Finding Hope

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!

From the first frame all the way until the last frame, I found myself thrown into the story, and kept there every second of the way. The film had an amazing way of throwing faith, drama and a bit of comedy together and keeping the viewers enthralled in the world.

With amazing acting skills from Shannon Brown and Suzette Brown, the film did an amazing job of giving us a reason to care for both characters, no matter what their flaws are.

This film was special to me and I want to thank the filmmakers and actors for bringing this to the screen. This is a film that i will gladly buy on DVD.

This film was beautifully done and does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat while staying true to it's faith based message. I was instantly sucked in to the story mainly due to the amazing performances by the leads - Shannon Brown and Suzette Brown.

The story follows "Andrew"(Shannon Brown) and "Hope"(Suzette Brown) as they deal with tragic loss which not only puts a strain on their relationship but also makes "Andrew" question his faith. It's a bold story, it's certainly not your everyday faith based film as both of the lead characters have to deal with gut wrenching issues and intense drama throughout the film, putting their relationship, their faith and even their well being to the ultimate test. These very challenging characters are performed masterfully by the two leads.

The supporting cast is strong as well, as they do a great job of keeping the story on track and even providing some needed levity in certain spots. In particular Robyn Coffin, who plays "Edith". Coffin's character is key to the story and she was wonderful every time she was on the screen. I'd like to think that everyone has a friend like "Edith".

I cried, I laughed and I couldn't help but get invested in the journey of "Andrew" and "Hope". I highly recommend this film regardless of your religious beliefs. Finding Hope checks all the boxes of what's needed for a great movie and I look forward to seeing it again.

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.

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