Woman Thou Art Loosed

This movie has such a powerful message! Kimberly Elise does a superb job as abuse victim Michelle Jordan whose life went spiraling down a black hole after her "innocence was stolen" by her mother's lowdown-dirty-snake-of-a-boyfriend and her mother turning her back on the situation. I watched this movie with my 13yr old daughter and it made me want to hold her even closer to me than I already do because I can't imagine her going through something like that. Loretta Divine also does an excellent job as her selfish-in-denial-but-ever-"man-hungry" mother. Debbie Morgan is superb as the humorous, comforting, and advising family friend and Clifton Powell couldn't be anymore convincing as the snake-in-the grass boyfriend. T.D. Jakes put together a stellar cast to bring such a moving and powerful story to the big screen. There are so many lessons taught in this movie as well as learned. The character of Michelle is trying to deal with trust issues from her standpoint as well as others. In the scene where she has been ushered to a seat at church and the lady usher sees that she is wearing an electronic monitoring device on her ankle and then she asks her did she take a Bible and Michelle gets very upset and gives an upsetting reply. Then Michelle sees that others are taking and using the Bibles to study during the service and she realizes what the lady meant. Although it doesn't end all "warm and fuzzy", it is a must-see for anyone who is battling with or seeking forgiveness.

When my girlfriend dragged me to this movie, I went with her to treat her to part of her Birthday present; but secretly, I was dreading to see this movie. I thought that here's another "Christian" made production, many of which seem to suffer from lack luster acting and weak direction.

None of those elements exist in this riveting drama based on the composite experiences of various women encountered by TD Jakes through out his ministry. From the stunning beginning of the movie to its hopeful and heart warming end, I was enthralled by the very realistic characters(especially the main character), their various struggles, and their varying Faith, or lack there of, in God.

This movie does not milk-toast the church or sugar coat those who are True Believers, but shows us for what we truly are; real sinners saved continually by real Amazing GRACE and the Great Mercy of God.

For those who think you have to be lilly white to be accepted by God, I highly recommend this movie as a big dose of reality. But for those who just see the church as full of hypocrites, you'll come away with an appreciation for how much God loves us imperfect beings and why the Church is full of us!

This movie (as well as the book and play) addressed sensitive issues that touch the lives of men, women and children everyday. However, theses issues are usually not openly discussed and are often hidden, which leads to mental and emotional break-downs or destructive behavior.

The movie not only captured several issues, including sexual abuse, verbal abuse, abandonment, low self-esteem etc. It also demonstrated the negative effects of covering up the issues through lies, misplaced aggression and denial. I liked the way the movie displayed the effect that the revival incident had on each character that was involved. I was also touched by the positive and encouraging words offered by the minister which ultimately had an effect on the main character.

Renowned minister and author Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House of Dallas, Texas has brought to screen his best-selling novel that has been a major hit amongst women in his ministry for nearly 10 years. Written at a time in his life when he doubted if he could (read: should) be the 'voice' of the forgotten women, the broken woman, the fallen woman, ...the woman that is often invisible in most church congregations, after the release of his novel, the overwhelming answer was 'preach on, T.D., preach on'. And preach he did, to thousands in his Woman Thou Art Loosed conventions all across the country to sold out stadiums. It's not really a surprise when one knows the history of the journey that this project would be his first feature film effort. Some might argue that this is his most anointed work, especially given the numbers that most lower income minority households now are single parent households and that translates more than likely to often being led by mothers. What happens when these 'mothers' fall into hopeless situations that seem outside the confines of the normal assistance that most churches are only equip to handle? It's in that chasm that Bishop Jakes found his voice.., and calling.

Woman Thou Art Loosed, the movie, is an ambitious project. Well written, and acted by a stellar cast (more on that later), it only suffers from a few minor problems that are mostly cinematic issues. The lighting throughout the movie was uneven and could have benefited from an overall continuity of theme, but all in all, this problem is minor in contrast to the action and dialogue on the screen. The outstanding casting of Kimberly Elise as the troubled lead, Michelle Jordan, who opens this movie, pistol in hand, in the midst of an altar call at a revival meeting of Bishop Jakes, is both tragic and heroic as you learn of her desperation to make sense of her life's choices and conflicts. Kimberly brings a new definition to pathos, and in several scenes proves that she's an actress of great skill and technique, while never allowing the mechanics to be noticed. Adept at emoting with just a look or turn of her brow, she breathes life into Michele's often difficult and challenging scenes with the ease of someone who's really been 'there' in the depths of despair. At it's core, WTAL is a love story. Love gone bad, love gone wrong, love unrequited and love never fully developed. Michelle wants her mother, Cassie, to love her, to see her and acknowledge her. Formidable actress Loretta Devine, portrays a mother that needed mothering, and unfortunately can't give to her daughter what she's never experienced. Failing her daughter at a most critical moment in their journey, creates the rift between mother and daughter and sets into motion that incredible opening scene. Pay close attention to the scenes that include these two actresses, together, for a master's class in scene study.

But make no mistake, the heartbeat of this film is Bishop Jakes and his sermons. Whether being delivered in the pulpit or in a prison cell, his message of restoration is ever present. The moments that soar in this film are those that center on his fiery, common-sense sermons and his ability to touch the very core of issues in simple and succinct analogies. Much more could have been made of these moments and I think the direction in the services suffered a bit, but then again, how do you really direct the holy spirit? Director Michael Schultz is legendary and yet this might be the problem: his style is a little dated and isn't as edgy as some of the more modern films of our times. That being said, I did appreciate his use of the close-up that allowed us to 'see' every nuance of emotion.

It might prove a little difficult to find this film, but it's worth a diligent search. If for no other reason, for the sheer inspiration of the story and to observe major talent acting for once in material that they obviously believe in. I sensed that many of those tears that were shed, weren't all about the characters they were inhabiting. More than a few actors were most likely 'loosed' in the process, as well. It's that powerful of a movie. Highly recommended.

Woman Thou Art Loosed (2004) is a movie currently available on Tubi. The storyline follows a young lady's journey through an abusive and troubled childhood and how that led to addiction and legal challenges. As she looks for redemption, she explains to her pastor how she got here to determine if there's any hope for redemption.

This movie is directed by Michael Schultz (Cooley High) and stars Kimberly Elise (For Colored Girls), Loretta Devine (Crash), Clifton Powell (Rush Hour), T. D. Jakes (Lost Easily Horizons) and Porscha Coleman (Maneater).

The storyline for this picture had a Tyler Perry feel to it in a lot of ways. Elise delivers an amazing performance, and she really captured the character, trials and tribulations to perfection. She was tough, emotional and determined all at the same time. The circumstances also felt authentic as are the character's reactions. Devine and Powell were also fantastic in their roles. There are a lot of important messages in here and the twists and turns of the story was authentic and powerful.

Overall, this is a very well put together picture with a worthwhile storyline and great acting. I would score this an 8/10 and strongly recommend it.