Loyal Mod-BLoggers may recall that several weeks back I hawked a review by Roger Ebert of the movie SAVED! indicating that it sounded like someone had finally made a movie that reflected the reality of Christian teens, both good and bad. Then Focus on the Family's Plugged In Online posted a review where they lambasted the film: "Saved! is like those monster vampire high school kind of movies, only here the monsters are Jesus-freak teenagers." Well, this past weekend, my brother and I finally went to see SAVED!. The verdict is in: it is both better and worse than I expected.
Plot Summary: Mary is enterring her Senior Year at a local Christian High School. She is one of the popular girls, she has the hottest boyfriend in school, and she feels that she completely understands her place in the world. Then, when her boyfriend reveals a dark secret, she decides to sleep with him, "sacrificing her virginity" for reasons which she thinks are right. It is only once, but she winds up pregnant. This leads to a crisis of faith, as she asks God why He let this happen to her if she was trying to do what was right? The crisis of faith eventually leads her to lose her place with the popular girls, join the school rebels, and reevaluate everything in her life.
The good: This movie (with the exception of a few politically-correct elements and themes) could actually serve as a powerful cautionary tale to Christians about the dangers of hypocrisy, showy-but-empty spirituality, and the urgency of compassion. If a similar film to this had been made as a Sunday School series (i.e. one of those cheesy 40-minute flicks you watch during a service or hour-long educational period at church) then it would likely have been lauded as a powerful teaching tool. The crisis of faith is sincere, the thinking about it by the main character is deep, and the inability of the popular girls to separate popularity from Jesus is very human.
The bad: This movie was not made by Christians, nor was it made for Christians. It was made by a non-believer who experienced evangelical Christian schools, and religious summer camps, and was repulsed by the hypocrisy he saw there. He was trying to make a movie like HEATHERS (the quintesential popular-girl horror film) about the Christian Community, especially the Evangelical Christian Community. Not one Christian in the film is portrayed as anything but a mess, and a hypocrite. The rebel group - all non-Christians - are the ones who come to her rescue, and show humiility, compassion, and understanding. Not one person is shown as being a sincere, if flawed, believer in Christ.
Overall, would I recommend this film? To adults, yes, as a powerful critique of Christian culture and especially of the Evangelical branch (of which I am part). To young teens, no. The film is too adult in many themes, and is more likely to be a hurt than a help. To older teens, maybe. The film will speak to some and convict them. But others, it will either bore or confuse rather than inform. Parents take heed, and proceed with caution.
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