In the bonus track of the DVD version of "All Saints," the major theme of the film was described by the film artists as one of "hope and faith." The film was shot on location of the actual All Saints church in Smyrna, Tennessee, that is the subject of the film. It was interesting to meet a number of the real people alongside the actors performing them.
The main narrative focuses on the attempt to save an episcopal church in rural Tennessee that is about to be shut down and sold, due to lack of parishioners and funding. The improbable story that unfolds is a bold (or hare-brained?) plan of a dedicated pastor, Michael Spurlock, and the newest members of the congregation, a group of Karen immigrants who have fled the civil war and genocide in Burma (Myanmar), located between Bangladesh on the west and Laos and Thailand on the east. The idea is to pool their efforts in starting a farm on the church property, and sell the crops to pay off the debts and save the church.
By far, the most interesting character in the film is a young man named Ye Win, who organizes his family members and friends to become an integral part of the congregation and save the church. The best scene in the film is when Ye Win delivers a speech to the bishop and church administrators in an effort to buy time in saving the church. He wins over the elders by arguing that "we are one family."
The film was not as successful in developing how the members of the Smyrna community rallied around the farm idea that ultimately gave the church a new identity. Much of the action was overly sentimental and melodramatic. And, for an episcopal church in the south, it was surprising that there was very little church ritual presented in the dramatized church services, which were far too informal and unstructured.
In the bonus track, it was noted that the struggle to develop the farm and race against the clock was not merely an effort to save the church, but to save each other. But, as depicted in the film, the characters were so resourceful that it really did not appear that they needed any "saving." The more important drama was how they came together in a shared purpose and inspired others who eventually flocked to Smyrna to be a part of something that is all but vanishing in today's world: the vital importance of people working together and developing a unique bonding as a community.
The main narrative focuses on the attempt to save an episcopal church in rural Tennessee that is about to be shut down and sold, due to lack of parishioners and funding. The improbable story that unfolds is a bold (or hare-brained?) plan of a dedicated pastor, Michael Spurlock, and the newest members of the congregation, a group of Karen immigrants who have fled the civil war and genocide in Burma (Myanmar), located between Bangladesh on the west and Laos and Thailand on the east. The idea is to pool their efforts in starting a farm on the church property, and sell the crops to pay off the debts and save the church.
By far, the most interesting character in the film is a young man named Ye Win, who organizes his family members and friends to become an integral part of the congregation and save the church. The best scene in the film is when Ye Win delivers a speech to the bishop and church administrators in an effort to buy time in saving the church. He wins over the elders by arguing that "we are one family."
The film was not as successful in developing how the members of the Smyrna community rallied around the farm idea that ultimately gave the church a new identity. Much of the action was overly sentimental and melodramatic. And, for an episcopal church in the south, it was surprising that there was very little church ritual presented in the dramatized church services, which were far too informal and unstructured.
In the bonus track, it was noted that the struggle to develop the farm and race against the clock was not merely an effort to save the church, but to save each other. But, as depicted in the film, the characters were so resourceful that it really did not appear that they needed any "saving." The more important drama was how they came together in a shared purpose and inspired others who eventually flocked to Smyrna to be a part of something that is all but vanishing in today's world: the vital importance of people working together and developing a unique bonding as a community.