Reviewed by Keren Perrott

Few would deny Deitrick Haddon's gift as a gospel artist and fans will have understandably high hopes for this, his first feature film in which he acted and co-scripted. Haddon wrote the story as a modern day account of the Biblical story of Saul and David and he plays the lead character, singer Dwight Hawkins, who is propelled to gospel stardom and then faces betrayal by the bishop of a local church. Haddon has previously explained his desire to portray human nature in the context of God's grace and sovereignty. Unfortunately, in spite of his best efforts, the central tenet of the film is rather lost amidst the clunky direction and complication of too many sub-plots competing for attention. The intentions are good and there are glimmers of real substance but overall the plot is confusing, the acting patchy and the cinematography disjointed. Gospel lovers and fans of Haddon will try hard to enjoy this movie and it's really his musicianship and the supporting cast of award-winning gospel stars including Kiki Sheard and Sheryl Lee Ralph which hold the film together. It's a happy ending but the soundtrack is the redeeming feature of the film and if you really want to enjoy Haddon's talents, my advice would be to buy the soundtrack.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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