By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
I especially love it when Passover and Resurrection happen at the same time, because for people who are believers, the Old flows into the New, which flows into the Now in a unique way during Holy Week. By that, I mean the stories that are the foundation of our faith, especially the difficult and controversial ones, confirm the most difficult and controversial story of all time, the life, death, and the resurrection of Jesus the Christ, and will pour into our fallen, broken world if we allow it.
We are in an unusual season when Hollywood is actually feeding the hunger of souls for the timeless stories that have the ability to change lives. In recent years, we have had films such as Son of God, A.D.; I Can Only Imagine; Courageous; Breakthrough; and The Jesus Revolution; and all of them shook up the box office. Currently, we also have the series, The Chosen, which is a runaway hit that is produced by Angel Studios, as is His Only Son. Both Jesus Revolution and His Only Son were number three in sales on their opening weekend, both of which are record-setting stats. I love the fact that His Only Son was produced for a slim $250K, and rave reviews keep pouring in with regard to everything from the acting to the filming and more. Another record set by Angel Studios is the amount of money raised by crowdfunding in order to produce it. Most of the time, people have to pitch a project to major studio and/or private investors, but this film is essentially a film of the people. It is completely accurate to say that thousands of people were the investors, and the irony of the David-and-Goliath analogy being used here is hopefully not lost on you, seeing as we are talking about biblical themes.
The actors who play the parts of Abraham and Sarah are originally from Lebanon and Iran respectively, they now live here in the States, and are open and emotional about their personal faith and the miracles behind their landing their roles. They are also quite transparent with regard to the impact making the film has had on them. Between them, they also have hefty résumés that in addition to being trained in Shakespearian theatre, they hold degrees in civil engineering and law. Their names are Nicolas Mouawad and Sara Seyed, and it is said that they found themselves weeping through the production of the film, as did the crew as they watched their performances. I hope that we will be seeing much more of them.
Angel Studios has also done something that is a first, and that is to offer a “pay-it-forward” feature. For people who want to see His Only Son on the big screen in a movie theatre but can’t afford it, viewers who have seen the film, are raving fans, and want to make it possible for others to also see the film can make that possible by purchasing a ticket that is distributed on a first come, first served basis. The donor buys a ticket to see the film at a particular movie theatre, and the recipient registers on a waiting list to see it. If you want to “pay it forward,” or want to see the film whose message is so timely this season, go to angel.com/freeticket. His Only Son is showing at several theatres in our area with a good selection of show times from which to choose.
The gritty portrayal of the faith of the Father of Nations, which is a picture of the love of God toward us by giving us His only Son, has the power to change your life. Let it.
April 19, 2024
