Cinematography is the standout of Rising Free and cannot be denied, it is at an epic scale and very unexpected for a debut film, especially a faith-based film, debut or not, it's a surprisingly beautiful movie to watch. Unlike other faith-based films, Rising Free leaps past the gymnasiums and football fields and delivers an historical period piece that has the courage to deal with some heavy subject matter (violence, murder, human trafficking) with earnest sensitivity, never once exploiting the issues in graphic detail, either visually or verbally, but instead reaches beyond them and explores the extents of love and mercy in the aftermath. The shortfalls that are present are barely worth mentioning as Rising Free is a brave debut film by new director Johannesson and Lightfall Films that appears to have taken immense effort to bring to the screen. Rising Free, not only captures loss and hope and mercy on the frontier but may be forging a new frontier altogether in Christian filmmaking.
Review of Rising Free
