Such a frustrating disappointment

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

High school films are the kind of thing that I tend to be in to. I'm not entirely sure where that comes from, I didn't have the best high school experience and that probably has something to do with it. I must like watching people navigate through the experience with what is often more complicated a time then I had. All the drama on screen makes my own seem less terrible. But at a certain point you have to realize that these on screen experiences are just actors playing a role and what ends up being watchable is not necessarily reality. Still, there's an element of comfort in it and that can't be discounted. More than likely because good drama is usually based on some element of truth. In that way the emotional elements take on a universal feel that everyone can relate to for anyone who has gone through the experience of the last 50 years of education where the modern high school experience originated in Western cultures.Circumstances and technology will change over time, but high school is always just... well... high school. No one likes it, and if you ask some people no one ever really leaves it as you can look at the world and see elements of it in every day life. While watching Echoes of Innocence, I get the impression that the circumstances of today's high school student seems to be ideology. What is belief's place in the high school experience of today? Is there a place for religion and faith in the modern public system? Most people would be turned off by such an idea, but those questions in a lot of ways are more like themes to the film that are creeping around the sides of the film's main plot, much like the background scenery of the visuals or the setting of high school itself. The real story is driven by the character of Sara, a young girl who feels out of place and somewhat ostracized from her classmates. Reasons why are pretty clearly defined through a series of flashbacks which lay out who she is and why she acts the way she does. That coupled with a number of voice overs from Sara herself make her the most interesting character of the bunch, which include her best friend who is both supportive and critical, various classmates who are both put off and intrigued by her, and the new kid in school who joined the local paper and wants to do a story about Sara.They all play a part in Sara's story but the characters themselves don't necessarily get clearly defined. More often then not they are inserted into Sara's story when necessary to give her someone to interact with. Her own journey is very much a solitary one, defined by her own actions and her own ideas about the world and what she wants from it rather then how she relates to others. This drags down the story somewhat but Sara's progression is defined clearly enough that she manages power through the weak bits. It gives her story the necessary elements not to be bored by it. Obvious parallels to Biblical elements are present but the filmmakers clearly pulled back enough so as not to come off like a preachy film. I'm honestly not sure whether that causes a problem for the film or whether it helps. I suppose it's 50/50 in that department. Still, I think the film is worth watching for anyone who wants to look back and remember the way they saw the world when they were that age. Perhaps give you a new perspective on the vision you have of the world today. I say check it out.To check out more of my reviews, go here:http://andrew-heard.blogspot.ca/

I absolutely adored this movie. A lot of people don't believe that some people can see and hear voices and be sane. However, clairvoyance and clairaudience does exist and is very real. You hear about false psychics on TV but you also hear about the legitimate ones and ancient cultures who have survived on the words of their chieftains and their medicine men in the belief that they, along with their visions came from God. If anyone doubts this statement then said persons have forgotten that even the Bible says "Men and women will prophesy." As far as remaining a virgin until marriage, that too is realistic. I waited 'til I was 25 and I have no regrets. To those who have said, "This movie isn't Christian," you missed the point. This entire movie was about faith in God, in a belief, in another person, and in oneself despite persecutions from her mother and the Alec character and the basic struggles in life. This movie was very well done, well written and the actors played magnificently. Anyone who hates this film over-analyzed it way too much and couldn't grasp the sweet simplicity of the message. One more thing, Sarah would have lost her visions and the angelic voices had she had sex with the exception of marriage being first. By waiting to be married before having sex Sarah didn't lose her visions nor did she lose her angelic connections with Him.

Wow, where to begin. So I headed into this movie unsure of what to expect, and nothing could've prepared me for the immense pain that soon followed. The first and last ten minutes are a good chuckle, because of the complete awfulness of it all. The acting is the worst i've seen, the directing is just flat out terrible, and this is probably the worst film making ever. The story is so ridiculous in every way, if i were beaten with a stick and forcefully fed LSD i could've still written a better story. SPOILER The ending changes from being an abstinence moralled movie to, them getting married, (both being abstinent), then having sex on their wedding night and somehow, don't ask me how because it baffles me, they still...end up in hell END SPOILER So near the end of the movie I took a pen out of my pocket, and shoved it into my chest. Why? Because if I were going to be in that much pain, I wanted to do it myself.

If you really need another hit of "send money, guns and drugs" corruption, then avoid this film at all costs! Although the story covers all three of these fleetingly, none of them are the basis for the storyline here.This is a story about hope and despair, love and challenges, testing and caring for the real-life needs of others. For youthful audience members, the story itself is engrossing. I sat in one dark theater and listened to the comments and reactions of the young teen in front of me. Her emotions covered the spectrum from fear and sadness to the kind of uncomplicated happiness that we all long for, if we only knew...For mature audiences, the archetypes and subtexts of the story are deeply provocative on many levels. Complicated issues are covered with compassion and sensitivity in a very contemporary POV.This movie ROCKS on all counts: story, music, acting, directing, drama, cinematography, lighting, soundtrack, artistic endeavor -- it's got everything you want in a family friendly format AND -- BONUS -- no sacrifice of quality on any dimension! The last film I saw that was as simply *beautiful* as this was probably "Girl With a Pearl Earring".Go! Enjoy! Invite your friends and loved ones! Share the love...