Overview: Simple. Sweet. Unassuming. Bare bones, small cast, indie-style dram-edy that doesn’t try to be more than it is (i.e., no multilayered meanings with mile-deep subtexts, subtleties, and nuances). The core spiritual message gets top billing, but not in a way that feels overbearing or forced. (The English translation of a supporting character’s first name is a central theme of the flick—and a few other names are purposefully bestowed, too—but hey, what’s a little earnest plot development between filmmaker and ticket buyer?)
 
The Lowdown: Henry Poole (Luke Wilson) is very, very depressed. Sulking. Surly. Unkempt. Unshaven. Uninterested in having anything to do with anybody. To that end he moves into a drab house in a low-rent Los Angeles suburb and starts a slow, entropic descent—welcoming only alcohol for the ride down. But it’s not long before Poole discovers a neighbor, Esperanza, standing in his back yard and staring at a water stain on his wall. A perturbed Poole confronts the intruder and asks what she’s doing and why. The “stain” is the face of Christ, she says—and we’re off to the races.

Soon Esperanza (Spanish for “hope”) invites her priest (played by a restrained George Lopez) into Poole’s back yard—without his permission. Then some parishioners. Then the “face” starts to bleed. Then the little neighbor girl, Millie, touches the face and can suddenly speak after having been mute for a year. Then a supermarket checker Poole has also treated with dismissive disdain visits the face, touches it, and can see perfectly without her half inch-thick glasses. (The checker’s name, by the way, is Patience; can somebody say “biblical-virtue theme going on”?) As you can imagine, Poole becomes increasingly annoyed by the intrusions—but especially the simple faith (and apparent healing) of a growing number of people who just won’t let him waste away in peace.

Soon the reason for Poole’s depression surfaces—as well as the reason for his lack of faith. That (and whether or not Poole himself will touch the image on his wall) is something you’ll need to find out for yourself.

Teachable Moments: The entire movie is about faith, hope, and love, so catching this flick from start to finish is very much akin to one big teachable moment. First of all, Poole is a determined unbeliever, and witnessing the emotional and intellectual processes he goes through to uphold his unbelief is valuable to watch—as is Esperanza’s annoying insistence that the stain on the wall is Christ’s face and has healing power. While her unwelcome near-proselytizing presence is an object lesson for how not to open the door to spiritual discussions, Esperanza’s demeanor is ultimately sincere and caring. Millie and Patience demonstrate God’s annoying love for Poole as well, as does Millie’s mom, Dawn (okay—so maybe the screenwriter went overboard on the deeper meanings with some characters’ names), who becomes romantically attached to the neighborhood curmudgeon. Perhaps the most telling scene is when Poole finds himself alone one night, in front of the wall, and struggling to reach out to the face—if it’s a face; it’s a scene you can easily use to start discussions with your students about the struggle some have with making faith decisions. (More can be said about teachable moments—but doing so would spoil climactic plot points. You’ll easily run with them when you see them.)

Viewer Discretion: No sex, no nudity, no violence save for a “last straw” moment on Poole’s part that isn’t directed at anybody in particular—but he pays a stiff price for his outburst. There is, of course, some drinking by Poole, but not a ton. He utters a few mild curses as well—interestingly his most frequent violation is taking Christ’s name in vain.

General Appeal: A dyed-in-the-wool feel-good movie that’s hard not to enjoy on some level. Far from a critical juggernaut, its pleasant, truthful tone will win over your garden-variety audiences. Most importantly, its content is quite ripe with spiritual fodder for your discussion needs; youth ministry potential is written all over it.

The Final Grade: Entertainment value—B+; ministry value—A-