Redeeming Love is an American Christian romance movie that was released on the 21st of January in 2022 with Universal studios as its distributor. This movie was adapted from the book 'Redeeming Love' by Francine River who is an American author that specializes in writing Christian themes, historical themes, and romance. The book was first published in 1991, after which more publishing was done.
The movie was directed by D. J. Caruso which was also written by both Francine Rivers and D. J. Caruso. A lot of people have yearned for this movie to be produced for a long time and it was finally done. Seeing the first trailer, assured me that the movie was truly coming out because I thought it was just a rumor. I have waited anxiously for this movie because I wanted to see all I had read in the book itself come to life.
Little Synopsis
The setting of the movie was in the 1850s (American Old West) in California during the Gold Rush which added more intensity to the plot. The plot of this movie revolves around the two main characters, that is; Sarah aka Angel, and Michael Hosea.
As a child, Sarah overheard that her father Alex Stanford didn't want her and blamed her mother, Mae for letting her exist at first. She then learns that her mother was a mistress to her father and in an abusive relationship with him. Sarah watched her mother grief and how she sold all they had just to survive but still it was enough to take care of them both. Eventually, her mother died, rejected by the man she loved.
Sarah was later sold to prostitution in California at the age of eight. She started to go by the name Angel which was given to her by the man who bought her. Life went on, but day by day, Angel became used to her lifestyle. On a fateful day, At the age of eighteen, Angel meets her father Alex as a client. Knowing fully well that he is her father, Angel had sex with him punish him for all the things he had done to her and her mother. The next morning, Alex found out that she had just had sex with his daughter because of this he cried bitterly and kill himself.
Michael, a 26-year-old prosperous farmer, saw Angel for the first time and he was captured by her beauty. Then God ordered him to marry her. It came as a surprise to Michael, but he went after Angel regardless. The only way he could get to her was to pay money as a client like other men yearning to have her. So when it was his turn he would go up to her room to see her. The first time meeting with her, he told her that he was not interested in sleeping with her but he wanted to talk to her and his wife. This pursuit continued this way until Angel finally gave in to him. Michael took her home to be his wife but would not touch her. So these actions made Angel curious, afraid and it made her not fully trust him.
Angel, feeling insecure about herself ran away, but Michael didn't go after her because he gave her free will to choose between her past life or him. This tussle continued until finally she returned home to Michael and professed her unconditional love to him. Then Michael came to know Angel as Sarah which was her real name.
My Opinion About The Movie
Watching this movie was so emotional for me because at the end of the movie I cried. I don't usually cry when watching movies but the only movie that made me cry the way I did was ' The Gladiator, 2000' with the starring actor, Russell Crowe.
Redeeming Love depicts the concept of love and how to love someone genuinely. These days people say 'I love you to either stab you in the back or get into your pants. Those three words are overrated. Also, this movie doesn't just depict the true meaning of love, it also describes the love of God towards us all. Love doesn't hurt, love doesn't crush, love doesn't give you pain but instead, it gives a will, it gives you a choice, it gives happiness, and above all, it forgives and gives you a sense of refuge. Watching this movie brought my attention back to a lot of things that I had inculcated in life since I read the book in 2016. It was a refresher for me.
The movie was well planned, all the scenes written in the book brought to life exactly the way it was written in the book. The setting of the movie was fantastic and well depicted the way it was in the book. All the characters blended well with the parts and they all did well. One of my favorite scenes in the movie was when Angel finally returned to Michael to be his wife till death. The most satisfying scene for me was when the man who bought Angel when she was eight died by hanging. Karma caught up with him on a tight scale.
My favorite character in the movie is Michael Hosea. He reminds me of how to have patience and self-control when dealing with people. Also, his strong character depicts how a father should be to his daughter and how a husband should be to his wife.
My Ratings and Recommendations
I would recommend this movie to everyone because I feel you all need to see it to help redefine values and beliefs in life.
I rate this movie with 4.5 stars, but I would have rated it with 5 stars because nothing is perfect and imperfections make uniqueness. The music attached to the movie was touching and I have been trying to download it, but I can't find it! 😤.
I hope you all take some time out to see this movie and if possible, please read the book first before watching the movie. I will be leaving the link to the book and the link to the trailer of the movie.
The Book
The Trailer
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