WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
Pure, outright, undiluted belief. When the human mind and spirit is captured with such notions and ideologies that it becomes paramount to share it with others and watch the impact it has to change lives, what better place of existence could one ask for? Rachel Joy Scott (Masey McLain) experienced initial heartbreak as a young child with the split between her parents. Now in a single parent home, her mother Beth (Terri Minton) strives to maintain order and discipline while relying on her faith in God to pull the family through. Rachel’s longing to be accepted and “seen” drives her to take chances through her friends Madison (Victoria Staley), Gabby (Taylor Kalupa), and Celine (Emma Elle Roberts), with some sense of success to find her identity.
Forced to spend a Summer away at her cousin’s farm, Rachel comes to faith in Christ, and takes her newly discovered joy back to Columbine. As she becomes more and more immersed in finding out who she is in God, her drive and determination to help others begins to emerge, culminating in reaching out to a homeless Nathan Ballard (Ben Davies), who initially resists her assistance until truly realizing her genuineness. With life improving, including first love with classmate Alex (Cameron McKendry), Rachel still battles the worldly influences surrounding her, finding herself at odds with her faith. Dealing with the betrayal of a friend and her own agonizing doubts about God, Rachel comes through and makes a fresh, deep commitment to stand for Christ no matter what, just as a dark and violent plot is about to unfold.
Next, my Mind:
Incontrovertibly powerful, definitively affecting, plus inspirationally and heartbreakingly realistic in its true story based narrative compiled from the journals of Rachel Joy Scott, the first victim of the Columbine High School massacre, director Brian Baugh’s biographical drama does what it’s intended to do. Shining an evocative light on one young woman’s unwavering faith in Christ and the indelible reverberations it has had since that tragic day, the film also paints a sobering awareness about the uncertainty of life and the importance of always being at peace with who we are. Unyielding in the portrayal of Scott’s dogged efforts to effect change in the world around her through boldness to share Christ, care for others, and a refusal to back down even when it meant her death, faith is forefront here, imperfect, but no less compelling.
McLain is no less than amazing as Scott, infusing the character with such a potent blend of bubbly, effervescent teenage joy while also illustrating the deeply painful but realistic angst and hesitancies Scott faced in becoming a Christian while trying to simply fit in amongst her friends and classmates. McLain navigates these varying intricacies with passion and vigor, investing the viewer in the character from start to heartrending finish. It also successfully illustrates a hugely crucial point–Christians aren’t perfect, and McLain’s performance based on Scott’s own journals chronicles this to great effectiveness. Solid supporting turns are provided by a massive and impressive cast including Minton, Staley, Kalupa, Roberts, Davies, and McKendry as well as David Errigo, Jr. and Cory Chapman who credibly and hauntingly play the two shooters.
There is no getting past the hurt, grief, and suffering from that appalling day, April 20th, 1999, and what it meant for this nation and the picture of life among high school students. However, with Scott’s story there is found a formidable truth that when one person is willing to stand up firmly for what they believe, especially for faith in Christ in a world desperate for unconditional love and caring, it should have the resonance it has to help us all take a look within our own lives and hearts and perhaps acknowledge our own need for redemption, expressing a willingness to stand up, stand out, and be used to effect needed change on this planet we call home. Scott touched millions–how about you? Let’s take a stand, folks.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
We loved this movie so inspiring, Rachel touched our hearts.