As a post-modern Christian with a high interest in indie film making, and as one who comes from an evangelical background, I watched this film with a great deal of trepidation; sadly, much of it was justified.
It has some pluses: good cinematography and it depicts rural South Africa pretty well - the sweeping vistas of the KZN midlands, the Zambian market places, the small town feel of Greyton and so on. And most Christian viewers will feel right at home with the evangelical content: the altar call, the 'go out and tell somebody what you did' approach to Christian growth, the 'God Told Me To Do This' approach to life. And I guess that seeing as it is based on a book which was written as a testimony to God's provision, one could expect no less.
I have a high regard for Regardt van den Bergh generally. But this script was really and truly painful at times - wooden and expository. We never really explored the growth of the characters or the relationship between husband and wife. The children, apart from little Alastair, were non-entities. And in terms of dramatic structure ... well, I was hard pressed to find it. The movie seemed to be a series of disconnected events in this man's life - small crises showcasing God's interventions. I kept waiting for the dramatic climax of the film ... each time the tension came to nothing, except when the kids rushed off to get on the tractor, I immediately knew what was going to happen, it was glaringly obvious. And the scenes following that were far too prolonged ... and how did the protagonist change as a result of that black moment? What did he do to fight back? I didn't see it ... it was just more of the same until finally, the stadium event happened after which Angus got his potatoes ... but what of the rest of KZN? Did the drought cease? Did the fighting cease? Did any one else's life change? I felt like I was left hanging ...
The actors did their best, I guess and there were some moments that were moving .. like little Alistair running to his dad.
My traditional, conservative, evangelical friends all like this film so I guess it is reaching the audience for which it was intended. But isn't this just preaching to the choir? What about those of us who wrestle with REAL doubts and for whom God does NOT come through? This film sems to promote the very dubious approach to Christianity which says Come to Jesus and All Your Problems Will Be Solved.
Life ain't like that in the real world, brothers!
It has some pluses: good cinematography and it depicts rural South Africa pretty well - the sweeping vistas of the KZN midlands, the Zambian market places, the small town feel of Greyton and so on. And most Christian viewers will feel right at home with the evangelical content: the altar call, the 'go out and tell somebody what you did' approach to Christian growth, the 'God Told Me To Do This' approach to life. And I guess that seeing as it is based on a book which was written as a testimony to God's provision, one could expect no less.
I have a high regard for Regardt van den Bergh generally. But this script was really and truly painful at times - wooden and expository. We never really explored the growth of the characters or the relationship between husband and wife. The children, apart from little Alastair, were non-entities. And in terms of dramatic structure ... well, I was hard pressed to find it. The movie seemed to be a series of disconnected events in this man's life - small crises showcasing God's interventions. I kept waiting for the dramatic climax of the film ... each time the tension came to nothing, except when the kids rushed off to get on the tractor, I immediately knew what was going to happen, it was glaringly obvious. And the scenes following that were far too prolonged ... and how did the protagonist change as a result of that black moment? What did he do to fight back? I didn't see it ... it was just more of the same until finally, the stadium event happened after which Angus got his potatoes ... but what of the rest of KZN? Did the drought cease? Did the fighting cease? Did any one else's life change? I felt like I was left hanging ...
The actors did their best, I guess and there were some moments that were moving .. like little Alistair running to his dad.
My traditional, conservative, evangelical friends all like this film so I guess it is reaching the audience for which it was intended. But isn't this just preaching to the choir? What about those of us who wrestle with REAL doubts and for whom God does NOT come through? This film sems to promote the very dubious approach to Christianity which says Come to Jesus and All Your Problems Will Be Solved.
Life ain't like that in the real world, brothers!