Twist Of Faith

Try as I might, I just couldn't accept this Victorian story in modern dress. The motivations seemed wrong (would 20th century people behave this way?), the plotting seemed contrived (as indeed it was), and the plot's habit of springing big surprises on us was too manipulative. This is not at all a bad movie, mind you, but a good movie gone wrong, through a simple twist of miscalculation.

Twist of Faith

Matt Lauer: You have a favorite saying. Actually something that you think God will say to you.Whitney Cerak: I hope.Matt Lauer: You hope. When it comes time to pass from one world into the other. And it is, "Well done, good and faithful servant." You have that sign up in a couple of different places. Apparently, God wasn't ready to say it to you.Whitney Cerak: No, my work -- and I know this sounds so corny, but, my work on Earth isn't finished. Yet.Matt Lauer: So there's a reason for this.Whitney Cerak: Yeah. There's a reason for everything. Matt Lauer: And to the Van Ryn family, they stood by your side for five weeks, never left you. Loved you, because they thought you were their daughter. What do you think about them?Whitney Cerak: I love the Van Ryn family. They're so great. And the fact that they can still look me in the eye and say, "I love you, Whitney," that just speaks so many words to me. And shows me how much they really do love me.

The respective filmmaking teams of Kirby Dick and Eddie Schmidt, along with Marion Lipschutz and Rose Rosenblatt, have made two distinctly topical and prescient documentaries--Twist of Faith and The Education of Shelby Knox--whose heartland stories grapple with religious faith in America's secular society.

There are striking parallels between the films: Both deal with faith, sex and sexuality, and both have strong characters of almost heroic proportions who take on the existing system--and lose in the short run, but win in the context of the film. And both characters examine their faith and question their church. Both also premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and both are scheduled to air in June on HBO and PBS' POV series, respectively.

HBO's Shelia Nevins commissioned Twist of Faith. She envisioned a final product that avoided Catholic bashing. "My idea was to do something about the emotional shock and trauma of abuse, something about post-traumatic stress and someone struggling with his faith and with abuse," explains Nevins. Director Dick and producer Schmidt delivered that and more, as the film earned an Academy Award nomination.

As the filmmakers sought a title, faith was something to which they returned. Dick explains, "The fact that the subjects, even after everything had happened to them, were still a part of their faith, and so strongly Catholic, the film became about the struggle with their faith and the horrific thing that their faith did to them. Their faith had been twisted, actually, and they were still trying to live it." Criminal behavior was sanctioned and covered up by church leaders, making the twist even sharper.

According to Schmidt, Comes was very clear that it wasn't the Catholic religion that had let him down; rather, it was the priest and the diocese that had protected him. During the course of filming, Comes splits with his church, and the division shatters his family. "The family was his only source of solace," says Schmidt. "He was forced to accept his faith, however painful it might be, because that was one of his sources of strength. Tony even explains that it was a source of indignation for him; he wouldn't let these people take away his spiritual life because of this."

"It wasn't a surprise to find a sex education story because that's what we were looking for," notes co-director/co-producer Rosenblatt. "What was the big surprise was the role of religion and Shelby's religious transformation, that we really did not expect to see. Nor did we expect the film to have the extraordinary reception it's had, and that's because of who's in the White House." Since the presidential election, faith and the role of faith in relationships and politics have moved center stage.

By mixing subject- and filmmaker-made footage, Twist of Faith effectively captures Comes' struggle with his deep psychological wounds, as well as his confrontation with the Toledo Diocese's duplicity and deception in covering up criminal and moral improprieties. As the filmmakers explain, one of the major challenges was finding subjects who were willing to open up and trust their story of violation to outsiders. "Among the greatest praise that we got from our subject was during a post-screening Q&A when Tony was asked about his faith," notes Schmidt. "Tony said, 'I realized that for 20 years I hadn't trusted anyone because of all these issues, and I put my trust in two people I didn't know from Los Angeles to tell my story. They effectively and truthfully told my story and from that, I have regained my faith in people.'"

"Twist of Faith" is a tale of two faithful individuals from two different walks of life who are forced to overcome hardships in life to find love. The fictional story fuses two different cultures and faiths with the use of love and music.

Toni Braxton, 6-time Grammy Award winner, took on the role of Nina in the Lifetime original movie and told The Christian Post that the Twist of Faith has a powerful message for people from all faiths and all walks of life.

Though it was a very emotional process, after 18 years in April 2005, Anne and Jonas sold the business to one of their most dedicated employees who was faithful to the Auntie Anne's Pretzels since almost the beginning, Sam Beiler (Anne's second cousin).

Anne felt like God was calling her to step out in faith to see what else lie ahead of her. Many of her friends, family, and even employees didn't understand her decision to sell the business, but most were supportive.

God took Anne on a walk of faith and has surprised the Beilers in big ways, with major surprises along the way. She started Auntie Anne's Pretzels to help Jonas start the Family Resource and Counseling Center (FRCC) in Gap, Pennsylvania. Now, proceeds the Beilers earned from Auntie Anne's Pretzels is helping them build a facility for FRCC that will be an expanded counseling center with day care and elder care facilities, a library, church, gymnasium, and cafe.

Taking from what she learned about the healing and freedom in confession, Anne has organized a support group for women called Seven Women, Seven Weeks, Seven Stories. Each week, for an hour, Anne gathers with seven to ten local women and one takes a turn just "telling her story" and the others listen. Anne says the faith walk God has her on doesn't get old. It is fresh, exciting, amazing, and very fulfilling. He has taken her places she never knew existed.

Even though Pharoah is keen to recognize Joseph and his abilities, Joseph displays his faith and belief in God noting that these dream-interpretation abilities are not his, but rather a Divine gift direct from God. Despite the history of his traumas and difficulties, Joseph displays a level of faith in God that would be difficult for most to achieve.

And in response to this interpretation, which no other Egyptian advisor had been able to provide to Pharaoh, Joseph is elevated. In a sudden twist of fate, after many years of living as a slave and imprisoned, Joseph is speedily released from jail and promoted to the lofty position of viceroy of Egypt! 041b061a72