Movie Review: To Save A Life

To Save A Life revolves around teen drama and dilemmas at a local high school, but it's really Jake's story. Jake and Roger, childhood best friends, part ways early in high school as Jake realizes his athletic skills gain him entry to the popular scene - the best parties, the cheerleader girlfriend, the jock friends. Roger, maimed when he saved Jake's life when they were kids, is not welcome. Ultimately, the rejection sends Roger over the edge.

If the story and movie title sound familiar, I experienced a sense of déjà vu myself while viewing the sneak peek screening copy provided to me by the film's marketing team. The plot line closely follows the lyrics to the popular 2002 song Hero written and sung by the Christian band, Superchic[k]. The song questions whether "any kindness from you might have saved his life." It plays during the end credits of the movie.

I spoke to one of the film's stars, Deja Kreutzberg, in a telephone interview from her home in California. We talked about the motivation behind, the making of, and the hope for this groundbreaking movie.

Kreutzberg, who plays the teenage female lead Amy, is actually 27. She appeared in 28 episodes of the daytime soap opera, "As the World Turns" and counts CSI: Miami, Hope & Faith, and Law & Order in her primetime television credits. Still, despite her experience, she readily admits the making of this movie was different.

"Everyone was so excited to come to work every morning. There was such a positive atmosphere," she says. "In fact, a group of girls (from New Song Community Church) came to us each morning with little slips of paper. They would write down the things that they were going to pray for us each day. It was so cool. If I had a really stressful scene, I knew that they were praying for me. I still have all the notes in my scrapbook."

The family atmosphere created by the producers and director Brian Baugh (The Ultimate Gift) offset the heavy issues dealt with in the movie's script. Issues that Kreutzberg believes were necessary if the intended teenage audience was going to identify with the film.

"There are a lot of in-your-face scenes for this particular script," she says. "But we want to reach out to the real-life teens that are going through this stuff. We are trying to open the lines of communication, and, hopefully, get kids thinking about these things. They need to do the work on themselves and then reach out to other students."

Kreutzberg points to a scene where Jake gathers the school's misfits for lunch in the quad as the type of action the makers of the movie want to inspire.

"That was a pivotal scene," she says. "But doing that kind of thing is a pretty big deal when you are in high school. It reminded me of my own years in high school and all the divisions in the cafeteria. It wasn't until my senior year that I began to break down walls."

Not set for theatrical release until January 22, the movie has already made an impact on people who have seen it through pre-release parties. The reaction was a bit startling to Kreutzberg at first.

"As early as five months ago, people started searching me out on Facebook," she says. "I wasn't expecting it, but they were telling me how the movie made an impact on them. They love the film."

One girl sought Kreutzberg out for advice, not accolades.

"She was dealing with a lot of issues. We talked for a couple of months on and off. I'm glad she came to me."

Kreutzberg hopes others who see the film and struggle with its issues will seek out help. She, herself, related to her character Amy, someone who holds all her feelings inside. It's not until near the end of the movie that Amy trusts Jake enough to tell him what's really going on in her life.

"It's a big sigh of relief to let those things go. I hope teenagers will confide in their parents, their youth leaders, or someone who does (counseling) for a living."

Written and co-produced by Jim Britts, the movie is the first venture of New Song Pictures. Similar to Atlanta area Sherwood Pictures, which released Fireproof and Facing the Giants, New Song Pictures has been birthed out of New Song Community Church in Oceanside, California, where Britts is youth pastor and co-producer Steve Foster is Executive Pastor. It took six weeks to make the movie, which used the church and surrounding areas in Oceanside for locations.

Alongside the professional actors, locals volunteered and were instrumental in getting the film made on a limited budget. While it lacks the bells and whistles of big studio films, it is a professional undertaking, and a far cry from the cheesy B movies that normally come to mind when one mentions a "Christian" film.

Grammy Award winner Charlie Peacock is the music supervisor. A decades-long mainstay in the Christian music industry, his fingerprints are evident on the soundtrack and its contribution to the film.

While many will applaud the authenticity of the film, parents and youth pastors should be aware that there are a few instances of rough language and the teens, including the character of the senior pastor's son, engage blatantly in inappropriate behavior, including teen drinking, sex, and drug use. Those scenes garnered the film a PG-13 rating. I understand that most teenagers have been exposed to far worse than what is portrayed in this film. Still, as a parent, I would advise caution when showing the film to other people's children.

Background information from movie press releases.