His faith was tested. Our hope was born.|Mar. 31, 2023|USA|106 Min.|PG-13
Genre: Drama;HdCam-HallPrint
Description: In his directorial debut, *His Only Son*, David Helling employs a familiar strategy of including a filmed postscript and leveraging a crowd-sourced wide release for the film. This approach is typical in faith-based cinema, often used to divert attention from the film’s quality. For Helling, it serves dual purposes: promoting the movie and evangelizing to the audience.
Despite securing funding through church and donor support, the film falls short in quality. The production feels average, with lackluster acting and a script that fails to engage. Its 100-minute runtime becomes a tedious experience for viewers.
Filmed in California’s desert—a common backdrop for Hollywood biblical movies—the setting appears authentic. However, the narrow storyline and limited action sequences offer little excitement.
Overall, *His Only Son* is an unremarkable film, heavily reliant on its religious themes to resonate with its audience. While budget constraints may have limited the production’s scale, the lack of strong writing and compelling performances is disappointing. The dialogue often feels forced, and the actors struggle to bring depth to their roles. Even the climactic sacrifice scene, intended to evoke emotion, falls flat.
Despite these shortcomings, the film has a few redeeming qualities. The cinematography effectively captures the desert’s stark beauty, and the filmmakers deserve credit for attempting to explore the moral complexities of the Abraham and Isaac story.
Cast director: David Helling
Cast actor: Nicola Mouawad, Sara Seyed, Scot Cooper, Luis Fernandez-Gil, Orestes Sophocleous, Ted Harvey, Edaan Moskowitz
Original name: His Only Son