Redeeming Love
Universal Pictures: Redeeming Love
Link to watch on Amazon Prime:
This story is about redemption. True unconditional love. I first read Francine Rivers’ book, “Redeeming Love” in 1997 and was so moved by its interpretation of the Book of Hosea, I will never read those passages in scripture the same way again. Francine humanized Hosea and Gomer as she delved deeply into their lives, thoughts, and feelings and placed them in a more relatable setting: America during the Gold Rush era. The book moved me to tears in 1997 and once again when I read it for the second time recently. I waited to re-read the book until after seeing the movie to view the film as “freshly” as possible in order to give it a fair chance to move me in the same way Francine Rivers had done with her writing. I had high expectations for this movie.
Overall, the movie delivered with a less emotional response. Abigail Cowan does a superb job portraying Angel. Tom Lewis also delivered with his performance as Michael Hosea. I believe the book gave his character more depth and time in the story than the film. We don’t really get a sense of why he chose a prostitute to be his wife in the film or why he kept forgiving and taking her back repeatedly. The film also did not show the depth of love Angel felt for not only Michael, but the whole Altman family. Nor the feelings between Miriam and Michael that led Angel to believe her leaving was in their best interest. It was her love for them that made her leave that last time. Paul’s story was skirted in the film, most likely due to time constraints, and we do not get the full import of his character’s growth and why he searched for Angel when Michael wouldn’t.
I think with a few tweaks of the script and the director’s choices, this could have made a good movie into an unforgettable one. However, the actors were wonderful. Although, seeing Eric Dane portray a pedophile pimp was disturbing on too many levels. He played the villain well. This is definitely not a film for the young. It does show the horrors of sex trafficking and the damage it does to a person’s soul. And yet, it leaves us with the knowledge that no matter what we have done, forgiveness and redemption are possible. Love is possible even when we are broken.
