A Cross to Bear

This movie attempts to bring a positive message and does succeed in bringing a positive message of compassion, courage, perseverance, forgiveness & perhaps more. If you can overlook the holes in the story then, overall, there is a good message here. Definitely room for improvement though...A woman dies in childbirth and no explanation is given initially as to what happened to the baby; then, SURPRISE! Suddenly the baby you weren't told anything about appears! The progression of this movie is very awkward. There would be no possible way that people who live in Joan's home would not find out after months of living there that Tina is Joan's daughter and what, in the first place would be the reason for attempting to even keep that a secret? Nor is it ever acknowledged or referred to in any way that Joan wanted to keep it secret that Tina was her daughter. Good message but certain aspects of story not thought through well.

The acting in this film is simply terrific. The lead actress gives an emotionally powerful depiction of her character in this tale of a woman's difficult life. The realistic emotions are displayed on-screen throughout the film, as the lead actress effectively brings emotion to the screen. Other performances also shine, as there are some note-worthy elements (good delivery of dialogue, etc.) Not only is the film well-acted, it is an inspiring story that has a good message of redemption that will surely touch audiences. Other themes include forgiveness. These themes will be powerful for many audiences. However, it is worth noting that there are some unsettling scenes that, quite frankly, disturbed me as well for a while. Particularly one scene which I will not spoil, is effectively enhanced by the emotionally powerful--and disturbing--acting. This scene could disturb sensitive viewers, and the mature themes are too much for young kids. The film deals with alcoholism, tragedy, etc. Still, this is a movie worth seeing, but best left to mature/older kids and up.

OMG!!!! I didn't know that Kim Fields had this kind of acting inside of her. Her acting in this movie was on another level. This movie was wonderful and the acting is top-notch. Danielle Deadwyler is one of the best young actresses around. She was wonderful in From Scratch and she is even better in this one. Don't get me started on Malinda Williams. She didn't have a lot of lines but she acted the heck out of what she was given. I can't say enough good things about this movie. I am just in awe of everyone acting in this movie. It is spectacular. Kudos to the directors, producers, and to the actors. Well done.