Freetown (2015)

I'm a Mormon, and that definitely contributes to my love of this film, but is hardly the only factor (Mormon films that I don't particularly like include "The Singles' Ward", "Church Ball", "Passage to Zarahemla", and "The Book of Mormon Movie"). I was not told to watch this by my church leaders, as some have cynically suggested - it is an independent film and the LDS Church had no involvement or stance on it at all. I watched a free special premiere screening and enjoyed it so much that I watched it twice more to support the filmmakers.The film doesn't showcase much of the scope or background of the Liberian Civil War, but instead focuses on the experience of a handful of people trying to escape from it. Although these people are Mormons, and the film is targeted primarily at Mormons, the film's faith-affirming message is broad enough to appeal to believers of all stripes. More skeptical or atheistic people probably won't find it as appealing, which may partially explain why it was nominated for nine or ten Ghana Movie Awards but received many lukewarm or negative reviews in the U.S. Despite the missionaries' highly visible name tags, the film says little about specifically Mormon doctrine or practice, but preaches a generic message of hope and faith through adversity.I found it to have a good mix of tension and humor that held my interest throughout. Some people say it's boring, and we'll just have to agree to disagree. Some have complained that graphic violence isn't actually shown on screen; I think this is a tasteful "less is more" approach that most modern filmmakers have sadly abandoned altogether in favor of shock value. I felt that the humor was used sparingly and wisely; it's not a hilarious movie by any means, but has some smile-worthy moments to reduce the tension. We don't learn much about the individual missionaries' backstories or motivations but their interactions with each other bring them to life as real, young, sometimes naive but goodhearted people. And of course the soundtrack, particularly the opening sequence and the recurring vocals, is phenomenal.This was filmed in West Africa with almost exclusively West African actors - specifically Ghana, since the Ebola epidemic prevented them from filming on location. This is a unique and good move both for LDS and American films as a whole. It is, of course, based on a true story - which placed a lot of constraints on what liberties could be taken with the plot that some have derided - but it's one of those rare times when a film adaptation of necessity becomes *less* incredible than the reality. In the film, there are only seven people in the car, so as to fit the camera; in reality there were nine. In the film, they need to pass through three rebel checkpoints; in reality there were about fifty.If you're not Mormon, I can't promise you'll enjoy this movie as much as I do, but if you're not anti-religious messages I encourage you to give it a shot.

Before you watch this film you should put some things into perspective - it's a family friendly film about native LDS missionaries escaping a war zone. It's a true story about real people (all Liberians - this is not a story about Americans) and their experience so don't expect it to be a dramatized thriller or action movie. If you're looking for a movie to highlight the terror and horrors of a war in which 200,000 people were murdered and 850,000 fled the country- this isn't it ( one, this isn't what the film is about, two, this film takes place at the start of the war when the terror that was to come was still in its infancy and three, the violence is only hinted at I assume to keep the movie non-graphic). Now that you have some perspective - I liked the movie. The movie is shot in Ghana and are primarily native actors. Great story, great soundtrack, great cinematography, beautiful landscape shots, and very authentic feel overall. I lived in Ghana on a Liberian refugee camp and this movie took me back there in every way. A lot of movies set in Africa either turn the African actors into pseudo Americans or the other extreme of turning them into American stereotypes of Africans. I was so pleased that this film tried to keep true to the people, culture, and overall setting. The characters were all very "normal" and fit pretty well into my experience with Liberians (and Ghanaians). Now some people will hate that and think this movie is boring because the actors and script don't have the typical Hollywood feel, but for me, it was really refreshing that they and their experience weren't over-dramatized. I would recommend this movie if nothing for the insight into what West Africa is like. This includes the characters overall emotional reactions - Americans culturally display emotions, Liberians not so much and the movie was true to that cultural difference. From the clothes to the personalities to the social interaction - again, this movie kept true to the region.What I wish they had done better - there was no back story or any of the characters and as such made it hard to really connect with them. Familiar with the actual story, the movie did feel like it oversimplified things a bit (in reality they went through 50+ checkpoints). It was never really clear why they were leaving until they end when they clarify they hadn't been able to teach for six months. Once the rebels reached Monrovia, their choice was to either to end their missions and go back to their families in Liberia or they could continue their missions in Sierra Leone. I wish that had been explained better because, like other reviewers, it kind of felt in the beginning like they were just ditching out. The movie never really dug into their fears and worries about the situation- from not knowing what was happening to their families to seeing people killed to running out of food. Also the rebel church member was a bit weird without context. Because I'm familiar with the war, I know that, in a country mired in abject poverty, many joined the rebels because they had no other option. It was the only "job" they could get and only option for food and shelter. At the end, it's clear this guy wasn't aligned with the rebel ideals - I think the movie could have been better if they explored a little bit more how torn he was. Finally, there's a few gaps they could have filled in, namely how they ended up at the ferry in the first place and how they dealt with the passport issue. It's a true story and I know they got across, but that's a detail that would have been worth explaining.All in all - if you're LDS you'll probably like this movie. If you're connected in any way to Africa, you'll probably like this movie. If you like stories about real-life events, you'll probably like this movie. If you're looking for an action-packed thriller or movie about the Civil Wars, you probably won't like this movie.

First of all, I'm not a Mormon.Secondly i do not know if i'm any religious. and Third, I LOVED this movie!! Now if you are the "action packed, Science fiction" kind of guy, this might not be you movie. I have watched tones of low budget movies but "FREETOWN" has completely blown me away. The camera work was intelligent. The high shots were on point and the scripting, music and performances all work together to make this motion picture come alive. It's the first time i've heard of this director but i am so gonna look for some other movies he has done because he's work is a beauty. "FREETOWN" is not your typical religious make believe movie, in fact you hardly hear anyone preach. It's just a simple story of courage where there should be none. The first few minutes into the movie it might not immediately get into you, but just give it time, you won't be disappointed. Other than that, you will find this low budget movie to be really interesting.

A really dreary, boring and uninspiring film. The only surprise I got was the positive reviews before watching this film. I thought that maybe this was a mistake until I saw the location of the reviewers. All from Salt Lake City or Utah. So total bias. This film is about Mormons and it gets 10 stars from Mormon reviewers? I thought lying or bending the truth was a sin guys? The film is poorly acted and badly shot. Reminds me of a really, really bad B movie and deserves to go straight to DVD and then the bin. Unless you're a Mormon you won't really like this, and even if you are, it's probably because the Church of Latter Day Saints told you, you had to watch it and then post positive reviews on IMDb. Everyone else, please avoid.