The same group that made the movie “Come What May” is making a movie about fatherhood, centering around baseball. The theme is about fathers getting involved in their children’s lives.
The Story
One man’s broken relationship with his son fills him with the determination to make a difference in his town, and to reach his own son. He forms a baseball team deliberately designed to involve both fathers and sons in a common effort. His actions begin to turn the heart of a father in prison, and transform a town. As fathers grow in their relationship with their sons, they learn that God the Father wants the same close relationship with them.
HERO is a powerful depiction of God’s desire to “turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers…” (Malachi 4:6)
For us homeschoolers, there is another poignant connection we have with this film besides the theme resonating in our hearts. The son of Chris Klicka, John, is acting in this film.
This is what Chris’s wife, Tracy, wrote about John’s involvement in the film, “Hero”:
HERO: A STORY WITHIN A STORY
“Many, O Lord my God, are the wonders which Thou has done, and Thy thoughts toward us; there is none to compare with Thee; if I would declare and speak of them, they would be too numerous to count.” ~Psalm 40:5
Last summer John had an opportunity to audition for a small part in his first role in an independent Christian film, HERO (www.HeroFamilyMovie.com), by Advent Film Group. I’d been following and praying for AFG’s work since they produced their first full-length feature film, COME WHAT MAY, distributed on DVD in March of 2009. When John found out HERO was going to be a father/son story of reconciliation and healing surrounding a boys’ baseball team, he wanted to get involved.
Last summer, after being informed following John’s audition that AFG indeed wanted him to be a featured extra in HERO, Chris and I both prayerfully agreed that God wanted John to play the part of Grayson and have this experience working in an independent Christian film. The filming took place in September of last year during the same timeframe the rest of our family attended a national homeschool leadership conference in Colorado Springs. This meant John couldn’t be with us, but even still, we both felt it was the right step to take. John himself was okay with the idea of missing the national conference to be in the film; he only wished he could see a few really good friends who would be there.
Well, September came and I took John to North Carolina to start filming. I decided to stay a few days and make sure he was settled and felt connected to everyone there, which he immediately did! When it came time for me to go home and get ready to leave for our national conference the next day, John had no trouble saying good-bye. “See ya, Mom!” as he gave me a big hug and a kiss.
Those of you who have been following this Caring Bridge site may already be aware that I had to fly John out to CO Springs, leaving the HERO set three days early, so he could be with his dad the last two weeks of his life. My heart was anxious for John to be with his daddy, but felt badly that he had to be pulled off the set. God worked everything out with the film, however, and made it possible for him to be with his daddy and not disrupt the filming. Again, God does all things well!
To find out more about the movie, visit their website:
http://www.herofamilymovie.com/HERO_Official_Movie_Site/Home.html
This movie is in post-production right now. Please pray for their work and spread the word about it! It’s scheduled to be released in late 2010.
It looks really good. Here’s where you can watch the trailer:
http://www.herofamilymovie.com/HERO_Official_Movie_Site/HERO_-_Trailer.html
Here’s a podcast they created exploring Biblical fatherhood and where it begins:
And that’s not the only great movie about fatherhood in the works. The Kendrick Brothers and Sherwood Pictures, makers of Facing the Giants and Fireproof, are at it again.
Their movie, Courageous, depicts the struggles many men have in keeping their priorities straight and devoting their time and efforts to raising their families.
The website shows their progress. Here’s the story line from their Synopsis page:
Four men, one calling: To serve and protect.
As law enforcement officers, Adam Mitchell, Nathan Hayes, and their partners are confident and focused. They willingly stand up to the worst the world can offer. Yet at the end of the day, they face a challenge that none of them are truly prepared to tackle: fatherhood.
While they consistently give their best on the job, good enough seems to be all they can muster as dads. But they’re quickly discovering that their standard is missing the mark.
They know that God desires to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, but their children are beginning to drift further and further away from them. Will they be able to find a way to serve and protect those that are most dear to them?
When tragedy hits home, these men are left wrestling with their hopes, their fears, their faith, and their fathering. Can a newfound urgency help these dads draw closer to God … and to their children?
Courageous is the fourth release of Sherwood Pictures, the moviemaking ministry of Sherwood Church in Albany, Georgia. Their first release since FIREPROOF, the No. 1 independent film of 2008, Courageous joins Facing the Giants and Flywheel in touching and impacting lives through heartfelt stories of faith and hope.
Moviegoers will again find themselves crying, laughing, and cheering—sometimes simultaneously—as they are inspired by everyday heroes who long to be the kinds of dads that make a lifelong impact on their children.
Protecting the streets is second nature to these law enforcement officers. Raising their children? That will take courage.
Courageous … honor begins at home.
Coming to theaters in 2011.
They are in post-production now. You can follow their progress on Facebook and Twitter. Please pray for them as they edit and put all the finishing touches on it. Editing 90 hours of film down to 2 hours can’t be easy.
Here is the website. Be sure to check out the blog!
"Oh that God would give every mother a vision of the glory and splendor of the work that is given to her when a babe is placed in her bosom to be nursed and trained! Could she have but one glimpse in to the future of that life as it reaches on into eternity; could she look into its soul to see its possibilities; could she be made to understand her own personal responsibility for the training of this child, for the development of its life, and for its destiny,--she would see that in all God's world there is no other work so noble and so worthy of her best powers, and she would commit to no other's hands the sacred and holy trust given to her." -JR Miller
