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Releasing in theatres on 30 May, Unsung Hero is a refreshingly clean, compelling and drama-filled true-life film about resilience, family and faith. It also happens to be a thoroughly Australian story.

When David Smallbone’s successful Sydney-based music promotion company goes broke, he decides to move to the United States in search of another job.

But he doesn’t move alone.

Joining him is his wife, Helen (Daisy Betts), and his troop of young kids. 

Moving to the other side of the world with a pregnant wife and a small army of children might sound crazy, but how hard could it possibly be?

Challenges

The family almost literally only have each other as they start their life from scratch on the other side of the world — sleeping on the floor in their new house until they can afford furniture. David (played by his son, for King & Country’s Joel Smallbone), Helen (Daisy Betts) and their children face all manner of obstacles as they seek to rebuild their lives in a foreign country.

The production quality of the film (at a budget of USD$6 million) is impressive — the filmmaking and cinematography were consistently high quality. Christian films appear to be performing increasingly well on this measure (given recent releases like Jesus Revolution, Journey to Bethlehem and The Chosen).

Unsurprisingly, given the involvement of for King & Country, Unsung Hero was artistically pleasing to watch.

Due to its quality — and the refreshing absence of cheesy Christianese scripting — Unsung Hero is suitable viewing for believers and nonbelievers alike. It is also a genuinely family-friendly movie — refreshingly free of crude or profane language and other inappropriate content.

Joel Smallbone has come into his own as an actor, with his impressive performance in Journey to Bethlehem last year, followed by his strong role as his own father in Unsung Hero, which also happens to be his directorial debut. (Joel has dubbed his role a “very expensive therapy session”.)

Besides a couple of commendable but awkward attempts at an Aussie accent by American actors (credit for trying!), the acting didn’t interfere with the narrative for me. All of the children performed well in their respective roles.

That said, none of the performances struck me as outstanding either. The scriptwriting, cinematography, and real-life story were what made Unsung Hero a truly outstanding film.

Inspiration

The family’s personal story doesn’t appear to have been whitewashed in the film, either — although no doubt that temptation was there. It reveals challenges and failures alongside successes as the Smallbones encounter setback after setback.

Ultimately, the resilience of their Christian faith and their strong family bond get them through the tough times. 

And this is the true heart of Unsung Hero.

At a time when family and faith are routinely degraded and mocked in our culture, Unsung Hero unequivocally affirms both.

This is encapsulated in the line by David Smallbone’s father, which is a direct challenge to the mindset of modern Hollywood culture — “Your family are not in the way, they are the way.” Don’t tell your family to get out of the way of your dreams; lean on them to pursue your dreams together.

There is much more to be said about Unsung Hero, but I’ll let you see it for yourself and make up your own mind.

I highly recommend that you grab your family — and maybe a few friends — and head to the movies to check it out.

Unsung Hero launches in Australian cinemas on 30 May — and is scheduled to coincide with for King & Country’s Homecoming Tour.

 

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You can find cinema times and locations via the Faith Media website.

Images courtesy of Faith Media.