Voiceless

Voiceless
One man. One fight. The ultimate sacrifice.

Produced by Christian Cinema
Copyright 2016
Opens October 7, 2016
PG-13

Jesse Dean (Rusty Joiner) and his wife Julia (Jocelyn Cruz) return to Julia's hometown of Philadelphia after Jesse's discharge from the military.  He has accepted the job of community outreach leader for the church in which Julia grew up.  This job offers him the chance to make connections in the community and hopefully get people involved in the church.

Jesse begins cleaning  the storefront location he is given, and in doing so finds an old boxing bag.  He explores the city and meets Danny (Jeremiah DeMoss), a young man down on his luck and in need of friendship.  Jesse invites Danny to the community center, with the offer of teaching him how to box.

Across the street from the community center is a family planning center. Jesse is disturbed by the people going in and out of the center and begins to feel the need to help them.  Because the church will not help him (it is not their business), Jesse stumbles around on his own in his attempts to help.

The police become involved, Julia voices her strong disapproval of his actions, and further conflict develops with  needless deaths associated with some of the people Jesse meets outside the clinic.  Finally, Jesse has to make a choice.  Will he stand for his beliefs and find a way to help people, or will he do what everyone else wants him to do, which is to let it go?

Voiceless addresses many issues, among which are a dying church set in its ways, the relations between a husband and wife with differing views, guilt over abortion, relationships between races, and of course Christians and what to do about social issues.  This movie shows a way to overcome these problems -- loving others does not mean social issues are not addressed. 

I give this movie a thumbs up for its message.

Wildflower

Wildflower

April 5, 2016 release date

PG-13
Produced by Faith Street Film Partners II, LLC, which also produced King's Faith.

Awarded Dove Foundation's Faith Friendly Seal of Approval with 5 out of 5 Doves.

Be very aware in watching this film -- things are not as they seem.  People are not who you think they are.  These are concepts Chloe learned early in life.  Never trust anyone other than yourself.  Others will fail you, so it's better not to get close to people.

Chloe is a 20 year old gifted art student in her first year in school, striving very hard to make a life for herself through her art. Deadlines are looming, and as a student on a hard-won scholarship, she feels she must try doubly hard.  There are many people out there who are just as good or better than she is, all waiting for their own scholarships.  So when Chloe's blackouts intensify into destructive behavior, leading to trouble with the law, she denies she has a problem and uses the excuse of pressure due to school.

During one of her blackouts Chloe is nearly run over by Josh, who has issues of his own.  Josh is running from God; having served God but then suffering deep personal loss, he feels betrayed and believes he has a very good excuse to stay away from God and the church.  His older brother tries to intervene, much to the irritation of Josh.  Josh is thrown together with Chloe and wants to help.  He begins to believe her, and each of them in turn is able to work through their problems, both emotionally and spiritually.

Maybe the characters were just a bit over-acted, but the point of the movie was made. And overall, Wildflower was very good.  As I have hinted the movie does hold surprises, so be prepared.  I hope the movie will help open people's eyes to misperceptions we sometimes have of others who we may see as different from ourselves, not dismissing them but giving them the understanding and help they need to cope and heal.

Issues dealt with in Wildflower are mental instability whether perceived or real, how the mind deals with trauma, abuse, loss, grief, mistrust, faith, hope, healing and fulfillment.

The special features section includes short interviews with the cast as well as a link to download a study guide.

Partner resources for Wildflower are the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), Fresh Hope for Mental Health, Mental Health Grace Alliance, Key Ministry, and the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC).

Icon Media Group requested my honest review of this movie.  I am under no obligation to give a favorable review.