I stumbled upon "Confessions of a Prodigal Son" while browsing the Inspirational Movies category on Netflix last week. I decided to give this faith-based movie a try since the Prodigal Son is one of my favorite parables in the Gospel. The movie stars popular actor Kevin Sorbo, who also plays the professor in "God's not Dead," as pastor Matthews and father of Sean (Nathan Clarkson), who becomes the prodigal son.
The film's story does deviate slightly from the Biblical parable in Luke 15:11-32. The parable does not state why the prodigal son left home, but Sean leaves home because he is tired of his pastor father telling him how to live his life. Unlike Luke's parable, Sean also does not have other siblings. The father in the parable divides his property among his sons, but Sean's dad gives him half his college tuition. In addition, pastor Matthews makes a deal to give Sean the remainder of his inheritance if he can survive life on his own through college while maintaining high academic standing.
The film started off slow, took a good quarter of time to develop, and there was little dialogue to start with. In addition, the beginning of the film focused a little too much on Sean's drinking and partying and included lots of close ups of him drinking alcohol. I realize the film was trying to convey how far Sean strayed from his Christian upbringing, but the movie spent too much time on these scenes. In addition, the parents don't express their feelings about Sean running away from home until about halfway through the movie.
However, the movie did pick up as the story progressed. Sean eventually enrolls in an English course where the professor forces the class to ponder what kind of story their life tells. He soon visits a diner and becomes intrigued by a waitress, Ali (Rachel Lee), eventually deciding to study her lifestyle that radically deviates from his rich upbringing.
I thought this scene was a little too fictional and was surprised at how quickly Ali opened herself up to Sean, but the film most likely sped things up due to time constraints. I did appreciate, however, the ways Ali caused Sean to reevaluate his lifestyle and choices throughout the story.
The scenes featuring Sean and Ali were very touching and I thought the things Ali said often conveyed messages of hope amid trials we face in life. The film really grabbed my attention, however, at its climax. The Biblical parable states the prodigal son lost everything due to a famine, but this kind of natural disaster is not very common anymore, so the film took a more modern approach.
Sean's friends convince him to mildly vandalize the school and state how much he dislikes a professor. Unfortunately, his outburst results in expulsion from his university, forcing him to accept an entry-level job (a modern equivalent of living with pigs) and move in with his friend Cameron who drinks and parties as much as he does.
Sean eventually sinks so low that he becomes drunk at a party and calls Ali, who later finds him and is disappointed with his choices. He realizes he messed up any chance of having a relationship with her, gets in his car, and follows her. The next morning, he unexpectedly wakes up at Cameron's house and realizes he needs to turn his life around.
Thankfully, the parents did receive a chance to express their thoughts later in the story and at the film's conclusion. Pastor Matthews prepares a sermon, but changes his mind last minute. He tells the church he cannot minister to them because he grieves the loss of his son, sharing his sadness that he cannot love him enough to make him return home. The pastor also tells the congregation that those who think God is angry and unjust do not truly know his love because God loves all his creation.
"We can't, we can't possibly understand the depth of God's love for us because we can't fit an all-powerful, all-knowing, glorious God inside our puny little heads," Pastor Matthews (Sorbo) says in his sermon.
Sean arrives at the church's door, suitcase in hand, while the pastor is walking out of the church. The pastor immediately halts his conversation and, left speechless, walks over to his son and embraces him with tear-clouded eyes. Like the Biblical prodigal son, Sean thinks he does not deserve his father's love, but the pastor tells him there is nothing he could do to that would make him stop loving him.
This scene was everything I've ever imagined reading through the story of the prodigal son, where the father throws his arms around his son and kisses him. In addition, it reminded me how God will always welcome His children back into relationship with Him because His love endures forever.
The following scene also touched my heart. Sean shows up at the Bible study Ali attends — which he was invited to earlier in the movie but refused the invite — apologizes in front of the whole group to Ali for his foolish mistakes, and decides to give Christianity another shot.
The film concludes with a welcome home party the pastor throws for Sean, which is very similar to what I imagine the celebration in the Biblical parable would be like in today's society. Overall, the story was very touching and emotion-filled, but the first half of the film's story could have been developed a bit further. Nonetheless, the movie does not make too many changes to the Biblical parable and captures its original message about God's love.
