God Bless the Broken Road is directed by Harold Cronk who brought us God's Not Dead and God's Not Dead 2.
It tells the story of a young mother who loses her husband in Afghanistan and struggles to raise their young daughter in his absence.
The film combines elements of faith, country music, and stock car racing while paying tribute to those who serve in the United States Military.
If you are looking for a clean, family friendly movie this is an excellent choice for you.
Visit your local theater listings for times.
For the main character, Amber Hill, life changes drastically when she receives the news that her husband, a soldier stationed in Afghanistan had been killed. When she receives this news she is leading the church choir practice, which until that moment seems to be the delight of her life.
As often happens when tragedy hits, our lives shift and joy gets buried in the pain. The movie jumps to two years later where we find Amber struggling financially as a single working mom, disconnected from her church roots and completely uninterested in singing. Even her young daughter, Bree, can't convince her to sing "just once more".
Then enters Cody, a race card driver in a slump. His reputation appears to be that of a bad-boy and he is sent to the equivalent of 'the Minors' to sharpen him. He arrives in the small town to be mentored by a man named Joe Carter who runs a mechanics shop, ministers to young kids and apparently is a whiz at car racing.
The first thing Joe does when Cody arrives in town is take him to church where Cody sees a beautiful woman across the parking lot dropping off her daughter. His interest is sparked and shall we say the rest is history?
Well, there is a romantic element to this film but it takes a far back seat to the rest of the story and by the end of the film there is still just a "hint" of something brewing. A very clean and un-rushed aspect of the film.
The main focus of the story is on Amber's choked out faith as the financial obstacles mount higher and higher against her.
Some things I loved about the film: the music! It was a beautiful arrangement of hymns, current radio plays and of course the title track God Bless the Broken Road. Even has a cameo appearance by Micah Tyler as a cafe singer. As well as Jordin Sparks portraying one of Amber's friends.
Another thing I enjoyed about the movie was the intertwining plots of Amber and Cody. They both had a journey to fulfill and they weren't there simply to enhance each other. However, I would have liked to see more depth to Cody's story line.
This story is very moving and I went through several tissues. As the story climaxes where it seems Amber has truly lost everything in her world, she surrenders in exhaustion before God that she can't 'do this alone'. And as believers we know and understand that this is the actual moment where things change. Sometimes in movies this means everything is restored, the sun comes out and everyone lives happily ever after.
Not so in real life, often.
And God Bless the Broken Road tries to steer away from the Story-book ending. Instead of all her dreams coming true, Amber finds peace. And ultimately that is what we all want, isn't it.
"No matter where life takes you ... faith takes you further"
One note on age appropriateness, be aware there is a small amount of war scenes involving explosions and guns, injuries and death. There is no blood shown, which for some will seem very fake but makes it accessible for younger ages. I would still recommend caution for younger children.
Overall, this is a great story and a well made movie. I would recommend it to those searching for good, clean entertainment. Will be worth the $$$ you spend at the box office doors.
Enjoy!
Check out the trailer.
Also, a discussion guide.
"Film has been provided courtesy of Pacific Northwest Pictures and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc."
