LONG SYNOPSIS
Based on the bestselling novel by Francine Rivers, REDEEMING LOVE is a powerful story of relentless love and perseverance as a young couple’s relationship clashes with the harsh realities of the California Gold Rush of 1850.
Angel expects only pain from those around her. Sold into prostitution as a child, Angel survives with hatred towards herself and the men that use her. She meets Michael Hosea, a farmer who believes God wants Angel to be his wife. Dire circumstances force Angel to accept his proposal, but when Michael defies her bitter expectations, her wounded heart begins to mend.
As Angel encounters a love unlike anything she ever experienced, feelings of unworthiness and shame cause her to run from a life she doesn’t think she deserves. As Michael sets out to find her, Angel discovers there is no brokenness that love can’t heal.
Coming to theaters January 21, 2022 and starring Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis, Eric Dane and Famke Janssen, REDEEMING LOVE is a life-changing story of the power of unconditional and all- consuming love.
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
The set is bustling during filming of Francine Rivers’ mega-best-selling book REDEEMING LOVE. In and around Cape Town, a small army of crewmembers has transformed South Africa 2020 into California during the Gold Rush, Boston in 1835 and the mean streets of San Francisco’s wharf in 1850.
“I read REDEEMING LOVE 15 or 20 years ago, and it really changed my life. I couldn’t put the book down. I probably cried through the whole second half of it,” Executive Producer Roma Downey said. “I felt that all the places that were inside of me that were unseen now, were suddenly broken open. And the book is healing.
“It’s a great reminder that God loves us, even in all our ugly places, even in all the places that we may have deep shame around, or any place that we’re dark. It just brings a reminder of God’s goodness and his light.”
Since its publication in 1991, the book has sold over 3 million copies, been translated into 30 languages and developed legions of dedicated fans. Retelling the biblical story of Hosea, REDEEMING LOVE centers on the unlikely relationship of Sarah, who becomes known as Angel, and Michael Hosea. She – a victim of child sex trafficking at age 8, now 18, beautiful and the most in-demand prostitute in the rough and tumble prospecting town of Pair-a-Dice, California. He – a farmer and man of faith, obediently following God’s leading to love and marry Angel.
“This book means so much to so many millions of women,” Producer Cindy Bond said. “This book has been a big part of their lives, as it has been a big part of my life. And just for that reason alone, we have gone to extraordinary measures to be incredibly mindful about every single detail of this movie, from the script to attention to the book itself.
“Michael’s love changes Angel, because it’s unconditional. He wants nothing from her. He just purely loves her with no strings attached, just like Jesus loved and died for us. And he still, of course, loves us unconditionally and eternally. And that’s Michael’s love for Angel – unconditional and unending.”
A faith film where a faithful love story is willing to tackle sex trafficking head on attracted an outstanding cast including Abigail Cowen (I STILL BELIEVE, Fate: The Wix Saga, Stranger Things, The Fosters) as Angel, Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack) as Michael Hosea, Famke Janssen (X-MEN, TAKEN, GOLDENEYE) as the Duchess and Eric Dane (Grey’s Anatomy, The Last Ship) as the Duke. D.J. Caruso directs. Caruso is noted for feature film and television credits that include I AM NUMBER FOUR, EAGLE EYE and DISTURBIA, among many others.
A FILM MEANT TO BE MADE
It’s hard to review the story of how REDEEMING LOVE came to be filmed without thinking this was meant to be.
“I felt the hand of God on REDEEMING LOVE from the moment I felt God moved me to get the film rights to the book,” Bond said.
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And that was no easy feat.
For years, she chased those rights, but every time she came close, another producer had them. In 2015, she met and developed a friendship with Francine Rivers. They found they had the same vision for what this film needed to be.
“One of the key things in our conversations was that this was a movie she wanted to be made on a level of excellence,” Bond recalled. “She said to me, ‘I don’t want Pretty Woman of the West.’”
The subject matter was far too serious for that. The story far too near Rivers’ heart. In fact, the book only came about because God had moved in her life.
“I actually did feel called to it,” Rivers said. “We were doing different home Bible studies and came to the minor prophets. When we came to the Book of Hosea that just cracked me wide open.
“I had been writing in the general market for a number of years, steamy historical romance. And I became a Christian and couldn’t write for three years. So, there had been this lull in there, and after reading Hosea, I felt like God was saying, ‘This is the love story I want you to write.’”
Landing a director with D.J. Caruso’s big-budget film experience appeared similarly meant to be.
“Cindy got a call randomly saying D.J. Caruso’s wife read the book, and he wanted to meet with us about possibly directing,” producer Brittany Yost said. “The timing of it was crazy because we hadn’t even done a single offer to any other director. And he was wanting to meet with us to basically pitch us on his vision for the film. So next thing we know, we’re meeting with him and his wife; his wife is talking more passionately than anybody about her connection to the book and that D.J.’s just as passionately connected. And next thing we know, we said, ‘OK, let’s make this happen. Let’s partner together and make this movie.’”
Next, it was time to cast the beloved lead characters of REDEEMING LOVE, and it was the story that attracted the actors to the roles.
“Reading the script, I was just immediately drawn to Angel’s character,” Cowen said. “Seeing the things she went through as a young child and an adult. It really drew me to her and seeing how she also overcame it.
“But the script didn’t hold back on anything. It wasn’t this beautiful story, even though it is, but it wasn’t portraying this idea that ‘man saves woman and everything’s great, and she’s healed.’ It shows the reality of what trauma does to someone.”
For Tom Lewis, it was the fidelity of the script to the book that hooked him.
“I read the whole book just to get a taste of exactly what it was,” Lewis recalled. “You hear terms like ‘Christian novel’ and you’re not quite sure exactly what that means. But actually, it
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didn’t read like how’d you expect a Christian novel to be. It just read like a really, really good novel. And it’s just these people believed in God, as everyone did in those times it was the norm.
“It was a lot darker than I expected when I first read it. And then when I spoke to D.J. (Caruso), he had a very similar view as me of what the character Michael needed and how dark and gritty the book needed to be. I didn’t want to do it if it was a kind of fairy tale, wishy-washy version of the novel. The novel is dark. It goes into sex trafficking and abuse of young girls. I didn’t want them to shy away from that, but D.J. didn’t intend to. I think that really drew me to it.”
