The Dark Side of Truth

A new film was just released that tells a provocative story. Even though it is a fictional account, it could be true. Based on the experiences of my own family, while the names and faces are different, the events are very familiar.

Back Fork is thoroughly connected to my home state of West Virginia. It was filmed there. It was written, directed and produced by people with strong roots in the Mountain State. Two of the producers, Bob and Jeff Tinnell, are my friends and I'm extremely proud of the hard work they put into this project.

West Virginia is a beautiful place and the film does a wonderful job of capturing some of that gorgeous scenery. West Virginia is also a broken place and that is clear in this movie. Over the last dozen years WV has been ravaged by addiction and death directly related to substance abuse. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse: "In 2017, there were 833 drug overdose deaths involving opioids in West Virginia - a rate of 49.6 deaths per 100,000 persons. This is double the rate in 2010 and threefold higher than the national rate of 14.6 deaths per 100,000 persons." These statistics place WV at the top of the list for drug overdose deaths in our nation. For obvious reasons people have used words like "crisis" and "epidemic" to describe this issue. But sadly, the problem seems to fade into the background like so much white noise. Enter Back Fork.

This movie is raw and graphic and poignant. At times, it is disturbing. The dark side of the truth is often disturbing, which is why we like to keep it in the dark. However, I believe it is time our nation was disturbed by this issue. These hard things, these tragic things, they need to be seen for what they are and the gravity of this issue needs to be felt. Back Fork brings all of this weight and leaves very little to the imagination.

I realize that some of my readers are conservative Christians. To be honest, this movie might be offensive to you. If you are accustomed to a pleasant, "sanitized" environment, you may not appreciate this film. But, if you are willing to risk being offended (which isn't always a bad thing) you may actually see something that will help you. Help you to see the unvarnished pain that is sometimes masked by religion and is rarely talked about openly or acknowledged in the church.

It is this pain, brokenness and addiction (that we all have) that can be healed through knowing Jesus. And while that particular hope is absent from the movie, the truth is, it is also absent in much of our world. And although some Christians know about this sort of hopelessness in theory, we rarely see it graphically depicted because we have cloistered ourselves too far away from the pain of our world. Furthermore, at times Christians fail to see that they too struggle with addictions (judgment, people pleasing, food, exercise, being right), ways we seek validation or comfort to mask our pain. Maybe these are not fatal, but they can be addictions just the same. Back Fork portrays the mess and struggle that is real. Sometimes we need to stare that mess in the face to be reminded of the magnitude of God's amazing grace - the powerful light that pierced this dark world, offering genuine hope, freedom and redemption.

Back Fork was hard for me to watch for several reasons. Mainly because it hit very close to home. For those willing to press into the dark and difficult, you might want to watch this film. Its currently available on Amazon Prime Video and few other streaming platforms.

Home Run the Movie

I'm looking forward to seeing the new film, Home Run.  It will be in theaters beginning mid April 2013.  Looks like another very inspiring movie that may resonate with many people.  You can watch the trailer here.

This one is not produced by Sherwood Pictures, my mistake.  However, it still fills the same niche as a faith-based film with a redeeming message.

It Takes Courage To Be A Father

Last night my wife and I attended a screening of Courageous, the newest film from Sherwood Pictures. This is the same company that made Fireproof and Facing the Giants.

Wow!  This film blew me away.  I'm no movie critic, but I know a good story when I seen one.  Courageous has a timely and powerful message that every parent needs to hear.  It hits theaters nationwide on September 30.

As a father, I was really challenged by this movie to be more faithful and intentional with my family.  When you realize what's at stake and the dangers that face parents and kids alike, it becomes clear that it takes courage to be a father.

"Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord." Ephesians 6:4
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The Golden Compass

The marketing blitz for the upcoming film The Golden Compass has begun. I will not be providing an endorsement for the movie here. In fact I will recommend that if you choose to lay down your hard earned cash to see this movie that you do so with careful discernment and as much knowledge as possible.

The movie is based on a book by Philip Pullman. The book is the first among a trilogy by this author. While the movie may be well made and provide entertainment, the author is a committed atheist. He certainly is welcome to believe what he will. And, he is not in the closet about his beliefs. However, Christians ought to be concerned about two things. 1) Putting money in the pocket of someone who is clearly anti-God and anti-Christ. 2) Exposing your children (or yourselves) to a message that denies absolute truth and places man at the center of the universe. You can read for yourself some of his notions here.

Apparently the movie is a toned down version of the book in that some of the anti-Christian themes have been removed. The idea, no doubt, is that once folks see the movie many will naturally want to read the entire trilogy. Watch for these books to be readily available just in time for Christmas. No Ivy League marketing degree needed to figure that one out.

This sort of anti-religious ideology and philosophy is not shocking or surprising. Our culture is replete with it. As Christians we must be aware of the traps and schemes that are being tossed about. We ought to be able to talk about them and guard against them. I suppose it would be fine for a Christian to view this film or read the books if you wished to see the opposing view as a way to argue against it. The problem is, most average church members are not discerning enough to separate the good from the bad. This reminds me, Tim Challies has a new book coming out on the issue of spiritual discernment.

There will be a natural comparison with this movie and Narnia. The theme and the genre are apparently similar. I have only seen the trailer. But, Pullman is not a fan of C. S. Lewis at all. In fact, Pullman has said, "I hate the Narnia books, and I hate them with deep and bitter passion, with their view of childhood as a golden age from which sexuality and adulthood are a falling away..."

If you are looking for a good movie to see during the holidays I'm certain there will be several to choose from. Again, I commend to you Phil Boatwright who will provide you with movie reviews from a Christian perspective. Be aware however, The Golden Compass may lead you away from your intended course.