I was able to see this deeply moving picture at a film festival in Australia. Rarely do films touch upon the human spirit in such a real and raw way while maintaining a gentle quality. This amazing film somehow managed to hit upon some very real issues of faith in a way that were both authentic and unique.
A group of high school students who are members of a church youth group are preparing to begin their adult lives. They are in the process of figuring out who they are and why they believe what they do. Where does ones faith come from? How do parents and churches influence those who grow up in a faith community? What happens when kids observe that the real world does not always gel with everything that was taught? What happens when a person who is a dedicated Christian is also comfortable and honest about their personal discovery that they are also gay? Can a person have a crisis of faith, and that crisis lead to a new and better understanding of God? These are some of the questions that are explored in the film. I've never seen anything like the subject matter covered here.
Layered upon the backdrop of the kids in the youth group are the struggles of the youth pastor and his wife -- portrayed in a way that will move anyone with a heart to tears. Their storyline is an amazing revelation of the pain and suffering that happens when a church's doctrine is not based upon the reality of the human condition. It was riveting.
This movie shows that life is not one big "get out of jail free" card for Christian high school students. Their problems may be different to their secular counterparts but they are none- the-less real. This movie shows good and decent kids dealing with the real world situations that their pastors and parents would rather not discuss. They are wise because they deal with the reality of the world through logic and reason instead of through man made doctrine. The subject matter is brave.
This movie pulled me into its center. By the end I cared deeply for every one of the characters -- all for different reasons. It is a profoundly humanizing movie full of believable characters.
If you have been looking for something touching and rare, I would highly recommend this film.
A group of high school students who are members of a church youth group are preparing to begin their adult lives. They are in the process of figuring out who they are and why they believe what they do. Where does ones faith come from? How do parents and churches influence those who grow up in a faith community? What happens when kids observe that the real world does not always gel with everything that was taught? What happens when a person who is a dedicated Christian is also comfortable and honest about their personal discovery that they are also gay? Can a person have a crisis of faith, and that crisis lead to a new and better understanding of God? These are some of the questions that are explored in the film. I've never seen anything like the subject matter covered here.
Layered upon the backdrop of the kids in the youth group are the struggles of the youth pastor and his wife -- portrayed in a way that will move anyone with a heart to tears. Their storyline is an amazing revelation of the pain and suffering that happens when a church's doctrine is not based upon the reality of the human condition. It was riveting.
This movie shows that life is not one big "get out of jail free" card for Christian high school students. Their problems may be different to their secular counterparts but they are none- the-less real. This movie shows good and decent kids dealing with the real world situations that their pastors and parents would rather not discuss. They are wise because they deal with the reality of the world through logic and reason instead of through man made doctrine. The subject matter is brave.
This movie pulled me into its center. By the end I cared deeply for every one of the characters -- all for different reasons. It is a profoundly humanizing movie full of believable characters.
If you have been looking for something touching and rare, I would highly recommend this film.