The Song

Before watching this movie, I read most of the bad reviews. I was expecting some really hokey, overdone Christian movie with a couple bad songs sprinkled throughout that I would shut off 10 minutes in. This movie actually is not like that at all. I'm not sure if the bad reviewers actually watched any of the movie or just rated it based on the fact that it has some religious themes and they are not religious thus they wanted to give it a bad review due to their disagreement with those themes.This movie has some really beautiful and very tasteful religious undertones throughout (which, to be honest, could even be interpreted simply as moral themes, rather than "only" religious) and a few times those themes are clear and overt. But the majority of the movie, besides the beautiful poem (Song of Solomon) being read over symbolic scenes, does not directly mention God, prayer, Christianity, church, or anything religious. Sure, if you are looking for the religious symbolism, you'll see it. But that's not really what the movie is about... What this movie is really about is marriage, plain and simple. It is a lovely story that deals with many relevant scenarios within marriage, such as temptation, infidelity, parenthood, forgiveness, redemption, death, anger, depression, drug abuse, the meaning and implication of sex, and more.For those of you that don't believe in marriage or that you don't believe that marriage is a covenant and a partnership you enter into and choose everyday to honor those promises and to choose your partner everyday, for those of you that believe marriage is a contract, that marriage is something you do until the butterflies and lust disappear and that you can always get out of it, yeah, you probably won't like this movie. But for anyone who believes in LOVE, this movie is definitely worth watching! It's a beautiful story about humanity, about love, about marriage, about family.What I liked the most about this movie, which I have never seen portrayed in this way, were the scenes dealing with sex within marriage. Many married couples experience "dry spells" and this movie deals with that, BUT EXPLAINS WHY the couple were having issues in that department. Normally, the reasons for these issues in movies are left unexplained, or worse, are used to portray that the marriage is "dead," that the couple no longer loves each other, or that the wife is some evil witch withholding sex from her husband and thus has lost her beauty and worth as a woman. This movie addresses those dry spells married couples experience, and in a very meaningful way. It does so in a way that simultaneously addresses a larger social issue, the obsession with sex and pleasure without regard or care for the other person (essentially, using another person for your own pleasure) but it does so within the context of marriage, which is usually left unaddressed in film. And I thought this was a really vital piece of the story, because it is SO RELEVANT to real life.The movie was truly a great story, with good music (way more music than I was expecting!), and good acting. I really don't know what people were saying when they said the acting was bad--I found it quite believable and realistic. I wasn't crazy about some of the songs featured in the film, but I found the majority to be quite good. And I really loved this movie because the story is relatable and relevant to real people's lives. This movie is not "religious propaganda," poorly acted, nor does it contain a poorly-written story. I loved it; you should give it a chance.

This is one of those must-see films that you'll never hear about. I don't know if it was ever shown on the big screen or not, but it should have been. I happened to find it on Amazon Prime.The plot is all-too common in real life these days. The son of a former country music star is struggling to make his own mark on the world, when he meets the girl of his dreams. He sings an impromptu song at a concert at her father's wine-tasting party, and she goes out on a date with him. Under the inspiration of God and their love, he writes a special song for her that launches him into stardom.But then along comes a temptress. He tries to resist at first, but the demands of his music career and too much time away from the woman he married makes her hard to resist. He falls, gets into alcohol and drugs to boot, and everything disintegrates.For too many movie and music stars, that's where the story ends. But not for this guy. Wisdom kicks in. He comes to his senses, and makes all the right choices--according to God's economy, not the world's.I love how the book of Ecclesiastes is quoted extensively in the movie, along with passages from Song of Songs and Proverbs. You even have a pretty decent rendition of the song, "Turn, Turn, Turn," included. This is not a modern retelling of King Solomon's life, but the wisdom of Solomon and a mirror of the king's folly are woven throughout the movie. Yet, it feels more like a Nicholas Sparks story than a sermon.More than your average "chick flick," this film would be great to show at a couple's retreat as a discussion starter--kind of like the blockbuster, Fireproof. The story is so engaging, I found myself "talking to" the characters, trying to warn them what was coming or urge them to take a different course of action. Keep the tissue box handy, but hang in there until the very end. You'll be glad you did!

I saw this movie for the first time this week on Amazon. I don't think it was advertised well. I would have pulled everyone I know to the cinema. This is the best non-bible-period Christian movie I have ever seen. As a wife I have been reminded to keep my marriage as priority above extended family relations. The acting was surprisingly flawless and the message was on point. This movie is more about the heart of Rose than it is the life of Jed. I watched it with my teenage daughter to explain to her that one can have a beautiful courtship without sex and still be in love. The hidden scriptures demonstrated and paraphrased makes it all the more beautiful. I found my own:Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds a good thing, And obtains favor from the Lord.Jed's favor came in the dream on his honeymoon. I pray I'm able to stop watching it soon.Watch it to the very end - or jump to the concluding seconds after the cast line up and all the info has run. There is a bonus scene of the family in the chapel (A truly converted Jed). Just beautiful - makes me teary to think of how far the enemy will go to destroy the foundation of society - The family.AWAKEN LOVE!God Bless You so much!