This week I watched a movie called 'To Save a Life'. It's a Christian directed film and I have to say I was nervous because 1) the acting in Christian films is usually awkward and 2) the shots are usually choppy and editing features are simple. Coming into the viewing with this bias... Probably not the best decision... but I was impressed! The acting - though corny at some points - was pretty good.
There were some parts where the scenes were too dramatic and made the acting look extra corny. One scene in particular, showed an "awkward moment" between two of the characters on a date. It was the end of the shot and it went on a lot longer than needed, as viewers would certainly grasp the concept awhile before. Though the story was very predictable, the shots were all sequenced in an appropriate way in which the story flowed. For the most part, the shots all were appropriate to what they were showing. A couple shots jumped around too much. A couple of times, the shots would start with a side shot and would zoom on jump shots. Those are the types of shots that are typical for an action sequence where we want to see the overall picture and from there get closer to the initial action, where in this movie, it didn't add any effect to the story or shot.
Now, the story was fitting and was in many ways motivating. It begins at the funeral of a boy and our main character, Jake Taylor, is there, though he looks somewhat out of place and confused as to why he is there. Throughout the film, we find out why he was at the funeral. The basis of the story is teenage suicides and the transformation of Jake as he comes to change into this Christian character and looks to help others who specifically seem to be "outsiders."
Overall, much better than what I expected.
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