MOVIE NIGHT WITH THE ERWIN BROTHERS: OCTOBER BABY
“A beautiful and naïve college freshman sets out on a road trip with her misfit friends to discover herself after she learns that her entire life is a lie”
~ Google description of the movie “October Baby”
This month, March 2020, two of my very favorite filmmakers, brothers Jon and Andrew Erwin, are releasing their fifth movie into theaters…and, though “I Still Believe” (the true story of award-winning Contemporary Christian Artist Jeremy Camp’s love story with his wife as she battled with cancer) doesn’t come out till March 13, I thought it would be fun to celebrate by discussing each of their films and the impact they have had (and still have) on my life.
First up:
“October Baby”
Long before the movie “Unplanned” became a controversial hit, searing the big screens of America with the graphic truth behind Planned Parenthood’s Abortion Industry, another pro-life film took to the field. Admittedly gentler but no less convicted than “Unplanned”, the Erwin Brother’s first theatrical release pioneered some rather weighty territory: how to confront the atrocity of abortion without compromise, show mercy and healing to those who had experienced the wake of it, all while telling a story that entertained as much as it convicted.
And I think they hit it out of the park.
I remember going to see “October Baby” with my Mom in the spring of 2012 and being absolutely captivated. The production of it, the acting, the believability of the characters, the sheer beauty of the music and cinematography were on a level we had rarely seen coming out of the world of Independent Christian Filmmaking—especially from practically unheard of filmmakers. As an artist, the stunning visuals took my breath away and, as a young woman, the story gripped my heart. Hannah’s struggles (portrayed wonderfully by Rachel Hendrix) and journey of discovery felt real and compelling, even if some of her choices weren’t ones I wanted to emulate—such as running away on a road trip with a bunch of crazy college kids. 😉 The love story was genuinely moving, and the eternal message of forgiveness rung as true as ever.
But what moved me the most the first time I saw it wasn’t the movie at all. It was a scene in the after credits. If you’ve watched the movie, you know what I’m talking about (or, at least I hope you do! There is no excuse in my mind for people who do not stay for the credits! 😊): the interview they show of the actress who (spoiler alert) plays Hannah’s birth mother who had a failed abortion. The actress, Shari Rigby, broke down into tears as she told her own story: of how she herself had once had an abortion that almost nobody one knew about and how God used the filming of “October Baby” to heal her heart and bring her true forgiveness. There are no words to describe the power of her testimony…so I hope you will take the time to watch it here:
Just recently, I re-watched the movie with my Dad. It was even more powerful than before. It still moved me to tears, still captivated my heart and my senses, still blew me away with Shari’s story. But there was one other thing that touched me, something that—for several reasons—had not impacted me much before.
The power of being wanted.
In the very final scene (once again, spoiler alert!), Hannah, now whole and at peace, is heading off to college and saying goodbye to her adoptive parents. She shares a quick hug with her mom and then her dad (perfectly cast in John Schneider) and starts walking away…yet after only a few steps Hannah turns to run back into her father’s arms.
“Thank you,” she says quietly.
“For what?” he replies through his tears.
She smiles tenderly.
“For wanting me.”
As she finally walks away, hand in hand with her faithful boyfriend and looking back at the two people whose sacrificial love literally saved her life, I wept uncontrollably.
“Thank you for wanting me!”
How often do those same words ring through my heart towards my Heavenly Father? How often do I feel the tenderness and power of the fact He chose to love me? He didn’t have to love me. He didn’t owe it to me. He didn’t reap some selfish benefit. He could have passed right by and left me lying in my own blood—abandoned, rejected, and dying—and it would have been no skin off His back. But He didn’t. Instead, He gave the skin off His back—every last drop of His own blood—to save me, to adopt me, to call me His own forever.
I am October Baby.
I wasn’t rescued from an abortion. My parents didn’t physically adopt me. But I have been rescued from the murderous effect of sin and satan. I have been rescued from eternal death. And I have been adopted as a Child of the Living God, sharing in the inheritance of His Son, Jesus, forever safe in His arms and in His heart…
All because He wanted me.
And He wants you, too!
Whether or not you ever watch “October Baby” (though I hope you do!), I pray its message becomes as real in your life as it has mine.
You are loved. You are wanted. And you can be restored!
No matter how broken.
Oh, and remember Shari? Well, just last year she starred in the Kendrick Brother’s latest Box Office Champ “Overcomer”, which is all about us finding our identity in Christ and fully understanding what it means to be a true Child of God.
Which is exactly the kind of restoration God seems to enjoy! 😊
“He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.”
~ Colossians 1:13 & 14
LIVE EPIC,
CHRISTIS JOY
