All Saints (2017)

This is the true story of Michael Spurlock, a salesman turned Pastor of a small Smyrna Tennessee Episcopal church. It traces what happens after he's been told by the diocese he must close his church due to low attendances. The events that transpire over the difficult months that follow are as unlikely as they are remarkable. Nothing runs smoothly for Michael, his struggling family or his small band of supporters. The hardships they encounter are at times soul destroying but, hardships can also push people to work against impossible odds - in an attempt to turn them into goals that build community bonds. The outcome of this curious story is one that needs to be seen and won't be readily forgotten. What can be achieved by people of different cultures - when their ongoing communal existence is threatened - is powerful indeed. An unusual story of survival against the odds, told with intelligence, quality production values, good performances and a better than average music score.

What a wonderful movie. It said exactly what it needed to say, showing how the unredeemed need redemption, how the conflicted need to connect with the great power of God to resolve their conflicts. It artfully introduces enough "movie stuff" (like a semblance of a plot) to make you forget (for a moment or two) that you are being proselytized. All sorts of wholesome relationships are presented, including a breast-feeding mom handing her infant to guy in a baseball cap. What could be more Fantasy-Christian-America than this? Especially when women introduce themselves to other men as so-and-so's wife! Perfect!

In the bonus track of the DVD version of "All Saints," the major theme of the film was described by the film artists as one of "hope and faith." The film was shot on location of the actual All Saints church in Smyrna, Tennessee, that is the subject of the film. It was interesting to meet a number of the real people alongside the actors performing them.The main narrative focuses on the attempt to save an episcopal church in rural Tennessee that is about to be shut down and sold, due to lack of parishioners and funding. The improbable story that unfolds is a bold (or hare-brained?) plan of a dedicated pastor, Michael Spurlock, and the newest members of the congregation, a group of Karen immigrants who have fled the civil war and genocide in Burma (Myanmar), located between Bangladesh on the west and Laos and Thailand on the east. The idea is to pool their efforts in starting a farm on the church property, and sell the crops to pay off the debts and save the church.By far, the most interesting character in the film is a young man named Ye Win, who organizes his family members and friends to become an integral part of the congregation and save the church. The best scene in the film is when Ye Win delivers a speech to the bishop and church administrators in an effort to buy time in saving the church. He wins over the elders by arguing that "we are one family."The film was not as successful in developing how the members of the Smyrna community rallied around the farm idea that ultimately gave the church a new identity. Much of the action was overly sentimental and melodramatic. And, for an episcopal church in the south, it was surprising that there was very little church ritual presented in the dramatized church services, which were far too informal and unstructured. In the bonus track, it was noted that the struggle to develop the farm and race against the clock was not merely an effort to save the church, but to save each other. But, as depicted in the film, the characters were so resourceful that it really did not appear that they needed any "saving." The more important drama was how they came together in a shared purpose and inspired others who eventually flocked to Smyrna to be a part of something that is all but vanishing in today's world: the vital importance of people working together and developing a unique bonding as a community.

Mild spoilers at best, no bombshells. I was somewhat pushed to watching this movie in the theater. We had seen previews of it and a short story on television about the making of the movie and while it seemed to be a little bit interesting, I was more skeptical since so many faith-based movies are full of contrived situations. I was very pleasantly surprised and thanked those who convinced me to go see it. Giving it a 10 because there is no reason not to. The story is well detailed in other viewer reviews and the synopsis. The pace of the film is slow, somewhat predictable but not completely. The slow pace is all right most of the time but there are a few places were I was urging the story to get on with it. Considering the plot, the screen play probably needed some of that padding to fill the time necessary for a theater feature length. The visuals were somewhat repetitive but not much was there to have impressive cinematography. The actors all did a very good and convincing job and the roles were very well cast. Barry Corbin is superb. How he played his role, slowly developing and brutally honest is in our opinion the best in the movie. John Corbett is also very good. Always with a touch of Northern Exposure in each role he plays, this time he was very convincing as a newbie minister in the Episcopal Church. Cara Buono was the most surprising of the these three. She was fresh without any telltale from her previous roles.The ending is surprising and unexpected. Impending doom is suggested suddenly and very quickly. There are a couple of twists at the end which makes it worth while to stick with it to the end. The postlude story which reflects back to those in the true story is great. You know this is one movie that is truly "Base on a true story." Too often that tag stretches the imagination. Not this time.