Firelight

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.

At the start of the movie, Caroline and her boyfriend are on the run after committing a robbery. She is only 17 so her boyfriend says there's no way she will do time.

Wrong.

Caroline is on a bus to the Rockwood Youth Correctional Facility. But the bus needs a tire change, and it just so happens the bus can go past a fire where the RYCF fire crew is working. The new prisoners change buses and the fire crew will wait for the new tire and use the other bus. While this is happening, Caroline is frightened by a butterfly. Naturally, the other girls laugh, but Terry shows compassion and gets the butterfly off of Caroline. And from this point on Caroline is nicknamed "Butterfly" and Terry becomes her best friend. At least once Caroline is open to having friends.

Prison is not pleasant, but it's not so bad. Caroline can't send a letter to her boyfriend, but Pedra has a way to sneak a letter to him. Unlike Terry, though, Pedra will expect some sort of benefit for her actions. Also, some of the girls bully Caroline. One reason is that Caroline is a very talented artist and the girls view her drawings of them and their families on visiting day to be an invasion of privacy. Another reason is that she does really well in school--she must finish school because of her age. It's no worse than what one might find in a inner-city school, but it's no paradise.

D.J. is the compassionate counselor who gets to go home to his family each night and who wants the best for all the girls. Some of them work on the fire crew, which gives them a purpose in life and valuable job training that will help on the outside. Plus the girls seem to have a good time when fighting fires. Terry is the crew's leader.

The funding for the fire crew might be cut. D.J. needs to find more girls to recruit or it won't be safe for them to fight fires. Terry is up for parole--and it's a good thing because her military veteran mother is dying--and so is Keisha. Replacements are needed, and not just any girl can qualify. D.J. thinks Caroline might once she turns 18, but Caroline isn't interested.

Also important to the story is Amy, who refuses to see her father, but participates in a really exciting rescue.

So will Caroline join the fire crew? Will Terry make parole?

This is a really good movie, and one families can watch together. What little violence this movie has is no worse than what would be found in a bad school. Or even a good school with some bad kids. Although there is the flashback that shows why Terry is in prison. She is a good girl and should have never ended up in prison. It was an accident, but one she could have prevented, and one for which she could have taken more responsibility. And this movie teaches a lot about making choices and making things happen in one's life. Things don't happen to you--YOU make them happen. That is the theme of this movie.

The commercials mentioned "Oscar winner" Cuba Gooding Jr., but he's not the one who gives an award-winning performance, though he does a fine job. DeWanda Wise is the one who deserves some sort of recognition, because she is outstanding. One of her best scenes is the one where she breaks the rules to teach Caroline about Plato while she is in "detention" (Caroline was fighting and is confined to a cell instead of getting to enjoy what few benefits this prisons offers). D.J. thinks this is the best thing for Caroline. And it is. And it's only the beginning for these two.

The other leading actors also do a good job. And I want to single out the black member of the parole board as well.

There are some really fun scenes. The girls like to sing, and when doing their training they do that "I don't know but I've been told" routine. There is a radio in the bus. And the girls are on the news after that exciting rescue.

This movie has a lot of heart and inspires us to do better.

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.

DJ (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a counselor who is trying to save some of girls at the youth correctional facility. He leads a group of girls volunteering to battle wildfires. The girls each have their own problems that they working through while some have problems with other girls in the facility.

The confrontations and the atmosphere inside are all well done. The acting is very good especially Q'orianka Kilcher (The New World) and DeWanda Wise. This is a very sincere Hallmark Hall of Fame TV movie. It does get into slow melodrama territory sometimes.

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.