THE SONG follows aspiring singer-songwriter Jed King (
Alan Powell, lead-singer for "Anthem Lights") as he struggles to catch a break and escape the long shadow of his father, a country music legend. After reluctantly accepting a gig at a local vineyard harvest festival, Jed is love-struck by the vineyard owner’s daughter, Rose (
Ali Faulkner, Twilight: Breaking Dawn), and a romance quickly blooms. Soon after their wedding, Jed writes Rose “The Song,” which becomes a breakout hit. Thrust into a life of stardom and a world of temptation in the form of fellow performer Shelby Bale (
Caitlin Nicol-Thomas, "Nashville"), Jed’s life and marriage begin to fall apart.
The film was written and directed by Richard Ramsey and produced by
City on a Hill Studio. The story is a modern-day adaptation of the life and writings of Solomon, found in the Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes.
My thoughts:
Last night I went to see a pre-release showing of The Song. I was excited to go on a working date with my husband but my expectations weren't very high for the movie. I had read as much background on it as possible and what I had read left me a bit skeptical. In all honesty I thought it was probably going to end up being a bit cheesy.
The story is a modern day retelling of the life of Solomon based on the books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. I read that the main character's name is Jed (short for Jedidiah aka Solomon) and his father's name is David King. The girl he falls in love with is Rose Jordan who's family owns a vineyard just outside of Sharon, Kentucky. (Yep, she's the Rose of Sharon.) The interloper is Shelby Bale (as in worshiper of Baal). One of the biggest surprises was that these cliche names actually added a depth to the story that I wasn't expecting.
The opening scene features David King in all his glory. He's a well known star that has everything . . . fame, fortune, talent. But what he really wants is what he can't have, his neighbor's wife. These opening scenes are gritty and real in their depictions of that life of debauchery. What really makes the message powerful is that you don't hear the character's speak, what you do hear is the voice of Jed speaking passages from Ecclesiastes over the gut wrenching story playing out.
Several scenes later we meet the adult Jed. He's a struggling musician trying to make it in the shadow of his father. As a way to make ends meet he reluctantly accepts a gig at a festival at the Jordan family's vineyard. There he meets Rose. I'm not going to give away too much about this but let me just say that an ex-boyfriend of Rose's shows up at the festival with another woman in tow. The way Jed puts him in his place is worth the price of the ticket in itself. I was swooning in my seat. Let me tell you, every woman I know wants a man to stand up for her like that. Not an ounce of blood was shed, but the sword went deep.
By this point in the movie I had a smile plastered on my face. But of course if you are familiar at all with Solomon's story you know what lies ahead. A great sorrow began to fill me. At times I wanted to stand up and yell at the screen, "Don't do it!" But of course they did it.
Another aspect that I appreciated was that it clearly showed that while Jed was the most responsible, Rose, her father, and even Shelby had roles that they played in the downfall. Jed should have said no and walked away. Rose should have been with her husband. Rose's father should have insisted she be with her husband. And Shelby should have left a married man completely alone. I truly wanted to weep for all that they had lost.
That's all that I'm going to tell you about the movie because I don't want to give away anything. I want you to experience it as I did and enjoy how the story unfolds. But let me assure you there wasn't even an ounce of cheese involved. The acting is believable and the music is over the top good. This is a top notch film that every couple should see. What you shouldn't do is bring your little kids.
As of this showing the film hasn't been rated but I'm confident it will receive a PG 13 rating. This is a steamy romantic movie that doesn't cross the line. What I mean by that is the characters cross the line time and time again but in depicting those scenes the movie itself doesn't cross the line. There are no swear words. There is no nudity. But there is drug use, drinking, and implied sexual activity. I'm sure there will be Christians that do not like it because of these scenes. But I am telling you that when the credits rolled, I was left with a sense of gratitude that we serve such a loving God of the second chance. Not one of us is above falling into a similar snare. All I wanted to do afterwards was express my deep love for my husband and crack open my Bible to again read the account of Solomon's life.
Mark your calendars now for opening weekend, September 26-28, and plan on seeing this awesome movie about a redemption story that never grows old.
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