Providence

Providence movie

Love Needs No Words... The tagline of the upcoming film, Providence, is more than just a figure of speech. It is also an apt description of this feature length silent film that relies on action and music to tell a story of a search for love that lasted four decades. 

Providence tells the story of Rachel Cartwright and Mitchell Little whose lives touch at many times over the years, but misunderstandings and other interests pull them apart each time. The roles of Rachel and Mitchell are played by are shared of different actors: Emily Knapp and Chase Anderson as young Rachel and Mitchell, Stacey Bradshaw and Josh Allen as the teens versions, and Juli Tapken and Rich Swingle as adults. Each keep the characters true to form which makes the transition throughout the decades believable. All involved with the film are great, but I do want to say that Irene Santiago, as Rachel's mom, gives a remarkable performance. Several recognizable faces from the Christian film industry are in this, including an enthusiastic cameo by Jenn Gotzon.

 

Writer/director Sharon Wilharm, and her husband Fred (who produces, edits, and films) have collaborated on several movies and videos, and this is not their first silent film project. The Good Book is an hour long silent drama which follows a single Bible as it is shared from one person to another, and the impact its words have on each person who receives it. A single Bible is also a key factor in Providence.

Rachel receives a Bible from her beloved grandmother as a Christmas present, but her mom donates it to a thrift store. That Bible is the only book Mitchell can afford, so he becomes the new owner. Rachel's loss leads her to looking for love and acceptance with the popular crowd, while Mitchell becomes a follower of Christ. They have several encounters in high school that lead to a closer relationship, but that breaks off as they both go in different directions with their lives. Even when they met again as adults, it was mostly brief encounters that never lasted, until they finally realized that they were truly meant to be together after all...and for always. I have heard this story compared to Christ awaiting His Bride (the church) to prepare herself and to Abraham waiting for his promised son. The 40 years also remind me of Moses leading his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Since there is no dialogue, each person will probably fill in the silence with their own words and come to their own comparisons.

There are a couple of times when some of the acting may be a little over the top, but overall, this is a well made film that truly does get it's message out without saying a word. And, I definitely want to commend whoever selected the music! The eclectic blend suited my personal taste and provided a perfect background for the action and I loved the score by Sean O'Bryan Smith. The music in the movie is often my favorite part, and he did a great job with it.


See Providence at an AMC Theater near you starting February 12, 2016.
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Uncommon

When the students of Rosewood High School lose their theater, music and dance departments due to budgets cuts, they create their own. Struggling to find the right script, music & choreography the students get advice from an uncommon source; the Bible! Each student becomes uniquely influenced as they discover that God takes them personally. Equipped with unique talents, they bond together to prepare the perfect production by exploring the diversity of parables taught in the Bible.

Fighting overwhelming challenges, the teens fight against political correctness to defend their privilege to worship, meet and perform.

Will months of constant bullying by the establishment defeat the production and dismantle their faith?

Armed with expert legal counsel and unexpected help from Christian music’s finest, these teens realize what it means to be…UNCOMMON!

My Review: I really wanted to like Uncommon. There were so many aspects about it that appeal to things that matter to me. But, I found myself rolling my eyes too often to really enjoy the film. The potential for a really good film is there, but I don't feel like it reached any where near what it could. Stereotypical characters and less than stellar acting, along with some bad dialogue, ruined much of the film for me. There were some great moments that touched me and a few really good performances. I especially loved the song performed by Stacey Bradshaw near the end of the film. It actually caused me to raise my initial overall bad impression, but I still can't say this is a good movie. It was not even the "Come on, kids! Let's put on a show!" theme, since I actually have always liked those (Andy Hardy, Little Rascals, Shirley Temple---all films that did this well). Perhaps I am just naive or live in a place that is more embracing of Christianity, but this just seemed too over the top and the resolution fell into place too neatly. Definitely more of movie made for the church crowd, so it will find its niche.

I was given the opportunity to preview this film by WORD films. No compensation was provided and I was not required to write a positive review.