continue to shine and he'll ultimately be a household name. I have since seen him play multiple types of roles in multiple genres and his performances are always very strong. Robyn Coffin and Sean Leonard do a nice job as strong supporting roles, you can't help but love Robyn's whimsical character, Edith.

Walt Sloan, a personal favorite of mine, is nothing short of spectacular as the final member of the principal cast. As a huge indie film buff, I've seen Mr. Sloan in a variety of films, he simply never disappoints. Overall, the film is executed wonderfully. The only thing stopping me from giving it a 10 is that the lighting in some of the scenes fall short. Also, there are a few moments when the Simon character plays a little too preachy and holier than thou, not sure if that has to do with performance or direction. All in all, this truly a great indie piece and I highly recommend it!

I found myself engulfed in the story from the beginning. I loved the cinematography and the scenery is inspiring. I loved the themes present: how people can change, the power of love, the importance of forgiveness, and being willing to reach out to God for understanding and love. Simon is a character that's easy to love and admire. Hope is outstanding. Andrew, although flawed like all of us, is someone we should be able to relate to as none of us is perfect. If you enjoy inspiring love stories, I highly recommend it. Well-done!I hope those who have interest faith based films and good family entertainment will see this movie!

Sorry folks. This is a poorly written, acted and hacked together script made with awful production values.

Led by powerful and thoughtful performances, and guided by restrained and appropriate direction, Finding Hope finds the tone that fans of this genre want and expect. The film stayed focused on its message and the actors stayed focused on their characters. Julian Grant wrote a simple yet effective story, pulling together familiar elements and combining them in a way that didn't feel too mundane or pedestrian. The pacing is leisurely which may have become a problem if the characters were not as engaging as they were. Shannon Brown, Sean Patrick Leonard, Robyn Coffin and the rest of the cast gave solid performances, but I would single out Suzette Brown for special recognition because her role was the most difficult and required more subtle and emotional attention to detail. I found it inspiring in message and execution.