Michael (Samuel Davis) is not thrilled about his family's move to New Hope, a small,
close-knit southern town. After all, it is his senior year. He is even
less enthused about joining the town's high school basketball team,
especially when he begins to bump heads with the team's star player,
Lucas (Ben Davies). Lucas is fiercely loyal to the memory of his brother Chase -- the
victim of a suicide that shook the entire town to its core. To Lucas,
Michael is reaping everything Chase left behind -- an insult he refuses
to accept. Jasmine (Perry Frost), Chase's longtime girlfriend, still has not found
peace a year after his tragic death -- until a chance meeting with
Michael. Michael's faith is tested as he endures confrontations with
Lucas on and off the basketball court and through his growing
fascination with Jasmine. With topics including peer pressure, alcohol,
sex, suicide, relationships, and acceptance, New Hope captures the life
of the modern teenager. Written by
R2 PRODUCTIONS
I really wanted to like this film, but I didn't. The three stars were good, but many of the actors in the adult roles were very wooden when speaking; there were pauses in odd places. The animosity between the 2 male accelerated too quickly and ended so suddenly that it made little sense. The whole storyline just seemed too rushed, especially for the time frame indicated. There were believable moments, but then they would be shattered by little things that I found annoying. Life is messy, so I guess it is to be expected in a film too. This isn't one I want to watch twice to see if I just missed something.
Left motherless by tragedy and abandoned by his father, high school
senior Seth McArdle (Samuel Davis) has been put under enormous pressure
to support his little sisters. At school, he endures the daily bullying
of the football team. When he fights back, he's singled out for
punishment, assigned to an after-school work detail under the
supervision of a reserved groundskeeper, Abel (Kevin Sorbo). Much to his
surprise, Seth discovers that Abel may be the only one who truly
understands his struggles. As dark times lure Seth towards desperate
measures, the reluctant Abel may be the one person who can point him
back towards the light. (back cover) Watch the trailer below:
I liked this film, but I did not love Abel's Field. One one hand it was a moving story of a young man who was willing to do whatever it takes to take care of his younger sisters. He was not afraid to work hard, and did his best to provide a safe environment for them and make them feel loved. One scene (it's in the trailer, but I hate to give away too much) has a football player committing a criminal offense...in my state anyway. [Goodness knows we are crazy about football too, but the boy needed to be held accountable by the witnesses.] Plus, it bothers me that no one seems overly concerned about how these children are surviving. There is an inconsistency that distracted me. I can go along with some of it, but not the entire thing. The relationship between Seth and Abel was more convincing. Both were struggling with unimaginable issues for most of us, but each provided something the other needed. Abel had withdrawn into himself and did not want to let anyone in. Many of the touches of humor sprinkled through out the film played on this aspect of his character, and I thought Sorbo showed great reactions to these situations. Seth was overwhelmed by responsibility, mistreated and/or abandoned by those who should have been helping him; He also believed that God didn't care about him. Both of these men learn that family matters, we need others, and that God can be trusted to be there even when we are having to step out on faith. FlyBy Promotions has a copy of this dvd to send out to one of my readers. To be entered into the random drawing, leave a comment on the blog. A winner will be selected at 6pm (CST) on Thursday, January 31, 2013.
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mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services
I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am
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