For Better or Worse

 

“For Better or Worse” 

A Review of I Still Believe by Nick Olszyk

 

MPAA Rating, PG

USCCB Rating, A-II

Reel Rating, Three and a half reels                    

 

            When I saw the trailer for I Still Believe, I though it might have been a prequel to I Can Only Imagine. While that’s not true, it shares similarities, including the vast industry of Christian popular music, which is quite unfamiliar to me. Rather than Bart Millard, the central singer is college-aged Jeremy Camp (KJ Apa) and his romance with future wife Melissa (Britt Robertson). Their story serves as template for discussing many important aspects of theology: destiny, discernment, inspiration, loss, fear, suffering, joy, and death. I Still Believe may prove too sappy or slow for some but it’s a step above normal Hollywood fare of its kind. Think The Fault in Our Stars but with meaning and purpose.

            Jeremy arrives at Cavalry Chapel Bible College with no intention of passing classes but every intention of becoming a superstar. On his first night at school, Jeremy weasels his way to the backstage of a Kry concert and spots Melissa in the crowd. It’s love at first sight, at least for him. Soon, they begin dating and are well on their way happily ever after when she contracts ovarian cancer.   

            Convinced that God will heal her, Jeremy enlists a wide circle of friends and family to pray for her. He even singles her out for in the middle of a concert, leading to a powerful testament of the communion of saints. Just before her hysterectomy, Melissa is miraculously cured, and the two immediately get married. It’s a reminder that miracles do occur. The Sacrament of Anointing is not only preparation for death but involves the hope that “the prayer of faith will heal the sick” (Jm 5:15).

            Unfortunately, their bliss is not long-lasting. Melissa’s cancer returns shortly after and spreads throughout her body. This time there is no operation or chemotherapy that can help, just waiting for nature to take its course. Once again, Jeremy and Melissa pray but the tone is markedly different than before. Melissa senses that it is not God’s will for her to return to health. Her patient suffering reminded me of John Paul II’s last days. Both made no attempt to hide their gradually decline. Their public acceptance of their situation demonstrated the dignity of human life at all its stages.

            Jeremy has a much harder time accepting this. He seeks the consolation of father, who is also a Protestant pastor. His father admits that he too does not understand the suffering life brings. His youngest son was born severely disabled. He had dreams of being the pastor of a megachurch with a huge ministry that never came true. “Despite all this,” he tells Jeremy. “I got to see my son get married and be strong for his wife. That’s a privilege.” God rarely provides directly answers to suffering, but one only needs to look at the cross to understand that all suffering can be redemptive and instructional.

            One surprising aspect of I Still Believe was its incredibly slow pace. Especially towards the end, scenes are drawn out much longer than usual for the genre. On several occasions, characters sing worship songs in their entirety. In most films, this is irksome and lazy, but here it makes sense. As Melissa dies, the audience feels the weight of every hour and minute, cherishing it. The movie marinades slowly until the end when the pain of Jeremy and Melissa is overwhelming. It allows time for sadness, anger, joy, and frustration. By the end, there is real sense of catharsis, as if the audience went through this experience themselves.

            While the dialogue was choppy in places, the pacing and acting was superlative. Robinson is one of the most underrated actresses of the 2010s. I Still Believe is the perfect date film, not in spite of its ending but indeed because of it. This is what a sacramental marriage looks like: “for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.” Jeremy and Melissa are holier because they knew each other, and people are converted because of their story. That’s why marriage exists, whether it lasts seventy years of seventy days.