Why this story of unconditional love’s power to heal, restore and redeem is worth the watch.
Based on the novel by Francine Rivers, “Redeeming Love” is the story of love’s transformational power — but unlike your average love story, this movie points to a love that goes beyond human efforts and emotions; instead, God is at the center of the story.
Rivers based her book on the story of Hosea, an Old Testament minor prophet. For those unfamiliar, Hosea is a book in the Bible that tells the story of the man whom the book is named after. In this book, God commands Hosea to marry a prostitute. This woman, God tells Hosea, is going to be unfaithful to him, but for the purpose of imitating God’s relationship with his unfaithful people — the Israelites — God commands Hosea to stay with his wife despite her unfaithfulness.
Although “Redeeming Love” is based on a Christian book, the story is one that is applicable to religious and nonreligious audiences alike. Set in 1850s California — the era of the Gold Rush — the story revolves around Angel (Abigail Cowen), a headstrong, stubborn woman working as a prostitute.
A bit later into the film, we are introduced to Michael Hosea (Tom Lewis), a farmer and devoted Christian. After praying for a wife to spend his life with, Michael goes into town and sees Angel for the first time. Immediately, he knows this is the woman God is calling him to marry.
The rest of the film takes viewers on a journey through a less-than typical marriage. As Angel and Michael develop their relationship with one another, themes of faithfulness, redemption, healing, and unconditional love are explored. But don’t be deceived — this film does not shy away from heavy topics.
Alongside the redemptive message of this film, the difficult yet relevant topics of sexual abuse, emotional manipulation and trauma are explored. Through a series of flashbacks throughout the film, the audience gets glimpses into Angel’s past and how she ended up in her line of work — a feature of the film I appreciated. Angel’s character is one who has experienced unimaginable amounts of trauma, and her flashbacks feel authentic to the audience. Instead of simple exposition, these flashbacks give depth to Angel’s character and further draw the audience into her story.
These flashbacks not only provide depth, they lead to sympathy from viewers. Although Angel works as a prostitute — a career stigmatized by those in the film along with many people today — director D.J. Caruso portrays Angel’s story as one viewers sympathize with rather than condemn. We may even find pieces of ourselves in her.
Along with the storyline come the film’s storytelling elements. “Redeeming Love,” though heavily dependent on its portrayal of prostitution, does so in a tasteful manner. The film is not raunchy, vulgar or full of unnecessary sex and nudity. While some of these elements exist, they are done so in a manner that fits the storyline and won’t leave you feeling awkward or uncomfortable if you happen to be watching with a family member.
Viewers of “Redeeming Love” who do not identify as Christians may label this story as old-fashioned or anti-feminist upon the assumption that Angel is ultimately restored by Michael. Even if viewers comprehend the message of redemption as something that comes from God’s unconditional love and not man’s, this idea may still be perceived negatively in a largely securalized culture.
Nevertheless, “Redeeming Love” portrays God, religion and unconditional love in a subtle, tasteful manner that viewers from all backgrounds can appreciate — Christian or not.
The Beat @APU 