Firelight

The move has a lot of heart and is inspirational but more than anything, it has a place where minors who a troubled get to feel cared for and get to learn how they can make better decisions for their lives. A place where people in the same struggle can become friends and either choose to grow together or go down hill together. I think more places need institutions like these and programmes like these for the rehabilitation of troubles minors.

A character in the movie got caught stealing because her parents forgot to feed her, strung up on drugs, so she was starving and stole some food. They don't have it easy and a lot of criminal-ism begins like this. These programmes help people like her.

Gives them a chance to see that they have a life and a destiny and they can choose the life they want. In my opinion for some it was a safe haven. It has sad scenes but the plot was absolutely marvelous.

I'm a Tough, cynical Old white man. But even in these horrible Trump times, This movie about essential goodness of young imprisoned minority girls Was heart warming.

Seeing all the big budget movies these days with almost no redeeming value whatsoever it's a delight to find a jewel like this just out of pure good fortune.

A movie made for TV, with Cuba Jr seemed at first a normal to mediocre movie about girls in a correctional facility, but what appeared to be a regular movie turn out to be wonderful because of the little details.

Cuba is great at showing as the good guy, this role suits him perfectly, it doesn't seem forced, the rest of the girls plays their part too, with impeccable acting. What stand out the most about this movie is it's kindness toward humanity, the good message that flows through the movie and don't come out forced, incredible so.

DeWanda Wise truly shines in this movie, it's character is by far the more complex in this movie, the direction and script also gave her a lot of freedom to express as a truly wonderful actress, the sad parts really made me cry and it's partly due to her wonderful work.

it's hard to find movies with a true heart these days, where violence and killing are glorified by Hollywood as trademarks of "entertainment". This movie is anti-violence on it's guts, beautifully shot, with very good timing and without being forced upon.

If you're in for a good movie about human mistakes and redemption (not religious) this movie IS for you.

Nicely done!

Now i'm thrilled, there is still plenty of good movies out there to watch and there is still good art to be found in the cinema industry.

A solid 8 out of 10.

I loved the message in the movie, it was inspiring. But the film moved at a slow pace and felt too good to be real. It felt like a fairy tale, because in a way it is. It's not based on a true story.

It's true, so many minors have sad stories that force them into crime and because of it they end up on a bad path. And the story was inspiring to show how, one person willing to care can make a difference. And I hope there are places like this in today's world, But I think the fairytale aspect of the movie is that it shows one degree to the next in the persons life. And because of the change made in prison, these people are now set on the right path for life. Unfortunately, in reality when they get out it's going to very hard for them to stay on that path. And the degree of change felt a little over done.

Overall, the cast was okay, Cuba Gooding was amazing as always. Dewanada Wise was perfect, her acting really stood out. But unfortunately the lead actress Q'orianka Kilcher did not meet expectations for me. She didn't feel believable for me and it made it harder to watch when everyone else seemed to shine more then her. I think the movie could have used more firefighting action, it moved a little slow in this area. And seemed to be lacking in something.

Great message, clean film, but B rated cast and a lacking storyline.

The Hallmark Channel has a winner in this very slow-starting but finally compelling movie of how young girls redeem themselves at a Youth Correctional Facility. The movie starts out looking a lot like a standard girls in prison movie -- without the usual cheap-movie lesbian subtext -- as Q'orianka Kilcher winds up in prison and is tempted by the safety and rewards of a gang and the self-respect of joining a firefighting group. In many ways this movie is a throwback to the prison reform movies of the 1930s.

Although Cuba Gooding Jr. is the big name for this movie and Ms. Kilcher the lead, the script shows us other girls, to illustrate the various choices and phases of the process. DeWanda Wise has the most interestingly written role and performs well.

Although there is little out of the ordinary in this movie, its earnest good will and insistence on the basics of real story-telling -- the change of human character -- make it a superior work that made my eyes tear up towards the end.