The Forge

 

“A big part of being a man, is showing up. Can you do that Isaiah? Can you show up?”

Faithful, inspiring and wholesome, The Forge is a heartfelt story about discipleship, mentoring and commitment that leans into the cheesiness, corniness and cliches of Christian films and still manages to encourage its audience to action and engage with a story filled with positive faith values. 

Discussion Points:

Once again the Kendrick brothers have delivered a film that will certainly resonate with Christian audiences - but it will likely not connect with anyone outside that echo chamber. It’s a broadly inspirational film, but one very much targeted at faithful believers who are impassioned to see more active patterns of mentoring and discipleship emerge in their contexts. Despite its occasionally corny and cheesy moments, and cliche ridden screenplay, the film is still effective and engaging thanks to its fantastic cast and strong crafts. It’s well-paced (although some moments may be a tad rushed), and well made. Aspen Kennedy gives a fantastic lead performance as a young aimless youth who steadily matures into a very fine young man. His mentor is played by the wonderfully warm Cameron Arnett, and his faithful and long suffering mother is played powerfully by Priscilla Shirer. The rest of the ensemble feel authentic and despite the films clean and happy trappings, it also never feels too distant from reality. For the faith-based marketplace, The Forge is sure to be a big hit, but for those who don’t engage with Christian films, the film certainly isn’t hugely accessible or going to disprove the stereotypes around faith-based stories.