Sharing the gospel through film has been popular for the past 30 or so years, thanks to the “JESUS” film project, a ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ International that began in 1979.
But in the last decade, “faith-based films” have moved forward in leaps and bounds with each new release challenging the quality — both technically and evangelistically — produced in years past.
The beginning of this new decade proved no different with the January theater release of “To Save a Life,” an independent film addressing the challenges teens face like premarital sex, teen pregnancy, parental divorce, peer pressure, self-mutilation, hypocrisy, depression and suicide.
“We never set out to make a Christian film,” screenwriter Jim Britts said. “We just wanted to make a film any teen would be able to connect with and love. And we, for sure, wanted to empower Christian teens to have spiritual conversations with friends and to lead friends into relationships with God.”
So Britts asked himself, “How can we make a film that’s amazing for youth ministries and youth pastors to reach their communities but also for kids who would never set foot into the church?”
The answer? Give kids something to which they can relate.
And make it real.
“We wanted to try to be a little bolder in the world we were presenting to that’s not perfect; it’s a little messy,” director Brian Baugh said. “We were hoping [the film] would ‘meet’ some people and feel more authentic and real to them so that the story would then ring a little more true and authentic.”
Britts said relating to teens where they are is vital because “the Church is missing it when it comes to missing teens.”
“There are less teens involved in church than there’s ever been,” he said. “Eighty-eight percent of teens involved in church are not going to be within a year after high school graduation. It’s because we’re not giving them real answers about following God in the life they’re in. … If we’re going to bring hope to hurting students, we need to authentically step into that hurt. We need to step into their issues, and that means it gets messy.”
But “To Save a Life” definitely didn’t worry about that, said Todd Oakley, interim student minister at Green Valley Baptist Church, Hoover, whose student ministry rented out Hoover’s Patton Creek 15 theater Jan. 24.
“It did a great job depicting high school life and the struggles [students] go through,” Oakley said. “It’s important for those issues to be addressed and get put out on the table. A lot of things the movie dealt with are tough things students deal with but things that get swept under the rug.”
And just as having a relatable story line was important, the “To Save a Life” production crew knew that making it entertaining was not an option.
“I think it’s always tricky when you’re making a movie that aims to entertain and make a message to fit into that story so people don’t felt they’re being manipulated and preached at,” Baugh said. “I’d hope this would stand out in the sense that there’s a message but that it’s an entertaining ride.
“In a paradoxical way, if the story is attractive, people will be more impacted by the theme. But when people are sitting in a theater and it gets to feeling preachy or manipulative, people have this inner mechanism that turns it off.”
Oakley said one of the things his students commented about the most after seeing the film was that “it wasn’t cheesy.”
“It was very well done, and they were blown away by the cinematography,” he said.
And while entertaining students was key to them receiving the message, Baugh and Britts both said the intent was to make an impact.
“For the kids that are in a better place, I would hope they’d be inspired to look around to those that are hurting and realize they can do something and their actions do make a difference in others’ lives,” Baugh said. “For those folks that are in a spot where they’re hurting, (I hope they learn) that they’re not alone, that there are others out there … and to know they’re loved and worthwhile.”
Britts added the hope is that the film can empower teens and show them “they can save lives by … reaching out to the hurting and lonely.”
For more information, visit www.ToSaveALifeMovie.com.
Share with others: