A few years back, this crazy guy by the name of Jon Acuff introduced a new species of Christian rhetoric with his blog and subsequent book, Stuff Christians Like. With tongue firmly planted in cheek, Acuff boldly analyzed the strange culture invented by the titular collection of faithful adherents who had carefully cultivated their own approach to life, complete with weird points of pride and universal experiences shared only by those in the know. In the same visionary vein, Believe Me presents an inside-out perspective on the phenomenal behavior of Christians — especially young Christians — in the modern era.
Faced with a sizable debt in his final semester of college, smooth-talking Sam (Alex Russell, Chronicle) fears that his life is grinding to a halt with graduation. After a forced trip to church with his offbeat buddy, Pierce (Miles Fisher), Sam stumbles across the financial engine of Christian charitable giving. Within hours, he is pitching a non-profit con titled “Project Get Wells Soon” to Pierce, as well as to fraternity brothers Tyler (Sinqua Walls) and Baker (Max Addler). Together with a ubiquitous, photoshopped African American baby, the guys raise enough money and attention to be added to Cross Country, a national tour of Evangelical charities headed up by Ken (Cristopher McDonald, Happy Gilmore).
My New Favorite Film
Deep undercover as “The God Squad,” the foursome must explore the treacherous balance between being in the world and being of the world. With their handy giant notepad, they take turns breaking down appropriate worship and prayer techniques, proper attire, and the use of abbreviated swear words in a montage of satire that had me literally snorting with laughter. By the time Baker had proposed a clothing line called “Cross Dressing” (tie-in products available online) and the guys had weathered their Bibles to appropriate levels of apparent use by dipping them in the pool, I was ready to call this my new favorite film. And then they upped their game.
Everything from overblown worship leader Gabriel (Zachary Knighton) to the guys’ jittery groupies is comedic perfection: just campy enough to be laughable but with a tingle of justified criticism. Writers Michael B. Allen and Will Bakke, who pulls directing duty as well, toe the line that so many “faith films” cross, winking knowingly at the awkwardness of a pre-packaged morality tale with their own cheesy in-movie Christian film starring Lecrae. It is because of their perspective that the most philosophical parts of the film land squarely.
Compelling, Accessible, Enjoyable
When Tyler struggles with the morality of the scam and his questions derail Sam’s confidence, we are more than willing to go along for the ride. Bakke and Allen have shown us that they know what a bad film looks like, and we therefore have full confidence that the final act of Believe Me will not be burdened by a hokey attempt to flip the script. Rather, the film finds its moral center in its compassionate female lead, Callie (Johanna Braddy, Paranormal Activity 3), who is perhaps the only truly respectable person in the entire organization by the time all is said and done. With her as a moral center, we are able to wrestle with the legitimacy of million-dollar non-profits, touristy mission trips and fancy light shows for Christ, issues which many Christians are conflicted about today. What’s more, we are able to laugh together with a diverse audience at the absurdity on display.
Written and produced by the minds behind collegiate exploratory documentary Beware of Christians, this post-grad financial crisis marks the first narrative feature film for Riot Studios, whose work is constantly self-reflective and compelling, and informed but not controlled by their beliefs. In fact, Believe Me is openly accessible to any audience, although it will certainly be the most rewarding to those who aren’t afraid to laugh at their own idiosyncracies. It has its predictable moments and its in-jokes, but holistically this is the most complete and enjoyable film yet made for its target audience, although it remains unshackled to a single demographic.
Truth on Cinema was able to attend a special screening of Believe Me during the 2014 Dallas International Film Festival. The guys are currently working on distribution and hope to land their film in theaters this fall. You can find out more about the project on their Facebook page or by tuning into their Twitter feed, @BelieveMeFilm. For more on the festival, browse our festival archives and follow our Twitter accounts as well: @truthoncinema for the site and @StevensRealTalk for the author.