Healing River: Reviews and Pictures
Initial reviews and comments on my feature film Healing River—which just premiered on Amazon Prime–are wonderful! Keep ’em coming, everyone! (Amazon gives priority to the most-watched and reviewed movies.) You can watch or order the movie by clicking here!
Trailer
Initial Reviews and Comments
“Just watched the movie, which is a testament to how powerful it is since I rarely watch movies, much less make it to the end. Gut wrenching and sublime!” ~K. Hibbett (teacher)
“Watched and reviewed! So awesome!.” ~B. Lewis (digital sales manager)
“Such a wonderful movie! Can’t wait to re-watch it soon!“ ~M. Witsken (actor)
“I can’t wait to have my friends and family see it!” ~B. Ross (tech manager)
“Just got done watching the movie. It’s a beautiful summation of all the themes you’ve shared here on your blog. (Lead actor) Rupert Spraul blew me away. Also, (comedic character) Sgt. Early might be the greatest thing I’ve witnessed all year! I was incredibly moved by the song Impossible Love. It was, simply, beautiful.” ~A. Austin (blogger)
“I am so excited to share with others!” ~K. Jones (businessman)
“The most effective presentation on forgiveness I’ve ever seen.” ~Addiction Counselor
“I am overwhelmed with what I received and am taking away from (the film). It was powerful on so many levels, both spiritually and emotionally, (plus) I was blown away with the ethnic diversity. Excellent!” ~Rev. D. Hall (church pastor)
“It isn’t just a great Christian film; it’s a great drama with Christian DNA. The script, acting, and music are all top-notch. Most importantly, it’s true to life. The emotions are so pitch-perfect that we know the characters are reacting as we would in their circumstances.” ~D. Andriacco (The Catholic Telegraph)
“One the best films I’ve ever seen!” ~J.E. Brownlee (actor)
Making-of Images from the Movie
Mitch Teemley 
I saw your trailer when it had the old name and thought everyone was fighting about whose side they were on. Now, with the new name I get it. Watching the trailer this time, I cried. And the actors: amazing.
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Aha! Nice to have further confirmation about the title change. Thanks, Katheryn!
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Oh Mitch, Gary and I watched it last night… SO AWESOME! We were engrossed from the start, and Gary was extremely impressed that you wrote all the music/lyrics…brilliant! Of course, I knew your music background (Hey, the Daily Planet had its purposes, right?)…and I was truly impressed by that as well as well. Thankfully, we’ve both come a long way since LMHS…by the grace of God! 🙌🏻✝️
I read the reviews and have to say that I agree with all of them and then some… I especially agree with the Rev. D. Hall that it was so powerful on so many levels… most of all spiritually, of course. But so much more. I’m hoping to share it as many friends and family as possible… the message of God’s grace and forgiveness is so clear and so powerful…and of course, the message of passing it on to others. And, bottom line, since so many of us sophomore drama geeks looked up at you senior mega stars (truth be known), I feel like I’m proud of you like a little sister is of her big brother! That still sounds ‘geeky’ to say, but true! Seriously, Gary and I both send our most sincere CONGRATULATIONS! And I think I hear, not only our applause, but applause from heaven!✨👏🏻💫
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Aw, thank you, dear little sister! Do review it on Amazon, if you haven’t already (it makes a real diff in their promotion of the film). Blessings till it hurts!
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Yes, I certainly will! Love that…blessings till it hurts to you too! 🙏🏻🌷
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Thanks, Dori!
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Whoaaa!
Mr Mitch.
Thanks a lot for sharing.
We’ll get to watch.
The trailer contains a lot of lessons that if not careful will be too impatient to wait for the movie.
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;>) Thank you, Salem!
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Oh, Mitch, congratulations on those wonderful reviews! You must be over the moon.
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I am. Thank you, Liz!
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You’re welcome, Mitch!
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Mitch,
Well done.
Amazon hasn’t posted my review, so I suppose it was too sharp/discerning (Hebrews 4:12). Guess I will need to submit a more innocuous version. However, I stand by my initial observations and wanted to share my impression here:
This film provides a powerful and accurate picture of the power of forgiveness and mercy. And it does it while–thankfully–avoiding the tropes that plague lesser productions dealing with the subject of Christianity. It offers a candid portrayal of the rage and desire for revenge experience by nearly everyone (including Christians) when they are victimized.
Rather than simplistically (and inaccurately) painting forgiveness as something that is easy to offer, the actual internal struggle is displayed extremely well. It is quite believable. Especially with the presence of so many prayers of lamentation. (See King David’s psalms, the writings of Jeremiah, and other biblical illustrations of such prayer.)
