Acts of God

Before I get into my review of the film, let me first bring you into the context in which I viewed it:About 9 years ago, my brother returned from the Iraq war with PTSD. A few weeks ago, he agreed to get help. After 4 years of trying to have children, my wife and I finally conceived. Right after she told me she was pregnant, we told both sets of parents. The next day, we miscarried. We drove back to my parents (where we had been the previous day) and with heavy hearts, shared the news. On the way home, I saw a father pushing his baby son in a stroller - the little dude was wearing a Superman t-shirt (I loved Superman as a kid). That moment was cruel to me. It's crazy how emotions can turn blessings for other people into our curses. When my wife and I got home, though it was just approaching dusk, we crawled into bed and wept. To this day, we haven't come close to getting pregnant again. Two years later, my wife's dad checked himself into the hospital where they treated him for pneumonia. Having never been to the hospital a day in his life, when we found out that's what it was, we thought "No big deal. He'll be in and out". Three months later, in the full presence of his wife and children, he died of an infection in the ICU. I was there when he took his last gargled breath. With snot and tears, I hugged his cold, lifeless body goodbye. He died at the age of 64 - on his 41st wedding anniversary - the day he set the goal to stand up and give my mother-in-law a big hug. During this ordeal, both my grandma and grandpa died and a friend from work was shot and killed. This last May, my dad's 18 year battle with prostate cancer came to an end. I was at his bedside when he took his last breath. He died in the comfort of his living room - also in the full presence of family. Just as I had done with my father-in-law, I hugged his cold, lifeless body goodbye. Even while we waited for his body to be picked up, knowing he wasn't there, I continued to talk to him as if he was. (The mad things we do when we're hurting). Two weeks ago, my brother and sister-in-law buried their 3-week old son - my nephew. He was supposed to be our ray of hope in the midst of this present darkness. Now, our grief has deepened...If there's anything I've learned from this last year - its the meaning of empathy. There is a chasm between the living and the dead and love rended is a lifelong affliction that cannot be comforted with even the kindest of words from the most well-intentioned hearts. Empathy suffers with you. It patiently sits and listens and responds to you in your time - according to your needs. If it were not for the historical testimony of Yeshua's life, death and resurrection, I would be an atheist. God became man - The zenith of empathy...the Creator humbling Himself to suffer with (and for) His creation because He is love. And Love does not remain aloof, offering only trite platitudes...it enters with tempered tongue, a burdened heart and open arms. And this is the paradox of suffering - there would be no pain in loss if love wasn't there first. To love is to risk.I know I took a long time getting here (thank you for your patience), but I wanted to frame my present reality as I watched this film. Now on with the chlorophyll...As a follower of Jesus and to some degree, an aesthete, I'm always especially attentive to art produced by Christians. Be it print, film, literature, theater or music, I hope to find meticulous talent that expresses the excellence of God. There's a disheartening imbalance that exists in the arts: faith-affirming, redeeming stories suffer from lack of authenticity, talent and creative vision while stories championing cynicism and carnal revelry are excellently crafted. Budget, typically an excuse, is a non-issue. (Two solid films for example - Sylvester Stallone made Rocky on a $1 million dollar budget; Christopher Nolan made the Following with $6000) Creativity, skill and conviction are shamefully (and ironically) missing from the arts within Christendom (By the way...total tangent but if you have a chance, see Max McLean's stage production of CS Lewis' Great Divorce and Screwtape Letters - examples of excellence).This being said, when I read about Acts of God a few months ago, I was intrigued by the premise and curious how they executed it. At that time, I think it was only showing in select theaters. I had forgotten about it but then last week, I noticed it was available on DVD here on Amazon. It's 7.9 rating on imdb.com offered just enough promise to convince me to make the blind purchase.When I popped in the DVD, I had no clue where the story would take me. I just knew it dealt with the age-old existential question of pain and suffering and God's role in it - something very personal to me right now. So when I decided to watch the movie, I was vulnerably inviting the filmmakers to speak into my grief. As such, I kept the writers at arms length, never fully trusting them to respect me. Cynically, I was ready for the Hallmark saccharine - the pat answers to difficult questions - the evangelical sales pitch dressed in cheesy manipulative melodrama - two dimensional characters moved by the magic hand of God who swoops in to bail everyone out with a wink and a smile wrapped in a blinding light that assures everyone that everything's going to be ok. I was also (ignorantly) expecting underwhelming filmmaking.The first few minutes confirmed these expectations - reminding me that this was indeed a low-budget film. It was awkwardly staged and I was a bit confused with the relationships, but as I hung in there and the story started to unfold, I buckled myself in with anticipation. And this is where Shane Sooter (writer/director) and Ninie Hammon (co-writer) succeed: They don't take us for a Sunday Drive...they lead-foot it right into the heart of the valley of the shadow of death. Through the entanglement of complex characters with an array of afflictions, they show through their writing that they really understand the journey of grief and the presence of God within the tension of despair and hope; justice and mercy, anger and forgiveness, doubt and faith - entering whole heartedly into the worlds of the victim and the victimizer, those on the inside of pain and those on the outside trying to help. Overall, I was surprised to be satisfied with what I believe to be an authentically crafted film that boasts strong acting performances, a poignant score, patient direction, creative cinematography and a believable, raw, engrossing story with characters I was invested in. Well-timed natural injections of levity helped me breathe (between tears...yes I cried) :) In Acts of God, there are no simple answers. Just real fumbling attempts at love within the mystery of the present. The 'interweaving story lines' plot device can come across as forced but it felt completely natural and believable. Flashbacks are also used well to create mystery and hooked me into wanting to know more about the characters as the narrative progressed. I did have to forgive the film for editing miscues in a few parts that left me confused and for one character's story arc that wasn't completely fleshed out, leaving me wanting to know more (what happened to David and the kids at the Orphanage after the hurricane?) However, considering the impact the overall story had on me, these criticisms are negligible. I was left with a heavy heart, feeling both understood and convicted to love others and myself as God loves me. All in all, I'm grateful to the filmmakers for expending their time, energy, talents and money to make this. It was certainly a cathartic viewing for me - a bridge from God's heart into mine.4/5(Update: Knowing it would bless my family, I showed it to my wife and mother this evening. They too were moved to tears and impressed by its honesty. I plan on buying a couple copies to give to other members of my family)If I may, I'd like to end with a quote from the prolific writer (and ex-atheist) GK Chesterton that frames the heart of this movie and why I loved it:"Christianity is the only religion on earth that has felt that omnipotence made God incomplete. Christianity alone felt that God, to be wholly God, must have been a rebel as well as a king. Alone of all creeds, Christianity has added courage to the virtues of the Creator. For the only courage worth calling courage must necessarily mean that the soul passes a breaking point -- and does not break. In this indeed I approach a matter more dark and awful than it is easy to discuss; and I apologize in advance if any of my phrases fall wrong or seem irreverent touching a matter which the greatest saints and thinkers have justly feared to approach. But in the terrific tale of the Passion there is a distinct emotional suggestion that the author of all things (in some unthinkable way) went not only through agony, but through doubt. It is written, "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." No; but the Lord thy God may tempt Himself; and it seems as if this was what happened in Gethsemane. In a garden Satan tempted man: and in a garden God tempted God. He passed in some superhuman manner through our human horror of pessimism. When the world shook and the sun was wiped out of heaven, it was not at the crucifixion, but at the cry from the cross: the cry which confessed that God was forsaken of God. And now let the revolutionists choose a creed from all the creeds and a god from all the gods of the world, carefully weighing all the gods of inevitable recurrence and of unalterable power. They will not find another god who has himself been in revolt. Nay (the matter grows too difficult for human speech), but let the atheists themselves choose a god. They will find only one divinity who ever uttered their isolation; only one religion in which God seemed for an instant to be an atheist."― G.K. Chesterton, OrthodoxyAmen.

