Christian Review Magazine Issue 4 - April 2015 | Page 15

MOVIE C
REVIEW

onfessions of a Prodigal Son is a
coming of age story that follows
Sean, a young college student
who left home so he could live his life on his
own terms.
Growing up as a Pastor’s kid, Sean is tired
of people telling him how he should live his
life, and wants to live by his own rules. So
he convinces his reluctant parents to give
him his first two years of college money,
the rest of which he will get if he can keep
up a grade A average.

Title:

CONFESSIONS OF A
PRODIGAL SON
Rating:

Starring:

Kevin Sorbo, Nathan
Clarkson, Rachael Lee
Written by:

Nathan Clarkson
Directed by:

Allan Spiers
Genre:

Drama
Running Time:

91 minutes

MPAA Rating:

Not Rated

Production Company:

Lighting Dark, Sling Stone
Productions
Reviewed by:

Leah St John
Release Date:

Out Now : DVD

Almost two years later, and Sean is a party
going, fun loving slacker, who seems to be
more interested in spending time with his
buddies than studying. But when Sean’s
rebellious ways begin to catch up with him,
an English professor - who challenges his
students to see their lives as stories - and
young woman named Ali, help push Sean
to rethink some of the life choices he has
made, and will make in the future.
Let’s face it, The Parable of the Prodigal Son
is probably the parable which has been
dramatized the most. The story has been
told through a number of faith-based
movies; some such as A Long Way Off
[2014], Wayward: The Prodigal Son [2014],
Prodigal [2011], and Warrior [2011] come to
my mind right away.
When you really think about it, many, many
more movies use the story of the prodigal
son as the basis for a story. And considering
the vast number of “prodigal son” themed
movies out there, filmmakers always
attempt to put a new spin on the story.
Confessions of a Prodigal Son is no
exception, as it did try to incorporate some
new ideas into the story, such as the whole
premise that we are all telling stories with
our lives and it’s up to us to decide what
that story looks like. This idea is well
presented in the movie. Additionally, the
inclusion of thoughtfully written narrated

segments throughout the film is a nice
touch, and really brought the film together.
And as a conversational driven drama
based on the parable of the prodigal son,
there were some good messages contained
within. Truth’s such as all of our choices
have consequences, and love doesn’t give
up on someone are shared. Another
message contained in the movie is that you
don’t have to be perfect to go to God,
because everyone is broken in one way or
another. But God’s love is bigger than our
regrets and mistakes; it is unconditional
and nothing we can do will change that.
Overall, Confessions of a Prodigal Son is a
pretty clean movie - there is no sexual
content, though it is alluded to that a
young man and woman are living together,
and a young man cheats on his girlfriend.
As for swearing, there is nothing more than
“idiot”. However, this movie is aimed at a
more discerning audience; it does revolve
around a rebellious college student after
all. Sean and his friends are seen drinking
and getting drunk, taking pills at a party (on
one occasion), and one of the main
characters throws a beer bottle on a college
campus.
Regarding the production itself, the camera
work and directing are ok, and the
soundtrack is good for the most part. As for
the acting, it’s not great but not too bad
either. However, one must take into
consideration that this movie was made on
a very low budget, as $13,835 (of a $10,000
goal) was pledged through a Kickstarter
campaign back in 2013. To say that this
movie was made on such a low budget, I
have to say that it is a commendable feat.
Though Confessions of a Prodigal Son is
ultimately a low budget production, and
the fact that it did seem to run at a fairly
slow pace, it still has some good points to
make as it shares the always relevant
message that God’s love is unconditional.
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