Review: ‘To Save a Life’ is poignant, heartfelt, even heart-wrenching

Faith-based movies that find success in mainstream Hollywood are few and far between.  For every Passion of the Christ and Fireproof, there are a dozen or so films which never get a shot at being shown nationally in theaters.  So it’s difficult to predict the outcome for To Save a Life, a story focused on two friends who face the harsh realities of high school cliques, the dramatic, downward spiral of someone who soon feels like an outcast, and how a single act can change the lives of many.  And yet, Life made it to the big screen, so that hurdle alone has already been jumped.

Right away I was intrigued by the film’s PG-13 rating.  This is very rare for a movie promoted on Christian radio stations, so I was curious how the film would balance the line of appealing to as wide an audience as possible while maintaining a Christian basis.  The story is about two boyhood friends: one (Jake Taylor, played by Randy Wayne) becomes the popular basketball star in high school.  The other (Roger Dawson, played by Robert Bailey, Jr.) becomes an outcast after being best friends with Jake for years.  In a matter of seconds, Roger does something which changes Jake forever; Jake then goes on a soul-searching journey which would be difficult for anyone, but especially a teenager struggling with the pressures of high school and finding the strength to do what is right even at the expensive of losing his popularity.  A local Youth Pastor (Chris Vaughn, played by Joshua Weigel) befriends Jake and walks alongside him as he confronts doubt, anger and regret.

There are no well-known actors in this film, and I wouldn’t say any of the performances deserves an Oscar.  But I will say every actor played his or her role with authenticity.  The script was daring for a faith-based film, which made the story that much more believable.   There was teen sex in this movie.  There was teen drinking.  No other “Christian” movie that I’ve seen has made this type of attempt to be as real as possible, and it was all done without compromising the heart of the film.  I think this alone makes the appeal to a much larger audience than just the faith-based community plausible.  The story is also done in such a way that audience members who may not share the same faith won’t be made uncomfortable.  Everything is presented tactfully and respectfully while still making it clear what direction the writer wanted to go.

This is a poignant, heartfelt and even heart-wrenching film.  Teenagers and adults alike can relate to the storyline in multiple ways; this is a rare quality for most movies.  A few scenes in the movie are disturbing, but they are real.  And though movies are often seen as an attempt to escape the real world for a few hours, this is a movie which should be seen to remind everyone what happens in the real world and why an individual’s actions can affect many.

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