One reason for the film’s novel treatment of the subject matter may be that it reflects an evangelical Catholic perspective. Unlike most religious movies, it is not base on some fundamentalist or “nondenominational” theological approach. Nor is it inspired by the liberal theology (e.g. universal salvation) that pervades much of Roman Catholicism today. This film, on the contrary, strikes a realistic chord because the faith of the characters is real. It is anchored in a trust in a living God, and recognition that Christianity is about infinitely more than going through religious motions.
Mitch Teemley, along with his cast and production team, have done a great job creating a moving and convincing drama that persuasively portrays the deepest struggles of real life.
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Thank you so much for your thoughtful and incisive review, Rob. I do hope Amazon publishes it, or some version of it at any rate. You’re the second person today to tell me Amazon has either delayed or not posted their review. Not sure what’s up with that.
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I’m thinking about revising it to leave out the “denominational” references. I bet it will fly then, and I can still make most of my point.
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Who knows what “violates their community guidelines,” but I know of several on line posts that have been pulled for unknown reasons. A while back it was thought that book reviews from people who were Facebook friends didn’t get posted because they were thought to be biased. I hope that’s not the case. Some of my Facebook friends are people I’ve never met who friended me because they read my books and liked them. I’ll be interested in whether my review gets posted.
P.S. I loved the dream sequences. 🙂
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I watched it. Thank you for using your God-given gifts to bless us with your stories … it helps us process our own. I am given it 👍👍
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Thank you, Heidi!
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This movie looks great! We don’t have Amazon Prime, but if we did, I’d watch it! Regardless, it makes me glad to see great quality Christian movies produced. A great message.
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Thank you, Lisa. Actually, you don’t have to have Prime. There’s also a one-time option (pay to watch) at the Amazon site, as well as a digital download option (that costs more, but you get to keep the film).
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I will check them out. I love to support the Christian movie industry. Thank you and congratulations!
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Thanks again, Lisa!
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You go, Mitch! Keep those great films coming!
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Thanks, CG!
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I have nominated you for the Sunshine Bloggers award.
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Thank you, Julie, I’m truly honored, but I don’t do blogger awards anymore. I gained much from them when I was still building a following, though, and try and remain supportive of those who do. Thanks again!
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What a wonderful achievement!! To get the story within you — outside of you!! Successfully and beautifully! Oh, can’t wait to see it now! Congratulations!!
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Cool
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You did such a great job on this movie, Mitch! Great acting, too! My 87-year-old mother in law loved the cop at the jail 🙂 He was good, they all did great. A great screenwriter and director, too 🙂
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Aw, thank you so much, my friend. Yeah, Sgt. Early is one of my favorites, too. Michael Hall is a brilliant comedic actor.
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Really moving story! Great job Mitch.
Everyone was good but the guy that played Alec was great.
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So glad you liked it, Max. Hope you were able to leave a review; our distributor says it makes a big difference in Amazon’s promotion of the film. Thanks!
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We sure will thank you!
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Great!
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Congratulations on the successful release of Healing River!
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Thank you, Nancy!
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My Hubby and I watched the movie this weekend, and I agree with Rob’s assessment above. My immediate response was that it was a real, gritty portrayal of what it can take to get to forgiveness. I appreciated that the characters weren’t the ‘goody-two-shoes’ types of Christians that are often shown in faith-based movies – they were real and relatable. And I LOVED the symbolism of the pottery throughout…. Thanks for a great movie Mitch!
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Thank you so much for your feedback, Terri. Those were indeed things I wanted to accomplish with the film. Btw, I hope you got a chance to leave a review at Amazon (our distributor says reviews can makes a big difference in Amazon’s promotion of the film). Blessings till it hurts!
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Hey Mitch! My wife and I watched your movie on Saturday. Definitely two thumbs up! I liked your songs, too! I left a review on Amazon today. I loved that you showed how God’s forgiveness brings real healing and restoration in the midst of great tragedy, for both the perpetrator and the victim. As I put in my review, Healing River a breath of fresh air where the normal cinematic fare seems to be revenge and vigilante justice. Your movie shows how trusting God’s way when we want to do the very opposite is the better way for us to live. Great job!
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Thank you so much, Mel! I saw and greatly appreciated your review at Amazon too, btw.
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I knew you could do it!!!
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So appreciate you, Sarah.
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I’ve added this to my watchlist. Can’t wait to check it out with my husband.
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Great, April!
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Mitch, thanks for your deeply moving film that connects to our personal struggles with forgiving ourselves and others. I gave it five stars and a review, but you’ll have to guess which verified purchaser I am. May those who watch it feel the touch of God’s presence and be brought close to the one who loves unconditionally.
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Aw, thank you so much, Shirley. (I’ll do my best to guess which reviewer is you ;>)
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Dear Mitch:
My heartiest congratulations!
Adam Kerr (aka Canada Slim)
________________________________
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Thanks, Adam! Hope you get a chance to see it.
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