Hillsong United: We’re All In This Together 
 
Give it to the Hillsong churches for creative angles on infiltrating into the general culture and mobilizing believers. As for the former, the worship band from the movement's (denomination's?) London church recently issued a dance-oriented digital single with the  aim play on BBC Radio One and other pop outlets. Hillsong United:We're All In This Together uses cinema to get saints behind social action that ministers to the world. 

But the movie, ostensibly a documentary covering a lengthy tour by the original Australian Hillsong church's youth/rock-oriented Hillsong United praise & worship band, was event cinema for its premiere. Tickets were six dollars more than a regular evening showing-at least they would have been at the theater near Appleton, Wisconsin had I not gotten in as press-but for the extra charge, patrons were treated to a live-satellite-fed mini-concert/Countdown To The World Premiere. 

My fellow seat-fillers and I came into that extra draw a tad tardily, as the theater had trouble establishing whatever connection for the feed from Australia to come in on our screen about half the globe away. When that connection was established, however, we were treated to a few Hillsong United songs yet to see the of commercial release. Considering the technical difficulties, one might surmise that the attendees, the majority of whom all must be hardcore HU fans (because there was nothing about the movie on the several Christian radio stations within a 50 mile radius), thought it worth the surcharge for the advance listen to new music by a favorite band.

Together focuses not so much on HU as a band trekking across the planet playing their rocking brand of praise & worship, but on the social action they want their fans-and by extension, God's people-to undertake to show Christ's love to the world. The result is a mishmash of live action imagery and story-telling as well as inventive animated segments to motivate viewers to live out their Christianity.

For roughly the first third of the the picture, the effect seems like MTV's reality programming overtaken by the crew behind emergent guru Rob Bell's Nooma videos. Long on crazy-quick edits, sped-up film, snippets of interviews with mostly unidentified subjects. Short on any discernible, overarching framing conceits. The closest to a unifying theme at this point comes from a HU band member who speaks somewhat nebulously of keeping "the one thing" at the forefront of his mind.

Soon enough, though after at least one of the animated segments highlighting a few historical mass battles against injustice, Jesus Christ/Christianity emerges ostensibly as that "one thing." Even then, on-screen text citing Bible verses from The Message and the Paraphrased New International Version and consternating quotes from figures including former South African president/African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela and late Salvadoran liberation theologian/Roman Catholic archbishop Oscar Romero give the impression that HU and their sponsoring church espouse a broader ecumenism that more orthodox Protestant believers won't be wont to embrace.

If you're more interested in HU's music than their social action, be warned. An introductory disclaimer explains that the movie may center around the band, but it's not about them. Still, toward the end there's some footage of their enormous worship event concerts at venues on a few continents. And along with the interview quips with a few HU members, Martin Smith of Delirious gets in a few words, most provocatively about the contrast in his band's hotel accommodations on tour versus slum conditions nearby (no Delirious music in the movie, though).        

As positively propagandist film-making, We're All In This Together makes for relentlessly compelling viewing. As a means of pre-evangelism and biblically sound impetus to get Christians off their keisters to live out their faith in ways that physically demonstrate their Savior's love for the world, it's more problematic. Its apparent inconsistencies, however, should make for spirited debate in church coffeehouse and youth group screenings.

Since the publicity campaign supporting this debut screening throughout the U.S, and Canada seemed peculiarly skewed to general market coverage, purchase or rental at retail and the above-mentioned congregational uses may be the readiest way to experience this curious flick. 
      
Jamie Lee Rake