On the surface, "To Save a Life" doesn't sound that different from a host of indie films -- a drama involving a teen coping with the aftermath of a student's suicide who finds solace in a group of outsiders.
The film, which opens Friday, deals with myriad real-life issues facing teens such as drugs, sex and social acceptance. The plot focuses on star athlete Jake Taylor, who seemingly has it all; he has a basketball scholarship, good looks, a cheerleader girlfriend and hangs with the in-crowd. But when a loner, an old friend from his past, shoots himself at school, his world is turned upside down and he seeks answers on how he could have made a difference.
"To Save a Life" is meant to be uplifting and appeal to a wide audience. Which is part of the reason that the filmmakers don't want to make too much of the fact that this is a faith-based film.
"The real message of this film is to try and offer help to people that are in trouble," said Josh Weigel, who plays the role of a youth pastor in the film. "I don't know what that kind of movie is called, movie with a purpose, a positive film, inspirational or redemptive film. It doesn't really matter."
The film is being distributed by Samuel Goldwyn Films, which had a breakout hit in 2008 with the Christian film "Fireproof." With a budget well under $1 million, the film, which starred Kirk Cameron, grossed $33 million thanks in large part to grass-roots marketing to church audiences.
Like "Fireproof," "To Save a Life" is produced by a church-based production company, in this case New Song Pictures, a division of New Song Ministries in Oceanside. But that's where the similarities with the more overtly Christian "Fireproof" end. In fact, the new film may have more in common with Fox's "Glee" than it does with previous Christian films, including a rainbow-colored cast of misfits and a good-looking mentor who guides them through the chaos of high school life.
Jim Britts wrote the screenplay -- he's also a producer on the film -- after learning that the top influence on teen behavior is not parents, school or even church, but movies.
"I work with troubled teens every day and see the severity of the poor choices they make," said Britts of his 10 years as a youth pastor at New Hope Church. "Movies are a powerful way to illustrate the consequences of making the wrong choice while reinforcing positive actions. "Not a day goes by without talking to a kid going through some kind of pain."
