Trama

Follow this Unlikely Family as it challenges the archaic ideology that being openly gay - and Christian - is incompatible.

Set in Tulsa, Oklahoma-home of legendary televangelist Oral Roberts--Unlikely Family depicts a progressive church family coming together in the most unlikely of places. The film follows a group of people rejected by mainstream churches, society, their families, and their jobs because of divorce, sexuality, and ignorance of religion. The movie demonstrates what people faced in 1995 and still face today when they don't fit the mold prescribed by biblical "clobber scriptures." The film challenges traditional "my way or the highway" views of salvation that straitjacket lives with narrow values and ideals.—Russ Kirkpatrick

When Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy wrote, in the majority opinion of Obergefell et al. v. Hodges, Director, Ohio Department of Health, et al., the landmark decision declaring same-sex marriage a constitutional right, "No longer may this liberty be denied...No union is more profound than marriage, for it embodies the highest ideals of love, fidelity, devotion, sacrifice and FAMILY..." The decision changed the landscape of the LGBT community's fight for equality, both inside the church doors and out, and came against the backdrop of fast-moving changes in public opinion. Two short years later, the Supreme Court is positioning itself to weigh in on what is subversively characterized as the exercise of "religious freedom." Having lost the battle over same-sex marriage, the most conservative of the religious community refuse to concede the war - and refuse to offer marriage related services, such as cake making, to same-sex couples. In Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the Supreme Court will soon hear arguments from a Colorado baker, who refused to create a wedding cake for a David Mullins and Charlie Craig, who, in turn, filed successful discrimination charges with the civil rights commission and State court. Given the current political environment, the Supreme Court's decision as to whether denying same-sex couples bakery, florist and photography services in the context of marriage amounts to exercise of religious freedom or simply another form of unlawful discrimination will undoubtedly, again, push the issues of sexual orientation and religion to the forefront of national attention.

UNLIKELY FAMILY, a compelling and thought provoking feature documentary, tells the heartwarming story of a very traditional worship style, yet extremely progressive, church in the heart of America's "bible belt," that overcame societal backlash, financial peril and the devastating loss of founding parishioners to create a faith-centered refuge for those too often left feeling like modern-day lepers to the religious community. Those outcast because of divorce, addiction and, most notably, homosexuality. Rejecting what many theologians consider antiquated and out-of-context biblical passages misconstrued and manipulated to clobber the LGBT community, the Pastor of St. Jerome's Parish, in Tulsa, Oklahoma of all places, together with a group of volunteer disciples from the community, finally decided to throw off the shackles of guilt, shame and fear carried for far too long in the shadows of the faith community, to not only create a place they are finally free to worship together in the open, but also serve as a shining beacon of hope to those who share their gut-wrenching experiences of attempting to draw near to a loving God in religious organizations where soul quenching compassion is too often so difficult to find.

In-depth interviews interweaved with historical church footage takes religious and secular audiences, alike, through St. Jerome's journey through various trials and tribulations that would have discouraged all but the most faithful and dedicated visionaries to a place of triumph, as the church now stands as a unquestionable example of Christ-like disciples serving each other and the community in which they worship - regardless of their sexual orientation. While there is certainly a place for documentaries addressing the political aspects of gay rights, the power of UNLIKELY FAMILY lies in its "wolf in sheep clothing" attack on the hypocritical discrimination of the LGBT community found in far too many religious organizations. By displaying "unlikely strength" to bring to fruition their "unlikely idea" in one of the most "unlikely places," UNLIKELY FAMILY does not allow even the most conservative religious zealots the opportunity to ignore the "unlikely faith" of a group of "unlikely disciples," nor the "unlikely triumph" they have achieved. Rather than make a political statement, UNLIKELY FAMILY tells a story of faith and compels even the most skeptical of the LGBT community to give thought to the notion that those too often dismissed as "sinners" share not only the same faith, but also are recipients of the same Godly love. Rather than attempt to change hearts and minds with political discourse, the film attempts to "move the needle" by forcing the audience to recognize that religious freedoms belong to all people of all faiths - regardless of sexual orientation, country of origin, or socio-economic status.

Chad Reineke & Russ Kirkpatrick