Woman Thou Art Loosed

Overall I thought the movie was good. The first time I saw it I came late to the theater and missed the give away beginning.. So at the end I was like "wow" what a shock, this was great then to my dismay when I saw it again I watched from the beginning and realized it was only a shock to me. The lead actress did a wonderful job and I would like to see her recognized for it. To the person who wrote about being happy they didn't buy the book, your missing out T.D. Jakes has great insight and the book/books are about more then what this movie touched on. I went to a T.D. Jakes seminar at the forum and by the end of the night there wasn't one dry eye in the place.

I have never cried so much in my lifetime. The characters in this movie were so close in name as well as in nature that I felt I needed to write and tell the world. I am Michelle and I created my own prison for myself by not forgiving, let alone knowing how to forgive. All I wanted was for my mother to believe what happened to me and do something about it instead of accusing me. Like Michelle, I also was not believed, but told not to say anything to anyone. I was killing myself by eating excessively, and not trusting or forgiving anyone. My drug was sleeping around to try to make myself feel better and feel accepted. And twenty+ years later, I still don't feel any better. I could not stop crying. Something deep inside me said get up and write this down so someone else could see that they are not the only ones going through something difficult. I can honestly say that I have not survived my past. I am still imprisoned. The house that Michelle built is the house that I still reside in (no doors). I must tell anyone who is reading this, that the situation alone will take away so much from you. I have lost the strong relationship that I could have had with my own daughter. I love my daughter, but find it hard to be close to her. I feel like I am a functioning zombie. What makes me strong is that I can talk about it now. It took someone very close to me to make me write it down. He said if you cant confront the person then write it down and it will make you feel like you have told the person. Afterwards, he said mail it or throw it away. For all that good advice that I was given that day, I wrote the letter and I still look at it from time to time. I sent it to my mother expressing my feelings, but like Michelle's mother - no "I'm sorry" or "I should have believed you". My dilemma is that I cant seem to get that door opened. I am tired of holding onto this pain. I will get the help that I need, but for today I feel good just being able to say that I still have the opportunity to get the help I need. One day, I will be able to forgive my mother and the rapist, but not today.

If you loved DEAD MAN WALKING as much as I did, then you'll also appreciate this prison-set film based on a book and a play by AME Bishop Jakes. Like Matthew Poncelet in Sr. Prejean's story, this one features a character who is a composite of several real life abused women whom the good bishop ministered to through the years. Michelle is on death row when Bishop Jakes visits her. At first she almost ignores him as she works on a model house made up of match sticks or small pieces of wood. She had not expected him to come, he being so big time--his face was on the cover of TIME Magazine--but it soon appears that their paths have crossed before and that her mother is one of the clerks who works in his evangelism campaign. Before going any further I should reassure any readers made nervous by the fact that a real-life bishop is a main character, that this is not one of those syrupy Billy Graham films. It is an unabashedly religious, no, a Christian film, but it is gritty in its realistic detailing of drug addiction, child abuse, prostitution and such, well deserving of its R rating. It is a compelling story of a woman's descent into hell and of her slow journey back. The cast is excellent, with Bishop Jakes playing himself--not just in the pulpit, but in some intense scenes in Michelle's prison cell that demand more than pulpit oratory. In another life he could have made it as an actor. The crew members are all Hollywood pros, so the production values are excellent. A neat symbol is the house on which Michelle labors so long over--it is the last thing we see before the fade to black and the credits roll, so it serves as a good symbol (far better than the full scale house in LIFE AS A HOUSE). There are plenty of interesting male, as well as female characters, so you shouldn't look at this as a "woman's film," nor as an African American one. Exploring the terrible damage those close to us can do to one another, and of the almost impossibility of forgiveness, it's a film that I will be thinking about for some time to come.

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!

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.