Director: Kevin Downes * Cast: Sean Astin, Erin Bethea, Kenton Duty, Sammi Hanratty, Savannah Jayde, Patty Duke. 2012. Running time: 80 minutes.
This is a double narrative which connects a contemporary situation on young people with the strange story of Hosea in the Old Testament. Sin has its consequences, but the unfailing love of God heals. Hosea’s story is intriguing in that God uses the prophet as a symbol of His relationship to Israel.
Hosea is a potter by profession but he preaches to his people warning of impending doom for Israel, about to be conquered by its enemies, which goes unheeded, just like his wife going after rich men and gets sold off as a slave. Yahweh orders Hosea to marry Gomer, an adulterous woman, and beget children. Hosea obeys, knowing the unfaithfulness of his wife. His unconditional, self-effacing love finally redeems her. Hosea rescues her from the slave market, giving a high price of fifteen pieces of silver and a measure of barley.
This story is recalled in a setting where a group of teenagers spending a church youth retreat camp in the woods led by Stuart and his wife Beth. Ashley, a troubled and rebellious teenager from a dysfunctional family, joins a small group of young fellow parishioners in a weekend camping programme. A wounded soul, she chooses to be left alone and has little to do with religious life or the Bible. They sit around listening to the unique story of Hosea presented in a few flashbacks and we come to know how the prophet embodies the unconditional love of God for his people calling them to repentance. We are taken back to the Old Testament times where the prophet has to deal with unfaithfulness at two levels: the unfaithfulness of his wife in the family and the unfaithfulness and rejection of God by the people of Israel towards their God. The story brings about a change in the hearts of the youth, especially Ashley.
A Time for Heaven
Director: Craig McMahon * Cast: Julie Van Lith, Mitch Etter, Bill Wetherill. 2017. Running time: 88 minutes.
Based on a true story, the movie looks at the last days of a dying man. Julie, a dedicated Christian nurse, works in a palliative care centre. Her life mission is to share her faith with the patients and provide them consolation and joy during their final days on earth. Once she is assigned to care for an old and embittered man named Mr. Mitchell, who has only a week to live. Julie’s efforts to bring him to God are brushed aside by the dying man.
Mitchell is an atheist. God and religion are repugnant to him. Overriding his reluctance, Julie learns that Mitchell has no relatives and has been divorced or separated from his wife a long time. She secretly recovers a photograph from Mitchell’s drawer. She learns that the picture is of the old man’s children, while they were young. She cares for the old man like a daughter and is able to learn more about his background story. She is rudely surprised when she discovers that she is in fact Mitchell’s daughter. Her adoptive mother had hidden the fact from her. She confronts the old woman and seeks to know the whereabouts of her brother. Julie is shocked when she learns from Mitchell that he had given her up for adoption when his marriage fell apart after the birth of her brother and the mother took to alcohol and drugs. He had hoped that the children would have a better life and he had no knowledge of their whereabouts. He also does not want to meet them at this stage. The detective helps Julie find her lost brother, who is actually her acquaintance Stefan the electrician. She traces him out. Mitchell is finally reconciled with his children and makes his peace with God.
Prof Gigy Joseph
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