Reviews : Movie
'To Save a Life' examines teen suicide
Christian film employs authentic storytelling, praiseworthy cinematography


By Jenn Boudreau, Writer
January 28, 2010

New film release To Save a Life, by its literal definition, is a Christian movie. Jim Britts, a youth pastor from Oceanside, CA, wrote it. Brian Baugh, cinematographer of Christian film The Ultimate Gift, directed it.

Yes, it was low budget.

Yes, the actors’ names are not recognizable.

But Save avoids what other films of its caliber are guilty of: sacrificing the credibility of a good story for the sake of fluffy religious cheese.

The movie firmly grasps an angle of a teenager's life, pulling along with it all the gritty details that create a beautiful, terrible and accurate story that will draw its viewers in.

At the start of the movie, the audience joins Jake Taylor as he stands silently in a cemetery, watching the funeral of Roger Dawson unfold. Flashbacks reveal that Jake and Roger had spent much of their childhood together and that Roger had once pushed Jake out of the way of an oncoming car, sacrificing his own safety — which resulted in a bum leg that earns him humiliating treatment in high school.

Despite their initial friendship, Jake remembers how he severed the ties between Roger and him: beginning his freshman year of high school, Jake pursued stardom on the basketball team and the affection of the popular cheerleader, Amy, joining the party scene while slowly leaving Roger behind.

And then one day Roger comes to school, and, as he stands in the midst of the hallway, ends his life with the gun he has brought, while Jake watches.

Remember, these events took place in a flashback; the movie has barely started. The rest details Jake’s account of how he responds to Roger’s death.

To Save a Life’s success is based on the hardcore reality it faithfully clings to; out of all the movies I have seen, it certainly comes out on top in regards to portraying teen life in the most accurate light.

Instead of a heavily romanticized piece that glorifies partying and hormones or a "let’s-tiptoe-around-the-bad-stuff-to-get-to-the-daisy-patch" film with a sickeningly sweet taste, the movie aims straight for the truth, no matter how messy it gets.


Not including suicide, To Save a Life contains many elements of teen life, both the good and ugly: drugs, partying, youthful romance, self-mutilation, drinking, preparing for college, depression, questions of faith and many more.

In regard to the spiritual aspect, the film's end goal is not Jake becoming a Christian, nor does it portray Christianity as "pink castles in the sky." The script, for the most part, steers clear of religious jargon, using the movie's plot and characters' actions to show the purpose of the Christian life.

The cinematography and the overall production of the movie were decent with few blatant flaws. Once in a while, the back-and-forth shots during a dialogue came across a bit off, as one character would be speaking and the camera would be looking at the character listening and then suddenly cut back to the person speaking. For a low-budget movie, though, the amount of polish was surprising.

To my delight, there were also a few bursts of cinematic creativity. For example, when Jake finds Roger’s blog about his depression, they cut to scenes of Roger walking to school and through the hallways as he speaks his mind.

This part of the movie in particular was interesting, since Roger is talking about how no one cares about him; how “I could scream as loud as I could but no one would hear me” as he walks through the student population.

For the soundtrack, instead of the usual well-meant but ill-fitting Third Day or Casting Crowns songs, a real instrumental panel was created for the backdrop of the movie, which alone is a major step up from other Christian productions.

Sure, To Save a Life can’t be ranked up with the top-notch, high-budget Hollywood films, but it shows the Christian film industry is heading in a better direction. The overall effect of the movie, though, leaves a lasting impression, and the question “What can I do?” will cycle through many of its viewers’ heads.

For movie tickets and showtimes, check out Fandango. For more movie reviews, read the Jan. 25 article, 'The Lovely Bones' features convoluted themes.