Directed By Kevin Peeples

Starring – Alex Kendrick, Kirk Cameron, Lowrey Brown

The Plot – David’s (Raphael Ruggero) comfortable world is turned upside down when his birthmother unexpectedly reaches out to him, longing to meet the 18-year-old son she’s only held once.

Rated PG-13 for some thematic material

Lifemark Movie Trailer – YouTube

POSITIVES

As far as religious films go, “Lifemark” is one of the more mature installments, especially from the same production company that spawned such propaganda films as “War Room” and “Show Me the Father”. This is especially surprising from a religious perspective, which practically persists throughout the film with little to no mention, but also on the topic of abortion, which currently resides as a sensitive issue in a politically divided country such as ours. The sentiment isn’t completely unscathed, as I’ll dissect later in the negatives, but the film most progresses as a feel-good and emotionally triggering engagement that rarely ever feels heavy-handed in the dialogue, or wallowing in the repetition of its storytelling movements, instead sifting through a variety of dramatic and comedic moments that are balanced out carefully and respectfully from Peeples’ seamless direction, all in the name of giving us a film that doesn’t feel hindered from off-screen limitations. The gags are a bit corny, but effective none the less, and the meaty material of the dramatic circumference in the movie’s material feels earned every step of the way, with a story that is every bit unique as it is emotionally moving. This is also because of the advancements in the production value, which while nothing exceptional in ambition, does capably bridge the gap with big screen production companies by not only toning down the resolution in the movie’s lighting schemes, but also eliciting with it some consistency for editing that never halted my investment to the narrative. On top of this, the performances and bottled chemistry between the lead ensemble resonates a series of characters who we can root for, but also the kind of people who feel rooted in humanity. As David, Ruggero feels sincere with those moments of downtime that illustrate a likeability to his character, and while it pains me to say this, Kirk Cameron is also highly impactful in the role of David’s father, who he solidifies with a warmth and ensuing charisma that he continuously uses to charm his way into the hearts of his audience.

NEGATIVES

Where “Lifemark” does begin to trail off is in the final fifteen minutes of the film, which sacrifice much of the aforementioned appeal of its creativity for a climax that feels desparate to hammer home the intention of its materializing. During this section of the film, the script starts to attack the other side of the argument, in terms of women who do seek out abortions, then narrow-mindedly hymns their commentary for the sake of the corresponding narrative. This means that everyone who gets an abortion are either terrible people or miserable for the rest of their lives, yet people who seek adoption are always doing the right thing. It’s a bit of an irresponsible and one-sided debate that doesn’t fully capture the extent of the ages-old argument, and for “Lifemark” unfortunately reminds us of its intentions, regardless of the charms it may have succeeded in garnering during the first 80 minutes of the movie. While on that run time, the pacing is also a little rough for the film, primarily during the second act, in which sedated storytelling plods and pads itself to reach its length by grinding the progression to a screeching halt. This feels destined to happen by only focusing this film on David’s story, and not so much another character named Melissa, whose rights for the story were also included and even heavily alluded to during the film’s closing credits, but never followed through beyond a scene or two to remind you of her presence. With more focus on her plot, it could’ve not only smoothed out the one-sided moral debate at the center of the film’s conflict, but also evened out the pacing by taking time away from David’s narrative to keep it constantly fresh. Even for 97 minutes, it still feels about twenty minutes too long with the extent of the story that it chooses to focus on, leading to moments of impatience or boredom that sets in once you coherently interpret where the film is headed. Finally, while most of the technical elements spawn a pleasant appeal that keeps distraction away from obvious visual hinderances, the musical score here Kyle McCuiston smothers us with intrusion that never lets the integrity of the scene itself breathe on its own merits. Kyle is a relatively new composer, so I won’t dissect his instrumental capabilities, but instead say his volume mixing and levels need vast improvement, meandering a scene to the point where I audibly yelled “Oh come on” at the sappy melodramatic blanketing that audibly spoon-fed the sentiment. It’s a corny, cantankerous unsubtlety that removed much of the nuance of every sequence, feeling like the cinematic equivalent of a kittens in a basket calendar, but with twice as much desperation for the cause.

OVERALL
“Lifemark” is still as close-minded on its sociological issues as any film of the genre that has persisted before it. However, the control over the religious propaganda, vast improvements in production value, and endearing ensemble make it one of the more harmless engagements of anything with Cameron’s name attached to it, shining a light on the endless possibilities that could come with a more reserved approach to religious filmmaking.

My Grade: 6/10 or C