Return to the Garden (2015) User Reviews

Beautiful and Haunting

[davidmschroeder · 10/10 · 5 December 2015]

After watching "Return to the Garden," I was forced to sit down and think about it for awhile. There is beauty yet a haunting in "Return to the Garden" that captures what is behind our joy and pain we experience through life. The lead male actor referred to the pain as "it wasn't supposed to be like this." We start life with so much joy and freedom but pain, sin, and disappointment creep in and we are tempted to throw in the towel like this young couple considers. The movie naturally put me in a place to reflect on my own life and how I have experienced similar ups and downs. That is what a good film does, whether 2 hours or 15 minutes - it brings the viewer personally into the story. There are few filmmakers, who happen to be Christian, who have the courage and ability to let the visuals and story tell the message without shouting it out.

Our world is lovely and tragic, and Parks nailed what is underneath this journey. I even sensed a young Terrence Malick in him in the style and storyline. Parks is an outstanding young writer and director and I am excited to see what is next.

Hope in the midst of tragedy

[krog85 · 9/10 · 8 December 2015]

In an age when Christian films tell too much or explain why everything happens for a reason, "Return to the Garden" offers a realistic yet hopeful look at some of life's darkest themes. There is a reason the world is the way it is, and this film is not afraid to go there. We are reminded that things weren't supposed to be this way, but this is the story we find ourselves in. All too often we believe things will never get better or that hope is lost. Yes, darkness is prevalent in our world today but it will not always be. The smallest amount of light can pierce through and change everything. We need to see and hear more stories like this, no matter what the headlines say.

...too often true...

[sethechristian · 7/10 · 23 November 2015]

Though somewhat suburbanized, Return to the Garden possesses a gentle hand of forgiveness that is universally relatable. D. Erik Parks possesses a good craft of evoking a spirit of hope and reconciliation in his writing and directing. He has a gentle touch, in which, you can't help but WANT to like all his characters. This film not only deals with the loss of a child, but the typical aftermath of how a tragedy like that leads to disengagement and marital juxtaposition. And, its too often true of marriages ending awry from such unfortunate circumstances, this film offers light at the end of any tunnel. It dishes up a huge serving of hope!

Fruitful First

[dave-3499 · 4 December 2015]

This first attempt at a short film for VCE Productions renders much fruit: Middle Tennessee in all its glory; Native players Allee Hethcoat and Isaiah Stratton finding the moments to emotionally connect in a decidedly minimal script; A refreshingly subtle and helpful approach to difficult subject matter; and an original score by local Nashville musicians Lucas Morton and Max Hoffman that gently ushers you and me into the emotional realities we're seeing. Most compelling, perhaps, is the thought that multi-million dollar film budgets aim at and achieve ownership of a piece of our emotional real estate… Its so refreshing when we must forfeit a full acre to a contrasted budget of 3k. Clearly, D. Erik Parks and Jake Hutchison love film. More please.