Faith Happens

FH is a unique look into the lives of common people discovering a sense of spirituality within themselves. The great thing about it is it's not "preachy". it's so real in the same fashion 'Crash" was. I definitely recommend. It's hard to find a film that is able to walk the fine line of message over content. The filmmaker did a good job finding the right balance. Also the performances resonated with clarity and were all well performed. the ensemble cast works very well together. One thing to take into consideration is the independent spirit involved with the film. It has an independent feel and that resonates in positive ways from the performances and their unique look (many new faces) to the real and often gritty sets. Humor takes a front set when it needs to but emotional power takes over as well.

I was privileged to be at the very first showing of this movie at Granada Heights last night. What a great experience! Faith Happens is composed of a number of different stories that all overlap slightly (like in Love, Actually). All of the stories are true, and all happened to people at one church over the course of its 52 year history. Some of these stories are ones I've heard all my life, but Faith Happens brought them to life more vividly than I'd ever imagined, and made me see how truly amazing they all are, how the events that happen in our lives every day, the way we reach out to people, can make a huge difference in their lives. Especially touching for me was the "Prodigal Son" storyline. This movie is definitely worth seeing. Thank you, Rick and Heidi, for all of your hard work, and having the faith to see your project through and bring all of us such a wonderful gift.

Rick Garside's storytelling pulls the viewer into the troubled lives of several, seemingly unconnected, people who have no interest in the Christian message. The film neither resorts to sugar coating nor to knee-jerk tactics to tell the true story of a church. This in itself makes the film unique. But more importantly, I found "Faith Happens" both authentic and cathartic--a thoroughly satisfying experience, rarely achieved.

As the plot contains a great number of easily missed details, this film is well worth watching, not only once, but several times.

I hope this film gets national billing. If not, at least I'll be able to get the DVD faster.

Excellent! This film is worth seeing. As a friend of mine said - it was 2 hours well spent. The amazing aspect of this film is that all the stories are true and can be verified - stay and watch the credits - all the way to the very end! Not only are all the stories true - they all came from one church. This film is not like other Christian films - not only does it have excellent production value - it doesn't shy away from real life. It is a powerful drama - dealing with very tough issues, yet it is not without hope. If you ever wondered what real faith in God looks like and what a real church community feels like - this is one of the most honest films you will see. I laughed and I cried. I want to see it again!

I've seen this film a few times now. It gets better and somehow more meaningful each time. Along with Rick Garside's excellent screenplay and masterful direction (the "glue") it's the characters that take you through this journey of troubles, trials and tribulations (all of which are based on true stories in this film) and remind you of what faith is (or can be) in ways any and all can relate to. It's a good thing that pretty much all of this talented cast are, at the moment, unfamiliar faces to the movie going public. It adds to its realism, message and believability--all without being "preachy", an element that sometimes can cause an audience to squirm under even under the best faith-based intentions. This film is one that will make you laugh, cry and smile--all while keeping you interested in the characters and story as it moves forward, up, down and all around. It's a must see for everyone. Enjoy!