Alone Yet Not Alone

Many years ago, I read "Alone Yet Not Alone", a fascinating book based on a true story. This afternoon, I went with my parents and a friend to see a limited-release movie adaptation. It was fabulous, and also a dream come true for me.

The story is about the Leininger family, which immigrated to frontier America in pursuit of religious freedom and the hope of a better life. In 1755, a few years after the family settled in Pennsylvania, they suffered horrible loss. Indian braves from the Delaware Tribe swept through that area of the frontier, murdering and taking captives. Although the mother and some of the brothers were away at the time of the raid, the braves killed the father and oldest brother. Twelve-year-old Barbara and nine-year-old Regina fled, but did not make it to safety: the Indians captured the girls, and later separated them into different tribes. Through the story, we see the way that the children's Christian upbringing enabled them to endure their difficult experiences.

When I was younger and first read the book, the story fired my imagination. I had never read anything quite like it, and began to make up similar stories of my own. My sister also liked the book, and the two of us sometimes pretended in the backyard that we were escaping an Indian encampment. Back then, as I intensely imagined the story, I thought it was a shame that no one would ever make a movie of it. It would be an exciting adventure film, but since it was a little-known book with blatantly Christian themes, it could never be a Hollywood movie.

Now, under a decade later, it doesn't have to be a Hollywood movie. Back then, all we had was "Facing the Giants". Now, times have changed. Christian film studios are no longer a foreign concept, and it's possible for a Christian homeschool company to produce a book adaptation like this. My eight-year-old self would have been ecstatic.

The trouble with Christian movies, however, is that they're not usually high quality. This movie is an exception which excites me for the future. The movie has its flaws, but it is well-made and well-acted. The story was profound and powerful. Even aside from the spiritual depth, the costume designs and sets looked authentic, so it holds its own as a period piece. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie, and it was special to see a book I love come to life on the screen. As always, the book is better than the movie, but it is a wonderful adaptation nonetheless.

The movie is intense, and although the violence is dealt with tastefully, it deserves its PG-13 rating. I would not recommend the movie for children, but for an older audience, it is wonderful. I would encourage local people to go see it while it is still in limited release. Originally, it was not even going to be out this long, but the movie did so well on the first weekend that all eleven theaters got a hold-over. Since it has been a financial success, they will later release the movie into more theaters in more cities. If you cannot see the movie now, I highly recommend that you pursue viewing it during that wider release.

Whenever churches or Christian studios release a faith-based film, people talk about how we need to go out and support it. Since we say that the filth from Hollywood disgusts us, we should support any effort to make things different: if somebody releases a Christian movie and it flops, that tells culture that nobody cares anyway. However, this is not just a movie that has a good message. This is a good movie. This is the first time I've been able to wholeheartedly recommend a faith-based film on its own merits, and I hope that there will be many more occasions like this in the future.

(Visit the movie website here.)