What Remains

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Ronald H What Remains is a simple movie—bordering on simplistic at times—but don't be fooled. It eventually gets pretty tricky, and it deals with some heavy themes that are worth reflecting on. Marshall (Cress Williams) is a black Baptist preacher in a small Texas town. He's well liked by his parishioners and the townspeople, who sympathize with him because his beloved wife was shot and killed in a home invasion five years ago. The killer, Troy (Kellan Lutz) has been arrested and jailed. Shortly after the murder, Marshall tells his congregation that he has recommended that Troy get a reduced sentence because the Gospel tells him to forgive his enemies. But his teenage son Samuel (Marcus Gladney, Jr) is not happy with his father's decision. Troy is released after five years (Remember, this is Texas. A white guy shooting a black woman? Not a great surprise). He returns to the town to ostensibly care for his sick mother. Unable to find a job anywhere, he encounters Marshall, who puts him to work doing maintenance work for the church. Samuel is livid about this, and it's not a stretch to imagine what's eventually going to happen. In what initially seems like a sublot but turns out to be central to the story, Sheriff Maureen (Anne Heche, perfect in her final role) is called to the scene of another apparent murder involving a pickup truck that has been burned up. The first hour of this film moves slowly enough to tax viewers' patience, but right around the one hour point, it upshifts rapidly into tense thriller territory. Flashbacks and flash-forwards are used skilfully as the pieces of the puzzle fall into place. The performances are uniformly excellent, especially Williams and Heche. And the difficulty of Christian forgiveness is dealt with intelligently without lapsing into proselytizing. This film can't be lumped in with other so-called "Christian" films. It's a family drama and a thriller. The murder scene is as shocking as anything I've ever seen on film. And there's even a sly reference to another Texas murder movie—the Coen brothers' Blood Simple. Shed blood is not easy to clean up. The conclusion of this film is not a surprise, but it's righteous, and it works perfectly. Faith is messy. Forgiveness is messy. Accountability is messy. This film is not afraid to deal with the mess. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/08/23 Full Review Barbara M The movie is genuinely thought provoking! Enjoyed it and look forward to more movies from Mr. Scoggins. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/04/22 Full Review Audience Member Beautiful movie. Well written, acted, and produced. Recommend to anyone. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/02/22 Full Review Audience Member Great message of forgiveness! Acting was also great! Good film for the whole family to watch and take away some great lessons from. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/02/22 Full Review Read all reviews

What Remains

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