Earnest fact-based drama, set in 2007, in which an
inexperienced Protestant Army chaplain (Justin Bruening) finds his pastoral
skills, the stability of his marriage (to Sarah Drew) and even his faith tested
when he's assigned to care for a unit deployed on the dangerous outskirts of
Baghdad. He helps to make one comrade (Jason George) a better husband, another
(Skye P. Marshall) a more active mom and guides a third (Tanner Stine) from
skepticism to belief. But his experiences of battle and loss leave him
suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and increasingly alienated from
his family. Though perhaps more admirable than engaging, director and co-writer
David G. Evans' film effectively conveys the experience of many servicemen and
women during and after their time in Iraq or Afghanistan while also presenting
the portrait of a strong and durable marriage and sincerely exploring issues of
doubt among the faithful. Besides scenes of fighting integral to the story, the
script includes little to which parents could object.
Watch out for: Stylized
combat violence with minimal gore, mature themes and references to an
out-of-wedlock pregnancy.
Rated: A-II, adults and
adolescents; MPAA: PG-13
© Arlington Catholic Herald 2018