I'm alarmed by the amount of negative reviews this film has received. It doesn't deserve as much hate as it's received, and I'll explain why.
For starters, this film does NOT serve as an exploitative take on the Columbine shooting. In fact, that's really only a small portion of the content of the film. Ultimately, it's not so much about the quality of the film but the purpose and intention, especially considering one like this. There are plenty of films that are expertly crafted and yet reprehensible in their messages, but would be lauded for the former and even the latter.
For starters, this is a very well-made film, near superb. The cinematography, camerawork, editing, and lighting are all good, sometimes terrific, with very powerful images and striking shots. The scene with Rachel walking the edge of the building is hauntingly well-executed. Accompanied by the depth that she is given as a person, it's top-notch.
This was a young girl as conflicted and flawed as any one of us, despite her faith. She isn't depicted as a total saint or a complete do-gooder, but rather as someone who chose to do good, despite having many instances in which she was rebellious, even making wrong decisions in her walk and still feeling empty when everything seemed to be going good. The depiction of Rachel dealing with her emotions is so raw and believable that there's no way this could be seen as exploitive. She was seeking a more intimate relationship with Christ and struggled to see Him, but she never gave up. The performance given by Masey McLain is OUTSTANDING! Not only does she look like her, but she sounds like her. Rachel Joy Scott may have been a Believer in Christ, but that didn't mean that she was sterile, bland, without personality, uninteresting, or sinless, so I STRONGLY admire the realism that was put it in to making her come to life on-screen. I can't really complain about the music choices because it'd be too expensive to license music from the 90s, but what is there works.
So that covers the filmmaking aspect of it; yet does it deliver a good message?
Yes, I'm happy to report. All of this talk about it being exploitation is nonsense. The reality is that the media simply doesn't like the Christian message that's a huge part of this film, considering that it wants to be an accurate depiction of... a victim who was actually a Christian. Why are people so opposed to the way this person lived her life? She wanted to make an impact on others, and that's how she was remembered. She fought to live her life for Christ, and being the victim of a horrendous act of violence, it's all the more tragic.
She wasn't perfect in her walk with Christ, but she seemed to have a heart of gold. The beliefs shown in the film are what she wanted to project in public, and it's honorable that her mother continues her legacy of spreading love.
I highly recommend watching this movie carefully, and if you do, you'll notice that it doesn't use tragedy to exploit. Even though there are conflictions with this, if the last words she gave were truly what she said, then I can only commend her for her nobility in her beliefs in Jesus Christ. This movie had me all kinds of emotional. Loved it.
For starters, this film does NOT serve as an exploitative take on the Columbine shooting. In fact, that's really only a small portion of the content of the film. Ultimately, it's not so much about the quality of the film but the purpose and intention, especially considering one like this. There are plenty of films that are expertly crafted and yet reprehensible in their messages, but would be lauded for the former and even the latter.
For starters, this is a very well-made film, near superb. The cinematography, camerawork, editing, and lighting are all good, sometimes terrific, with very powerful images and striking shots. The scene with Rachel walking the edge of the building is hauntingly well-executed. Accompanied by the depth that she is given as a person, it's top-notch.
This was a young girl as conflicted and flawed as any one of us, despite her faith. She isn't depicted as a total saint or a complete do-gooder, but rather as someone who chose to do good, despite having many instances in which she was rebellious, even making wrong decisions in her walk and still feeling empty when everything seemed to be going good. The depiction of Rachel dealing with her emotions is so raw and believable that there's no way this could be seen as exploitive. She was seeking a more intimate relationship with Christ and struggled to see Him, but she never gave up. The performance given by Masey McLain is OUTSTANDING! Not only does she look like her, but she sounds like her. Rachel Joy Scott may have been a Believer in Christ, but that didn't mean that she was sterile, bland, without personality, uninteresting, or sinless, so I STRONGLY admire the realism that was put it in to making her come to life on-screen. I can't really complain about the music choices because it'd be too expensive to license music from the 90s, but what is there works.
So that covers the filmmaking aspect of it; yet does it deliver a good message?
Yes, I'm happy to report. All of this talk about it being exploitation is nonsense. The reality is that the media simply doesn't like the Christian message that's a huge part of this film, considering that it wants to be an accurate depiction of... a victim who was actually a Christian. Why are people so opposed to the way this person lived her life? She wanted to make an impact on others, and that's how she was remembered. She fought to live her life for Christ, and being the victim of a horrendous act of violence, it's all the more tragic.
She wasn't perfect in her walk with Christ, but she seemed to have a heart of gold. The beliefs shown in the film are what she wanted to project in public, and it's honorable that her mother continues her legacy of spreading love.
I highly recommend watching this movie carefully, and if you do, you'll notice that it doesn't use tragedy to exploit. Even though there are conflictions with this, if the last words she gave were truly what she said, then I can only commend her for her nobility in her beliefs in Jesus Christ. This movie had me all kinds of emotional. Loved it.