Two months ago, I posted some thoughts on the idea of a Christian film industry versus simply having dedicated Christians in the film industry. It garnered a good amount of discussion here at Faith & Geekery, as well as on Revelife when it was reposted there. Though I had hoped it would get people talking, I was still astonished to find one day that a Christian filmmaker named Josh Daws had stumbled across the post and left a comment:
I couldn’t agree more. My brother and I wrote and directed what could be considered a “Christian” thriller. We never intended to make a “Christian” film. We just wanted to tell a good story. We feel like our mission was to show the love of Christ to the cast and crew we worked with. Many of whom were atheists and lacked any sort of Christian background. It as great to work 16 hour days with them. You really bond as a crew on a film set. We had many opportunities to discuss our faith and it was one of the greatest joys of the entire process.
After checking out the website for his film, Dangerous Calling, I emailed Josh to find out more. He agreed to send me some DVDs, and we also set up a time for him and his brother to chat with Faith & Geekery writer Goose about the film, what it’s about, and their reasons for making it. Check it out (though beware of a few story spoilers!):
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Now, some comments about the film. As Josh indicated in his comment, Dangerous Calling doesn’t set out to be a “Christian” movie. Granted, the main characters are Christians, and the story may be more interesting to a Christian audience because much of the dialog is related to church politics, but the movie doesn’t preach. In what is sadly an all too original move by Christian filmmakers, Dangerous Calling exists for the sake of the story itself rather than to be a morality tale or a mere construct for a shoehorned gospel presentation.
In the film, Pastor Evan Burke and his wife Nora arrive in the small town of Willit Springs to begin a new position as head pastor of the local Baptist church. While the parsonage is renovated, the Burkes are invited to stay with Miss Pat (a very active member of the church) and her adult son Elijah. Before long, things get weird and the Burkes begin to wonder what they’ve gotten themselves into.
Now, to be very candid, Dangerous Calling is an exciting ride, but it does have a few bumps along the way. As is the case with any independent film made on a smallish budget, the performances are sometimes less than stellar and there are a few unintentionally corny moments — though given that it’s the first feature film project for the directors, that’s to be a little expected, right?
Maybe, but that fact is also reason for a lot of praise. It was very evident that the Daws brothers worked extremely hard to not only avoid the stereotypes and conventions of previous Christian films, but to defy them. In their major directorial debut, Josh and Jeremiah display a remarkable aptitude for good cinematography and storytelling. Dangerous Calling looks lovely, with professional, well-crafted shots, smooth camera work, and beautiful locations. The protagonists are not only believable, but real, relatable people who actually behave like real people do. Foreshadowing is not only present, but is typically handled deftly, in-stride with the story instead of with blunt shots that essentially scream, “Hey, look at this thing…it’ll be important later!” And let’s not forget that this is a thriller…though Dangerous Calling is technically unrated, expect a PG-13 level of violence and disturbing images that might shock fans of typical “Christian” movies.
In short, while it’s not a perfect movie, I think Dangerous Calling is an excellent step forward for Christian filmmakers. It’s made well, it puts the story first, and it showcases the worldview of the filmmakers without feeling the need to demonstrate it to us in the form of a blatant lesson. I’ll be excited to see what comes next from Josh and Jeremiah Daws, and I hope that their lead sets an example that other Christians will want to follow.
HEY!! Want to see Dangerous Calling for yourself? We’ve got three copies of the movie to give away! To enter the contest, simply leave a comment on this post, or follow us on Twitter @faithandgeekery. We’ll give away a DVD to two randomly selected commenters here, as well as one to a random Twitter follower. Be sure to tell your friends, and good luck!
Impressive…my compliments to you on a very well-written piece. I’m saving this site as one that fits into the “first-class” category. Thank you for knowing how to represent!
Great article. My family LOVES clean movies, and loves the idea of a Christian film industry. Like a King’s dominion industry! :-)
Kirsten
Harris, MN.
Very awesome that your blog post brought about those results! I was very, very interested in all of the comments that were left over at Revelife. It always fascinates me to see how strongly people react to the issue of Christianity as a “brand”.
And the movie sounds intriguing. I enjoy the concept of a independent movie where faith is a framing device, not a hammer to hit over the head of the audience.
This certainly sounds like something I’d want to see. Thank you for this wonderful article. I’d love to see more Christian movies that aren’t preachy or cheesy.
Sounds really interesting. I’d love to see the movie. I, for one, hate the idea of a “Christian industry.” That said, the idea of films made by Christians with a Christian understanding about stuff other than the cliche “story of hope” we get with most “Christian” films sounds great.
I kind of think of a movie like a Sufjan Stevens song. It acknowledges God, and you can tell the people behind it love it, but it acknowledges that you don’t have to lay out the Gospel to share it, you don’t have to share the Gospel to show people glimpses of God, and you don’t have to stay in line with traditional Christian views.
As a visual artist and sometime actor who is also a Christian, I am totally on board with the concept of excellence in the arts in the Christian community. If anything, I think that we should be more driven to excel as people of faith, and not to accept mediocre work just because it’s done in a Christian environment or for a Christian audience. The concept fo “settling” is anathema to me. I think that Josh and Jeremiah do fantastic work that is good by any standards, and I can’t wait to see what they do in the future.
I am not an artist. I love consuming and thinking about art, but I think I am often too lowbrow for a lot of art. Movies speak in a way that many other media cannot. I led a group a couple years ago that alternated between watching a movie together and having a long meal talking about the movie the next week. That was one of my best group experiences because movies talk so directly to our experience. I hope to start that up again some day. (By the way, although all of us in the group were Christians, none of the movies we watched were “Christian” because there was rarely anything to talk about with them.)
Very interesting stuff. I love movies of all types and I am glad to know that there are people working in the industry who are not afraid to express their faith. I think some of the buzz of other movies (Facing the Giants, Fireproof, etc) is very encouraging for others who want to present Christianity in their work without bashing people over the head with it.