3 Reasons ‘Elijah Peel’ Will Inspire You – and Why It’s Not Your Typical Faith Film
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Audio By Carbonatix
By Michael Foust, Movies
It’s a Powerful Story of Second Chances
The film opens with Elijah (Robert Malcolm Cumming) living recklessly, driving frantically through traffic as he searches the seat for his drugs while eyeing a woman (also apparently stoned) sitting sideways in his seat. He somehow gets to his hotel, where his manager, Rock Diamond (Kevin Sorbo), scorns him for his reckless behavior and quickly realizes that night’s concert will need to be canceled because Elijah can barely stand – much less sing.
Soon, though, he is lying on his back in the hospital, and before long, fans are gathering outside the hospital entrances, with some even trying to get into his room. Jessica (Evelyn Grace Kite), though, isn’t impressed with his fame, even though she knows his songs. (She tells him she learns about his antics by watching Inside Edition.) She’s more concerned about his soul.
He acknowledges the error of his ways – “too many girls, too much partying” – but doesn’t promise to change. Still, he wants to keep in touch with the young girl, perhaps intrigued by someone who doesn’t want a picture or an autograph. She even confronts him about his lifestyle, telling him he treats women like toys and mistreats them.
The movie, though, doesn’t stay in the hospital. A few scenes later, Elijah breaks out, not wanting to be stuck in a room and under a doctor’s orders. But on the way out, he grabs a Bible and starts reading it. Back home, he hires a personal nurse, who puts him on a regimen of aspirin, better food, and healthier living.
Elijah Peel is the first movie associated with EKKL Entertainment, the company co-founded by Willie and Korie Robertson that also operates a streaming service. Willie Robertson told Crosswalk Headlines the film reminds him of the redemptive story of his father, Phil, who famously lived a wild and destructive life before finding Christ.
The movie’s message is simple: No one is too far gone for redemption.
Photo Credit: © Falco Ink
It Shows How One Person Can Change a Life
It’s easy to believe that our lives cannot change – or that our influence is too small to matter – but Elijah Peel reminds us that the testimony of a single person can change the course of another person’s life, much like the biblical story of Philip and the Ethiopian.
The film offers a rocker who has achieved every worldly measure of success but still lacks the peace and hope only Christ can provide. Elijah lacks the living water that never runs dry.
Jessica carries a bold faith that isn’t afraid to speak truth to power. Seeing his cross tattoos, she asks him if he wears them because they’re cool or because of what they represent.
“I like you,” she tells him, “but Jesus loves you.”
When he tells her he wants to quit music – believing he has yet to impact the world significantly and he’s already 35 – she encourages him by reminding him of music’s power: It makes people happy, she says. (Elijah’s nurse, too, turns out to be a Christian.)
Soon, Elijah sees his life transformed, and he reimagines his music, too, wanting to write the same kind of rock songs he made before – but with a spiritual twist. That, of course, doesn’t land well with the studio, forcing Elijah to decide if his new way of life is worth losing everything he’s worked for.
“You’ve got Jesus, and I’ve got a dead career,” his manager tells him.
Elijah Peel has plenty of faith, but parents should be forewarned: It has plenty of edgy content, too, including coarse language (details below), groupies wearing low-cut tops, scenes of drug use (one woman begins convulsing and nearly dies), and a dark alley populated by shady characters, including a drug dealer.
Photo Credit: ©Falco Ink
It Delivers a Soundtrack Worth Remembering
It’s not often that a movie that isn’t marketed as a musical makes you want to listen to the soundtrack, but Elijah Peel does exactly that, with a mixture of songs seemingly pulled from every decade of the past 50 years. Lead actor Robert Malcolm Cumming and writer/co-director Kevin D. Sepe lend their voices to most of them.
A Life Too Short, Story Too Old is a ballad inspired by Jessica’s battle against cancer and featured prominently in the film. The Church Is Right Here is a rock-infused anthem that sounds as if it could have been recorded during the Nixon administration. Singing in the Car carries a David Bowie-esque flair, while the synth-heavy Can You Feel It sounds straight out of the ’80s.
In all, the soundtrack has 14 songs.
Elijah Peel is a film that surprises you with its combination of grit, faith, and inspiration. It’s not for kids, but for older teens and adults, it’s a powerful story of love, hope, and redemption.
Rated PG-13 for drug material, some language, and smoking. Language details: H-ll (9), a– (2), d–n (4), s–t (1), OMG (2), British word “bloody” (1).
Entertainment rating: 3.5 of 5 stars.
Family-friendly rating: 3 of 5 stars.
Photo Credit: ©Falco Ink
