Voiceless (2016)

the leading man is my tpye

Good concept, poorly executed.

Am I Missing Something?

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This film disgusts me. The statistics in it are made up, the main opinion, that criticises women who decide what to do with THEIR body, is given by a man, who won't ever get pregnant, and the film is shot awfully as well. I could write a ridiculously long review on how insulting this film is, but just take it from me, don't watch this. If you really do have a burning desire to know just how bad it is, watch the Cinema Snob's review.

Whether you are Christian or not, I don't care. What matters is what this film tries to teach the audience and where it falls flat.Just off the top of my head:1) The clinic that our main character glares daggers at all the time is a clinic that offers abortions as a service. It is *not* a clinic that *only* offers abortions. The women there get contraceptives, pap smears, exams, and other checkups to guarantee their health. 2) The main character acts like something is up when he is not allowed to know personal CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION about the people who visit there. Sorry, but you're not a doctor, you're some random guy on the street. You do not have the privilege to know anything that's not your business, least of all because you are not a friend or family member.3) The medical professional will not, can not, and would not perform abortions on unwilling women because it would mean they would be sued to kingdom come, not to mention that there are laws against performing surgery on people who have not given the OK. That abusive husband would have had the cops called on him immediately. If anything, the staff working there would have tried to stall him as long as possible while keeping the pregnant woman safe, perhaps into protective custody or a women's shelter while they dealt with the one-dimensional villain.4) If abortions are not available to women, they will find more dangerous, back alley ways to do it. Women have been having abortions since forever and if it wasn't through a doctor it was drinking herbs or throwing themselves downstairs. Barring access to something as clean and safe as an abortion clinic for someone who is committed to aborting the fetus will only drive them to find other dangerous means to do it. As for people who claim it's "killing children", millions of children die all around the world from hunger and disease that are aggravated by severe poverty, famine, war, terrible orphanage systems, or abusive/neglectful parents. Lives that were statistically inevitable because of the people who birthed them, their country of origin, and the state of affairs in the region they were born. I say that it is only humane to prevent such suffering by stopping it before it could ever occur. To allow people to suffer through life knowing nothing but empty stomachs and battered bones and a numb tongue is a fate worse than death.

Maybe I'm very old-fashioned, but shouldn't semi-amateur filmmakers, the kind who get friends and family to post reviews on IMDb (judging from the number of reviewers here who have one credit to their names -- this film) be a little humble? But this is the honest-to-God working/alternate title: American Hero: The Movie. I mean! And this is the tag line: One man. One Fight. The Ultimate Sacrifice. Well, there are many more than one man in this film -- it seems to be a completely male lead and made project, and almost all female characters are victims or deluded fools, with few or no lines, even about their own abortions. The one fight is clear -- against abortion, and not, I repeat, not a fight to pay for and care for children. You could say the protagonist takes it a little far: spying on the clinic behind Venetian blinds, harassing people going in and out, even pushing one girl over the edge into suicide. But I just don't see who or what the sacrifice is, let alone the Ultimate Sacrifice. Is it the abusive husband, lying in the pool of his own blood (symbolism!)? Is it the protagonist's wife, who thanks God in church for a man who opened her eyes? Or is it the viewer, sacrificing brain cells he will never get back?

When I was contacted to review a movie for Christian Cinema, I leapt at the opportunity. Once I read the film synopsis, I was completely drawn in and couldn't wait to watch it. And I was blessed to have a private screening of Voiceless!As someone who has not only a strong opinion on abortion but also had their life spared by adoption, I can testify that the movie hits home. What they are telling us is it's time to take a stand for the voiceless! In the myriad of pro-life films, Voiceless stands out as...well, first and foremost, it stands out. Whether by accident or design, the story of Voiceless is unlike any other movie in the mini-genre of films that speak out against abortion. The recently discharged soldier who had a rough upbringing, found God and now is running a community outreach program; his wife who, in the end, has to take a step of faith and stand beside her husband; and the teenage girl that has to choose between having her baby and getting kicked out of her home or having an abortion.There were so many powerful key points made in the movie. What it means to be pro-life, taking a stand even when you're the only one standing, reaching out to broken people even when it's messy, a church more concerned with numbers and appearing politically correct and following a convicted heart.There was one quote in the movie that really struck me and left me wondering if we as a Christian community, and myself as a Christian, are doing enough to stand for the voiceless. "The church has become more like a lamp tucked under a basket than a pillar of light on top of a hill."In life, we have to make choices and they aren't always easy. In Voiceless, Jesse had to make a choice. Is he going to take the easy way out and back off, which is what everyone wants him to do, or will he face a major confrontation which will require him to put everything on the line…not just his job, but his freedom and marriage as well.And last but not least, faith. Voiceless is filled with the theme of stepping out in faith! That through Him, we have strength. The entire movie spoke so loudly of Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.Voiceless is gripping, emotional, touching and quite powerful. It displays a perfect amount of love, faith, devotion, and strength. It gives a voice to those who have yet to be heard.