The directors of the new faith-based film I Still Believe say fans of romantic movies will get the enchanting story they crave – yet it is told through a biblical lens that reveals the true definition of love.
I Still Believe (PG) opens this weekend, telling the true story of Christian singer Jeremy Camp’s marriage to his first wife, Melissa, who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer shortly after they met.
The film has received mainstream appeal due to its well-known lead actors, K.J. Apa and Britt Robertson, who play Jeremy and Melissa. Seventeen Magazine called I Still Believe the most-anticipated romantic film of the year.
It was co-directed by Jon and Andrew Erwin, who also co-directed the 2018 hit I Can Only Imagine.
“People are going to go for the romance, and it's going to fulfill on that level, and yet they're going to get God's love, and they're going to get a new view of what a real love story is – not only between two people, but also with God,” Jon Erwin told Christian Headlines. “There's a real opportunity with this movie on that front, especially for younger people.”
The love in I Still Believe, he added, is “sacrificial” and “selfless.”
“It's laying down your life for someone that you love,” he said.
Put another way, Erwin said, it’s the opposite of “today's narcissistic culture where everything is about me.”
Andrew Erwin said Apa and Robertson “definitely” took the story “to another level.”
“The chemistry between the two actors and the way that the story is told absolutely is a gorgeous love story,” he said.
Yet the film “doesn't sacrifice” anything by “having an innocent point of view,” Andrew Erwin said.
His brother agreed.
“When teenage girls see the movie, they don't say it's too innocent,” Jon Erwin said. “They actually say, ‘I want to be loved like that.’”
The film’s innocence will be “refreshingly new” for a young audience – an audience that “craves authenticity,” Andrew Erwin added.
“I think it's a tremendous opportunity for the gospel,” he said.
Related:
K.J. Apa: ‘God Really Anointed’ the New Faith Film ‘I Still Believe’
Director: I Still Believe Is a 'Huge Opportunity' to Reach the Unchurched
4 Inspiring Spiritual Lessons from I Still Believe
5 Reasons I Still Believe Is One of the Best Films You'll Ever Watch
Photo courtesy: ©Lionsgate
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