Used this with a Spanish speaking couple who were grieving the loss of their son in a car accident. It has Spanish subtitles. Excellent study, Through many tears, this is also a most healing study for people of any kind of "loss". It covers those questions you want to yell out to God when you can't make sense of life tragedies. So well presented in DVD format, taking each situation and having a lesson for discussion after. I would recommend showing the whole DVD first and then doing the various lessons (which also start with part of the main story.) Very healing!

I decided not to use this for my small group study at church because it was too depressing for the group. This would work well for a bereavement group or for people that had suffered a tremendous loss (such as loss of a child). There is a message of forgiveness at the end of the movie which is very powerful. I have not done the study yet but have watched the entire film to preview it before facilitating the study.

Terrible Movie. I do NOT recommend it! It blames all horrible occurences on GOD and doesn't tie in that this world is imperfect and that we NEED GOD to survive it and that Satan's influence exists among it and that's why there is sickness and death and destruction! The movie is called "Acts of GOD" as if HE is the one causing all of these horrific things! It wasn't in GOD's original plan to have everyone separated or the fact that this is not our final destination. We can't forget that as long as there is evil in this world, that it originates from Satan who created separation and isolation. Through Christ we have unity with our loved ones again. People need to stop looking at GOD like he is a villain. GOD himself gave his only son as a sacrifice to die for us so through HIM we can all have everlasting life. HE is familiar with pain and suffering. It's the enemy who causes pain and suffering and death. This film was a terrible depiction of the GOD I serve and the Christian I am. This is why I'm giving it a poor rating. Plus it took forever to be shipped 👎

Did not like. I thought it was a corney movie.

Used our other copy for a bible study group at church. Got this copy for a door prize after the study was over. Would recommend to anyone doing a group bible study. It gave me more understanding of how God could allow bad things in our lives but also made me want to know God more and to be closer to him.

The old dilema; why do 'bad things' happen to 'good people'? Well, this film revolves around seemingly unrelated bad things happening in the lives of a dozen people. Trajic things. Things that can't be good, in and of themselves. This time, we get to see how they play out together all all the situations work out for the good of those involved. Wonderful.

Going through tough times from the perspective of the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. This study answers that question we all ask at some point in our lives. Some seem to have more than their share of suffering. But this study will bring you great understanding and comfort. I can't wait for the movie to be released.

Awesome,powerful

Thank you

Excellent