I don't have cable at home beyond the local channels and WGN, but I was lucky to be at a motel when this aired.
I had a totally different view of the Amish from the way this movie depicted them. They didn't have electricity or modern conveniences, but they had nice houses. They were not uptight or judgmental, except for shunning members of their group who chose to leave. The children seemed happy; almost no one wanted to experience life on the outside.
And these people showed the true meaning of forgiveness like I have never seen it. One of the best performances, and one of the best illustrations of the true meaning of forgiveness, came from an actor playing a gray-bearded farmer who raised corn. Sorry I don't know his name.
Of course one of these people had doubts and nearly lost her faith. Who wouldn't? In fact, one woman who lost two children knew she should forgive but seemed to stay mad at the man who committed the terrible deed; she forgave him many times a day. In a sense, that's what forgiveness means, although I'm sure it should mean to forgive once and never have to do it again. But this woman really seemed to understand her faith and was just having great difficulty.
One of the most powerful statements was the way these people supported the widow of the shooter; a group of men came to her house not to chastise her but to forgive her husband and to ask what she needed from them.
I don't recall any weaknesses in the film. Everyone did a good job of acting. Even the TV reporters who had major roles showed the true meaning of what journalism should be in this situation, as opposed to the vultures who were the majority.
I was very surprised at the plain-vanilla TV-PG V-chip rating. But there's nothing here that would make the film inappropriate for older children. True, it is suggested some children die, and we see the grief and hear about what happened, but what happened in that schoolhouse is never shown. It's as mild as it can possibly be considering the circumstances. The description by one survivor who woke up from a coma once again drives home the point about what good Christians these people are.
Everyone should see this.
I had a totally different view of the Amish from the way this movie depicted them. They didn't have electricity or modern conveniences, but they had nice houses. They were not uptight or judgmental, except for shunning members of their group who chose to leave. The children seemed happy; almost no one wanted to experience life on the outside.
And these people showed the true meaning of forgiveness like I have never seen it. One of the best performances, and one of the best illustrations of the true meaning of forgiveness, came from an actor playing a gray-bearded farmer who raised corn. Sorry I don't know his name.
Of course one of these people had doubts and nearly lost her faith. Who wouldn't? In fact, one woman who lost two children knew she should forgive but seemed to stay mad at the man who committed the terrible deed; she forgave him many times a day. In a sense, that's what forgiveness means, although I'm sure it should mean to forgive once and never have to do it again. But this woman really seemed to understand her faith and was just having great difficulty.
One of the most powerful statements was the way these people supported the widow of the shooter; a group of men came to her house not to chastise her but to forgive her husband and to ask what she needed from them.
I don't recall any weaknesses in the film. Everyone did a good job of acting. Even the TV reporters who had major roles showed the true meaning of what journalism should be in this situation, as opposed to the vultures who were the majority.
I was very surprised at the plain-vanilla TV-PG V-chip rating. But there's nothing here that would make the film inappropriate for older children. True, it is suggested some children die, and we see the grief and hear about what happened, but what happened in that schoolhouse is never shown. It's as mild as it can possibly be considering the circumstances. The description by one survivor who woke up from a coma once again drives home the point about what good Christians these people are.
Everyone should see this.