Redeeming Love, The Movie: A Review

For years I have openly claimed this book by Francine Rivers to be my favorite and have often shared the impact it's had on me personally. Second to the Bible, this book has been the most pertinent book I have read. The whole story of Angel tugs in my heart as it unfolds and we watch her slowly lay down her concept of love and "affection" and walk the long road, of redeeming it. "It's just fiction" yes, but it draws directly from Biblical principals and stories and was penned by a master storyteller. 

To be fair, before I recommend the book, I offer a trigger warning - if you are easily upset by various types of abuse, this one is not for you. If however, you are like me, and you identify with various types of both childhood and adult abuse, but find it cathartic to walk the road of healing through another person, then absolutely. Spend some time reading this book, but know it isn't a light one. 

I did experience a great deal of healing when I first read this book, and subsequently have undergone various life changes, trials and hurts that have made each time I read it a journey for me. Fiction or not, Angel is someone I identify with. No, I was not a prostitute, but I too had love so convoluted in my head and came to a point several times in life, where I truly believed I did not deserve it..to watch a "least of these" come into that love and learn it...wow. I will reiterate that I am well aware this particular book is fiction, however, like many books before it, this book has made a huge impact. And for me personally, has helped shape the way I view love and relationships, and caused me to seek further in God's words how to define it. 

 So all that said, when I found out they were making a movie adaptation of this beloved book, I was absolutely beside myself. I felt the adaptation of "The Last Sin Eater" (another personal favorite) was well done, and I was excited to see life pumped into the pages that have walked the last several years with me. 

When this movie was announced, I saw nothing but excitement! Many friends and media outlets posted with anticipation the coming of this film, and I did not *personally* see a single warning regarding it. Besides, I read the book. I knew what kind of content was going to be in this film. 

However, as soon as it hit the big screen, it seems people suddenly lost their minds. My best friend and I had been planning to see this movie since its announcement was made almost three years ago. As we were both aware of the story and moments of the book, we took opinions with a grain of salt, and walked into the theater today anyways with hopeful hearts.

I'm going to breakdown my review into three categories: 

cinematography and overall storytelling/character development/how well the film was done, how well the movie stuck to the book, and how I personally felt about what did and didn't make it into the film, particularly from a "concern with graphic content" standpoint. 

Film Quality: first I will just say, overall this film was, in my opinion, well done. Bear in mind, it is still a film put out by the Christian entertainment industry, and for some reason, that seems to always include at least a few unbearably cringey lines and one or two wretched accents. True to that trademark, our leading man Michael's accent was a touch on the over the top side. However, the film overall stayed away from these stereotypes. (Although when the film opened with a cheesy, overly enthusiastic whooping gold digger, I wasn't sure how it was going to go) 

The scenes of Angel as a child where somewhat...off for lack of better term. I can't put my finger on what exactly it was about them, if it was the film style (which was slightly different than "present day" scenes), the acting, or the fast pacedness of them. Overall, they did what I believe was their best to cram a lot of content for context into the film, and ultimately, I can see some of the reasoning behind the way these scenes were done. 

The landscape of the film was about as close to breathtaking as a film can get without making that the true focus of the film. They did an amazing job capturing the expanse  and beauty of the old west skies and plains. 

It was fun and fascinating to see some bigger names in the film, like Nina Dobrev (Love Hard), Jamie-Lee O'Donnell (Derry Girls), and of course, Eric Dane (Grey's Anatomy). I felt the acting was well done and the script was well written, albeit somewhat fast. 

Compared to the Book: If you had not previously read the book, you might be a touch lost (I would say could still enjoy the film though) and if you have read the book, you may feel the story was rushed. Small story lines or details were left out, but did not negatively affect overall storytelling. It was a thick book to fit into a movie though.

Concerns with Content: I love to push a boundary. I love to make people uncomfortable. And I love, love, love it when Christians dismount the high horse of holier than thou. That said, let me start this section by saying, if you read the book, you knew exactly what was going to be in this movie, and they stuck fairly close to the book. And chances are, if you read the book, it likely came with a note from the recommender, letting you know that there was graphic content. I'm not even going to call it "graphic", this book, and now movie, addresses head on, instances of and repercussions from sexual assault and rape, childhood abuse, sex trafficking, emotional manipulation and abortion, just to name a few of the tragedies we see. 

If those things will trigger you, do not read this book - do not watch this movie. I'm not saying that to be mean, but I mean it- if those things are going to cause negative emotions to spring up and take residence for a time in a way that is not productive for healing, don't partake in this story. 

If you are like me though, you identify with some hurts and feel a deep connection to the leading lady. You are therefore are able to interject yourself into her story, and as she hurts, you hurt, as she grows, you grow- and her healing begins to become your own. And where those may trigger moments of pain, you're in a space to allow you to grow too. 

A personal note: This book and movie, for me personally, are far more than entertainment. It's being dragged as "soft core porn" and "Christian erotica" - and if that's how you feel about it, you have completely missed the whole point of the story. (If however, you have the same standard for all of your media consumption, I would never ask you to violate that to watch this movie.) But each and every scene, from the abusive to the love making, were done beyond tastefully, and with purpose. Drawn from the book of Hosea, the story tackles some hard truths, and for me exposed my own warped views of love and relationships, viewing them as objects with which to bargain. As Angel traded sex for money, food or safety, I hurt for her, knowing I made trades of my own for feelings of validation and companionship that were not mine to have. A huge part of Angel's story, from which the whole name came, is learning to redefine and redeem love. Even after their marriage, Michal will not consummate the relationship with her, until she was able to view the moment not as an exchange- but a shared experience. His patience, love, and tenderness display more than just an "ideal" guy we can fantasize up, he directly shows Christlike love, and uses his marriage as a reflection of God's love to his adulterous people. 

I will reiterate- if you maintain certain standards for all of your media viewing - don't violate them. No one is forcing you to watch this movie. If however you are annihilating it due to the fact that it was penned by a Christian author, for Christ driving purposes, and you don't like the content- I urge you to jump into the story a little more. Understand why those moments of redemption are so important to the story. We don't see any explicit nudity, but we do get to witness a woman who has never known and understood love, learn it- and not just in the bedroom. In how she treats her husband overall. 

In conclusion, the movie stuck well to the book. I will own this film, and I will watch it. I will probably weep every time I watch it, as I weep every time I read it. I left today, with the same sense of "I'm redeemed" as I do when I finish the book. 

I came home and wrapped my arms around around my gracious man, I thanked him for extending grace to me, and asked him to keep being patient with me, as I will always continue to learn love, how to love better, and continue to learn how to define love by God's standard, and not my own.