October Baby

¨I have so many unanswered questions, questions I feel but can't even begin to speak because there are no words to express them.¨

October Baby is a Christian faith based film about the power of forgiveness. Despite the fact that many consider this to be a pro-life film, the message is rather a different one. It's not judgmental in any way, and takes a much lighter approach. The film focuses on a teenage girl and her struggle to find answers as to why she feels rejected. October Baby has the classic sermonizing moment near the end of the film that all Christian based moves have, and that may lead people to criticize this film, but it does get a graceful message across without being judgmental. Despite being preachy and melodramatic it has an interesting story and a strong performance from first timer Rachel Hendrix. She is beautiful, talented, and has the looks of a star if she can get over the Kristen Stewart lip biting thing. I don't tend to criticize movies based on their values, I do it based on the artistic approach and I think this film succeeds as a decent teen romantic drama. Some people may criticize this simply because they don't agree with its overall message, and others perhaps might find this film a little too amateur for their taste. Despite the clichés there are several funny and touching scenes delivered strongly by this relatively unknown cast. October Baby was co-directed and written by Andrew and Jon Erwin with some beautiful scenes trying to convey their message about the beauty of life. Despite all the melodrama the film does ring true at times considering we all remember how dramatic our life was when we were teenagers and were searching for the meaning of life. There is turmoil and strong emotions going on that now that we are much older and mature know how to deal with it differently.

The film focuses on Hannah (Rachel Hendrix), a nineteen year old girl suffering from seizures and asthma attacks. During a drama performance in school she passes out and awakens in the hospital where the doctors tell her that her illness has to do with her difficult birth. Here she discovers that her parents, Jacob (John Schneider) and Grace (Jennifer Price), aren't really her birth parents and that she was adopted by them after her young mother had a failed abortion attempt. Hannah is upset that her parents never told her the truth and decides to go on a road trip to see if she can contact her real mother. She enlists the help of her best friend Jason (Jason Burkey) and together with some other classmates they embark on a road trip. Hannah ends up making some revealing discoveries along the way that impact and change her life forever. Could her life have meaning despite all the terrible details about her birth? There is still beauty in the midst of brokenness and the only way to reach it is by letting go and forgiving.

Despite the terrible reviews this film has received from critics it still has a better rottentomato score than most other films in theaters right now (Hansel and Gretel, Identity Theft, Safe Haven, and the new Die Hard film) and it was much cheaper to produce. Audiences seem to enjoy this film however and I can see why since the message is uplifting. The film does look like a music video at times with the soundtrack paraphrasing the story at times and the beautiful scenery in the background. Chris Sligh has a couple of songs in the film and he also has a supporting role as the driver in the friendly road trip. The film can feel like a Lifetime movie at times, but Rachel Hendrix 's performance stands out and lifts this movie to a higher ground. Her chemistry with Jason Burkey felt authentic and the romanticism never felt sappy. This is a feel good movie that despite being preachy never feels like if the directors are trying to force their faith on the viewers. They are simply sending out a message about the beauty of life and the power of forgiveness. I honestly enjoyed this movie and would watch it again. This is a family friendly film.

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Starting off a little strangely for me, I hung with it and it developed into a well directed, sensitive film dealing with issues of ethics and morality, the search for meaning in life for a disillusioned young woman, quality friendships and relationships, and the struggle for existential justification. The acting was very high caliber, the language is mild, and the dramatic tension is well managed. Some information/secrets are withheld from both the viewer and the protagonist which deepens the value of the film's intent, and for those who like resolution in a film by its end, this one doesn't disappoint. A good movie brings a tear to the eye on occasion, and this one does just that. Like life itself, there is disenchantment, pain, persistent struggling, discovery, and finally forgiveness and the resultant experience of satisfaction with a willingness to engage life to the fullest. An optimistic yet believable story worth a look.

There are so many people in deep emotional pain. This movie heals and gives us hope with humor and gentleness. I recommend it to everyone. Even though we aren't all going through the same thing as the main characters in the movie, the under lying messages apply to us all and are very helpful.

The trailer caused me to expect a mostly heavy painful story line but I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of well done comedy that caused the teens in my house to quote lines in the movie through out the week just for fun.

The photography was some of the best I've ever seen. It had a way of telling the story, almost making the words unnecessary.

The best part of "October Baby" to me is it's ability to touch so many deeply painful subjects without vilifying anyone and still be very believable.

Most faith-based funded "indie" movies I find are cheesy, a little preachy, and lacks flow. I find this movie to be an exception and it was thoroughly enjoyable to watch. I did find myself pre-judging the film, but Jasmine Guy's (the nurse) performance is superb and convinced me otherwise along w/ the main character who also made it believable if not lovable. Making a movie is an Art and for such a string budget (it would be unfair to judge it w/ huge budgeted Hollywood films). Nevertheless, it's greatly crafted. As someone w/ a buddhist and confucian background, my outlook is a from a different angle favoring this movie in how it conveys the perpetual cycle of cause and effects. In this case, suffering and self-hatred in need of healing and forgiveness. The film is classy in a sense that it does not condemn or vilify the characters it contrast. It's not good guys vs. bad guys. With that said, no matter what beliefs one prescribes to, I hope viewers will not condemn the film's work w/ pre-conceived prejudices just because it challenges their ideas.

I went in thinking this was going to be something of a "chick flick" only to find out it was much more fun and had way more depth than that categorization would normally imply. A coming of age road trip filled with laughter,soul searching and twists that will leave you cheering for all the best things in others and, in the end, you may even find out a little something about yourself. I would recommend this for anyone over ten years old and this makes a wonderful film for the whole family. I saw it on a limited release in Alabama but I understand it will be released again nationwide next spring; I'm definitely going to see it again then as well; it's THAT good!