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To Save A Life Stars: Randy Wayne, Deja Kreutzberg, Joshua Weigel, Steven Crowder, D. David Morin, Sean Michael, Bubba Lewis, Robert Bailey, Jr., Kim Hidalgo, Arjay Smith, Orin Mozon, Lamont Thompson and Trinity Scott Director: Brian Baugh Scriptwriter: Jim Britts Composers: Christopher Lennertz and Timothy Wynn Cinematography: C. Clifford Jones Outreach Films/New Song Pictures Rating: PG-13 Running Length: 120 minutes Suicide is an emotion that scars witnesses, friends, family and the community for a lifetime. It is an immediate reply to inward pain and anguish. Such is the topic in Jim Britt’s script, To Save A Life. Though there is a Christian theme that carries through the film, what circles around that theme are the temptations, choices and realities of every-day life. It can be almost over-whelming at times. Just ask Jake (Randy Wayne) as he goes through his senior year in high school. Life can change from moment to moment. The film begins with the youthful friendship between Roger (Robert Bailey, Jr.) and Jake (Randy Wayne). Eventually, as they mature, they grow apart. Roger is perceived as a nobody by classmates, while Jake is a top athlete and has attractive Amy (Deja Kreutzberg) as a girlfriend. When Jake’s friend commits suicide, everyone’s life is turned upside-down. The popular kids scarcely miss a beat and go on with their lives, while the other kids can dwell on this and lose focus. Could they have helped Roger? Jake takes this hard and starts to lose his focus, which up until then had been sports and Amy. Enter Chris (Joshua Weigel), a youth counselor at a local church. Chris becomes a friend to Jake, whose wealthy parents don’t pay attention to him. Gradually, Jake sees that going to church and having new friends isn’t a bad deal after all. The only one who protests is Jake’s father and Amy. When Jake’s new friends make friends with another loner, Jonny (Sean Michael), Jake begins to see what may have happened to Roger and tries to help Jonny and others. Will Amy be receptive to a “new” Jake? What about Jake’s parents? If you haven’t been to a high school lately, the rapid turn of events for Jake is just about what happens now. If there isn’t a stable home life or someplace to go to for peace, the turmoil can be overwhelming. Parents expect achievement, but don’t ask what happens along the way. People have secrets and it is difficult to keep those secrets. Going to a church may be the solution, but even there---as seen through Jake’s eyes---are people who disrupt things. Chris, as the youth leader, has to see in four directions at once, but somehow he manages it and provides a stable environment. Production values for the film are top-notch and bring you into the teen world. Soundtrack by Timothy Wynn and Christopher Lennertz highlight the story and C. Clifford Jones' photography gives school life a distinct atmosphere. When one is venturing from the shelter of high school into the wide world of college, one needs all the support one can get, whether it be from friends, family, church or all three. There is always someone there to help and that is the message. You are not alone. Copyright 2010 Marie Asner *Note: a novel based on the film, To Save A Life and written by Jim and Rachel Britts is out now.
Have you ever had your life changed by a film? I don’t mean walk out and feel the weight of what you saw only to have it fade away after several hours and a late night dinner. Rumor has it that when Bambi was released that hunting license sales plummeted. I am not sure how many people don’t think of Psycho whenever they enter a bathroom and see the shower curtain pulled shut. But that is not what I am talking about. I mean have a movie actually alter the course of you how you live, act and think; for a lifetime. The new teen geared drama, To Save A Life attempts to do just that. To get young people, and old I suppose, to stop and think about how they treat those around them. How a life can be forever marred or encouraged simply by how it is treated by its peers. The story centers around Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) who is the big man on his high school campus. Good with a basketball and even better with the ladies; he has it all. When a tragic event occurs involving a friend from his early childhood it rocks Jakes world and makes him start seeing that how we treat others can have a dire impact on the lives around us. His decision to choose people over popularity does not come without a cost. I dare not call this a Christian film. Although it is unapologetic in its call to action concerning God and faith. But unlike the typical faith based films it does not dance around the relevance and reality of life. It doesn’t make the church out to be all knowing and perfect and the world to be this awful place. To Save A Life displays the struggles and limitations of students both in and outside of the church walls in a way that I have not seen before. Also most Christian films are written as if to get those outside the church walls to take faith seriously. This one instead needs to be seen mainly by those inside the church walls who proclaim to live a certain way but instead are deceiving themselves. Granted, To Save A Life plays more like an afterschool special than a blockbuster wide release. It has the pacing and writing that is intended to carry a message. It is not meant to entertain but rather to get you to think about life. Some might believe that the theater is not the place for a sermon and I would normally whole heartily agree. But this film is different. It is gritty, truthful and open about things that most times are overlooked or played out in a political correctness that white washes the issue. I appreciated the fact that it took chances and risks ridicule. And you have to admire a film that practices what it preaches. To Save A Life is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements involving teen suicide, teen drinking, some drug content, disturbing images and sexuality. As I said there is no candy coating or glossing over of what teens do and face daily. It has to be frank or it loses its validity. Even though it depicts these things I think that the message, regardless of what you choose to believe spiritually, should be instilled into kids at even a younger age than 13. Only you know your child and so be a wise parent. But I also think it touches on issues that could impact the life of someone your kid sees daily. I give it 4 out of 5 beer pong shots. Not a perfect film or one that you should see as a light outing. But one that needs to be seen by groups of young people who want to engage their culture and think about life as a whole. So says Matt Mungle Matt Mungle
Review copyright 2010 Mungleshow
Productions. Used by Permission.
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