God Bless the Broken Road

While not "the best movie I've ever seen". It was a sweet story about faith & family. Bring your tissues!

This is for those that continually bash Christian movies. If there is a movie that I know I don't want to see or that I will disagree with the content - guess what I don't go - I don't get around people or websites and bash or criticize the movie calling it bad simple because I don't agree with it.

I was privileged to be given access to a streamed copy of this new picture due to be released tomorrow. The film focuses on a mother and daughter whose husband and father were killed in Afghanistan in 2014 - a loss which neither have dealt with as they try to continue a normal life.

But life does go on - people enter our lives, circumstances overwhelm us, and life feels like it is crashing in on us. But even in the midst of crisis God continues to offer His love - we may not see it, may even run from it, He offers His love if we will listen.

Finding God's grace in the midst of a busy life is sometimes difficult. There may be pain, waiting maybe hard, and finding Him will often require tears. Such is the case for Amber and Bree as they find God's grace in the middle life's difficulties.

If you do not yet have a movie in your sights for this week, let me suggest that you consider seeing God Bless The Broken Road. It will be worth your time. _____________ This review is based on a free screening provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

I loved some things about the movie and I also had some concerns.

Amber being the Lead character in the movie, one would expect that the establishing shot captures her or her abode; but that was not the case.

While I wished the news about Darren Hill was delivered in a different setting than the church, I also wouldn't be fair if I didn't mention the Close-up shot of the tambourine as it landed on the floor, sending waves of the impact of the message being delivered to Amber. Great shot I must say.

Wished an older lady was cast as Darren's mum as Patti could easily pass off as his wife rather than his mother.

The gun battle between Darren's platoon and the Taliban was quite chaotic and even the expression on Darren and Nelson's face as they lay on the ground didn't suit the scenario.

Had concerns about Amber's costumes too. Was expecting a different outfit other than her regular outfit on her date with Cody, but loved the beautiful dress she wore at the climax to the church.

Favorite Lines: "Sometimes God's plan for our lives may be different than we hoped."

Even though I wished there was more church scenes than was the case, it wasn't a terrible watch.

By and large good acting and script, although an army widow finding herself without any military income might seem a bit unreal. Churchy, but not too preachy, it explores starting out on the false premise that God is supposed to be micromanaging the whole show-if thing go wrong is it ineptitude by a caring manager, unconcern by an uncaring manager, punishment by an angry one, etc? On the other hand, if he is semi-interventionalist (philosophically sound), then the swings and roundabouts of life might often be merely cause & effect within nature, helped or hindered by our attitudes to life.

Philosophically a few might find the polytheism of some of the prayer & singing (the 'our-type-of-god' syndrome) a bit irksome. A largely satisfying film, however, with elements of self-sacrifice for others, and of self-insularity as a protective shielding (to love is to be vulnerable). And how hard a child can be to a parent who thinks they mean well, but don't realise they are drowning and dragging down their child when human affection has become demonic! The film has a feel good factor and a think through factor, but numerous holes.