An independent production of much heart and sincerity, This Day Forward delves into the true-life story of a couple facing a crisis of faith, in Brian Ide’s faith-based movie sure to move all matter of audience.
The faith-based movie industry has reached new plateaus of success over the last several years. Mostly low budget affairs, movies such as God’s Not Dead and I Can Only Imagine have been greeted warmly by a congregation of Christian movie fans, in the process becoming surprise box-office hits.
This Day Forward has the potential to do the same. Directed by Brian Ide (Clear Lake, WI) and written by Nick Schober, This Day Forward tells the true-life story of Mike Jensen (Randy Coleman), a musician and pastor who was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the age of 38. The story is told through the eyes of Jen Jensen (Hayden Blane), Mike’s wife who struggles with her faith throughout this difficult period of transition from a comfortable family life, to a life straining under the stress of a terminal illness.
In this time of real people seeking real representation of their very real lives, This Day Forward represents a situation many families would have/do struggle with, leading to the ultimate question: why would a loving a benevolent God put us in this situation? It is a scenario I can attest to: in 1991 my older sister had a car accident, leading to severe physical and mental disabilities. My parents, devout Catholics (and still are) underwent their own spiritual crisis for a brief period. These moments in life in which the vulnerable veneer of our mortality is tested and battered brings with it a spiritual impact. That there are those who can bounce back with sanity and religious life still intact, is something of a miracle.
Throughout Ide uses a flashback, flash forward structure to depict a life that was, and a life that is to be endured. The flashback sequences, shot in illuminating bright light, can be rather hooky at times, especially in scenes where Mike’s exuberance for life crosses into annoyingly cuckoo territory one time too many. Yet as Mike and Jen’s story progresses, so too does the film find an even tone where the harsh drama of their situation is sincerely and emotionally portrayed.
Of course, being a faith-based movie, questions about God and his plan are brought to the proceedings. While some would use such a tool to wield unhelpful preaching as a quick-fix akin to a band-aid on a deep wound, Ide correctly presents the truth of the situation, and that is when faced with despair of such primal levels, the choice between faith and dear is presented in stark fashion. The Jensens – much like my parents- chose to invest in the former, taking life one day at a time with soaring spirit and loving heart, proving that This Day Forward is not only a good film, but an appropriate title as well.
