Over-the-Rhine

I really enjoyed The Healing River, written and directed by Mitch Teemley. In this movie we meet a mother and her brother, a priest, as they try to reconcile God in their lives after her son was killed by a young man who was drunk and high on drugs. I do not want to give the story away, so will say no more about the plot, but how it made me feel. My emotions were all over the place. I can't imagine what it would feel like to lose a child to a senseless accident that could have been prevented. At times I was angry, I was even sobbing at points. I wanted to wrap my arms around different characters as they tried to move forward through their grief. Christine Jones, in her role as the grieving mother, Ingrid Amblin, does an amazing job portraying the rage and anger that a person can feel in this situation. Her gradual change and move to forgiveness is well done, with hesitation, back tracking and eventual acceptance, which made it realistic and believable. Father Peter showed how even a priest is human and his anger at God was totally believable. Again, my heart was broken watching them move forward. Rupert Spraul, who played Alec McCortland was a great character. He oozed contempt, hatred at himself, and anger and I enjoyed watching him as he realized that he was not worthless and there were people who cared about it. I know that God can provide comfort, if we let him, but that is not always easy. This movie shows how difficult that can be, but also the peace that comes with it when we forgive, accept and love. I definitely recommend this wonderful movie to those looking for great acting, a wonderful plot and a story of how God can work in our lives, even under the worst circumstances.