Gold Through the Fire

Customer Reviews:

Solid film for church viewing.......2005-12-16

This film explores the experiences of a Russian high school student who escapes from Russia, prior to the fall of communism. His parents were arrested, and he was sent to a youth detention center, all because they were practicing Christians, belonging to an underground church. Our hero expects to find religious freedom and fervor in America. However, when he's placed with a stereotypical American church-going family, he finds doubt amongst the young, weak spirituality amongst the adults, and ultimately, that the lure of America's material good life is tempting indeed.

The film is a strong choice for churches looking for a discussable movie to show--especially for youth groups. The themes will engage Christian audiences, provoking conversation on many Christian living issues.

On the other hand, this is not really an evangelistic film. Non-Christians will be bored by the content (which is extremely dated), amused by the amatuerish quality of the production, and they may feel preached at, though not very effectively so.

PROS: Interested topics that transcend time--issues of family, spiritual fervor, and the lure of material wealth and popularity.

CONS: This movie is extremely dated. It has to represent the late 1970s or early 1980s, and has the feel of a movie made soon thereafter, not 2000 as claimed. Quality--the production and acting level here is quite amatuerish. There is heart here, but not compelling acting.

Bottom-line: An acceptable choice for religious conversation groups, or Christian family viewing, but not much appeal to the broader society.

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