"SC-S31/W1-Movie Magic |Movie About Choices| (𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦)

Image Credit: A Still from Redeeming Love (2022), via Movie Inside.

As important as one's breath is, so is the decision that drives one’s choices. Its consequences can either mar or make a life.

While love heals, the fear of loving kills.
Still on this love quest, I stumbled on Redeeming Love directed by D. J. Caruso (2022), based on a novel by Francine Rivers.

𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 is more than a movie; but a mirror of reality.
In a moment where I lay still on a surgical bed, seemingly untouched and unresponsive to treatments, where breath was fading and hope thinning,
it was the defibrillator that got my heart beating again.
Just like Angel, I stood at the edge–of giving up or giving in.

About the Movie#

Image Credit: Screenshots of Redeeming Love (2022), Rotten Tomatoes.

𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 tells the story of Angel, a young woman who suffered abandonment, childhood abuse, trauma and years of exploitation. The broken environment where she grew up exposed her to more abuse, which eventually trapped her in prostitution during the California Gold Rush era.

Angel's life takes a turn after meeting a man, Michael Hosea, who fell in love with her unconditionally and decided to marry her just as she was.

Like Cinderella, after marrying her prince charming, her life should have been a happily ever after— but no. Angel was haunted by her past. She feared and rejected the love that could heal her, convinced she was unworthy of love.

She repeatedly ran away from Michael, right back into the destructive life of prostitution. Each time she made such a decision, it hurt not only her but Michael. The film follows her emotional journey from hurt to healing at last.

What Single Decision in the Movie Changed Everything?

Image Credit: A Still from Redeeming Love (2022), via Movie Inside.

An astonishing fact in the movie is the contrast between the characters, Angel and Michael Hosea. Just as light and shadow create depth in any work of art, so do these two. There would not have been a complete story without them. Their decisions changed everything in the movie.

First is Angel’s single decision: whenever faced with love, she chose to leave.
Her decision affected everything in the story because:

• It deepened her suffering and delayed her healing

• It hurt Michael. One’s refusal to heal can throw a loved one into bigger hurts, and without immediate intervention, the loss would be doubled and grievous.

Second is Michael Hosea's single decision to love Angel despite the shame and stigma of marrying a prostitute. Although the will was God's will, he found the exact signs he asked God for in her but the decision and choice to marry her was his.

Despite the pain, he awarded her more love and waited for her healing even when it took longer than expected.
Michael's love eventually brought her the healing.

What would I have done differently?

Lying there on the surgical bed, seemingly untouched by every treatment done, I chose to remain still, not because I was entirely lifeless. I could have run away with my last breath but I paused right there, knowing that in the theatre ward of love, there is bound to be improvement.

Angel kept running but I would have:

• paused instead of running back to a destructive life
• opened up about my fears
• allowed myself to be guided while trusting the process.

Did the Character's Choice Feel Right or wrong to Me? And why?

Although Angel's choices shaped by childhood abuse, abandonment and years of emotional damage were understandable. Running served as an escape mechanism for her. But to me, her decision was wrong.

The reason is:

• It trapped her in a cycle of suffering
• It cost both her and Michael emotional pain

On Michael's part:

True love is not supposed to stress one, right?
Michael went through the burn of love and still hung right in there, loving her even more. He could have been mocked by friends, family and society, yet his love did not care!
His decision to love her in such a terrible state stands right against all odds.

The reason is:

• He did not condemn and forsake her as everyone else in their world did. He allowed himself to love her carelessly and recklessly.

• His love was true enough to redeem a completely ruined life as hers.

Conclusion

Image Credit: Screenshots of Redeeming Love (2022), Rotten Tomatoes.

𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦 is a reflection of life, of decisions, choices and consequences.
It reveals that the decisions one makes when rooted in fear can further imprison one, while the decision made in courage, love, faith can set one free.
The movie is not just a romantic film but faith-based which clearly represents God's redeeming love to all, no matter the state we are in, as seen in the Bible 𝘏𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘢 1-3.
Lets hear the conclusion of the whole matter: life presents us with choices, but the real deal is choosing what is right.

I invite @ukpono, @dhizy and @bossj23 to participate in this contest.