After the success of Sound of Freedom, it became hard to ignore Angel Studios’s growing power in the film industry. The production company not only found a new way to distribute its movies. It found an incredibly effective way to ensure its movies are seen. For a film like Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, ensuring audiences see your issue-based film may change lives. Creating a pseudo-shared franchise with Sound of Freedom may create huge dividends for Angel Studios. They also brought Letitia Wright on board to produce the film.
However, while reception to Sound of Freedom‘s direction trended positive, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot struggles with this aspect. It features two brilliant performances at the top of the movie. The younger actors struggle, primarily due to how they’ve been directed. The importance of the story still shines through, but the emotional moments do not land with the gusto one might hope.
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot Synopsis
In 1998, the small town of Possum Trot, Texas, began an admirable movement to help children in the foster system. Donna Martin (Nika King) struggles with the loss of her mother and realizes she can help other children in the community. She brings a plan to her husband, local church leader Reverend Martin (Demetrius Goose). She wants to adopt children in need. Shortly after their first adopted children arrive, Reverend Martin realizes the community as a whole can do more. He asks others to join them in providing safe homes for children. At the same time, the Martins’ third adopted child, Terri (Dianna Babnicova), struggles to secure in her new home.
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot – The Critique
The power of Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot stems from the lead performances from King and Goose. Each performer stands out, providing plenty of heart to carry the morality of the story. However, they make The Story of Possum Trot a far more subtle and rich emotional experience. While the screenplay does not provide depth, Goose and King find it in their characterizations. Their performances offer depth, sadness, and internalized questions about faith, even if the screenplay does not allude to it. It’s fascinating to see and should put both actors in a good position for the future.
The screenplay does lack some nuance. It’s rather straightforward, forcing us to believe that either a person joins the foster system to help children or that they do it to take advantage of the money sent to foster families. The extremes make for a questionable depiction of the system, ignoring families that might have good intentions but struggle to make it work. Instead, these families are depicted as not having the strength, courage, or fortitude to make it happen.
Additionally, the screenplay threads the needle as an overtly Christian story but does not lean on its Christianity and belief as a way to demonize others. Yes, it provides a community for the adoptive families to lean on for support. However, they are not performing these acts explicitly because of their religious beliefs. Far more effort is put into highlighting the power people have to help eliminate this problem.
Additionally, the critique overshadowing Sound of Freedom stemmed from its insistence to “Save the Children” from trafficking. This time around, the solutions are far more practical to implement and do not tie to any outright conspiracies. It’s nice to see that shift in the storytelling because it helps the story shine through.
Unfortunately, there’s a sloppiness in Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot that stems from its direction. First-time director Joshua Weigel does not seem to provide his child actors with helpful instructions. That alone begins to hurt The Story of Possum Trot, as the story revolves around young adult, teen, and child performers. There’s a fair argument that child acting woes do not stem from the kids but the situation around them. In this case, Weigel does not provide them adequate direction to shine, instead turning them into a weak point for The Story of Possum Trot.
In Conclusion
While Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot approaches its tale with good intentions, the quality dips. There are just enough issues throughout the movie, from its saccharine tone to inconsistent performances. These ultimately add up, eventually leaving Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot as a mid-tier movie that missed the mark in a few too many places.
5/10
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