Redeeming Love

Back on the train again! 

I don’t even plan this, I’m just sitting here and think…now is a good time to write that blog post I’ve been thinking about. Who am I to question the muses?

Anyway, so I watched this Christian historical romance set in the American West. No, really I did. On purpose.

What happened was I somehow came across a YouTube video breaking down how problematic the book, from which the movie has been adapted, truly is. And watching the video I can see the concern, the book seems pretty yikes based on the breakdown and passages the YouTuber read out. A lot of slut-shaming, domestic abuse, overt Christian overtones, etc.

To be fair, it is a Christian romance and apparently a retelling of the biblical story of Josiah and Gomer. I’d never heard of that story and trust me when I tell you I will never go and read it (I only read the bible to critique it in the same way I critique literature). In this case I see no point in wasting the time when the video I watched recounted the biblical story anyway. 

So I watched this video that essentially pulled the book apart for being pretty toxic (granted it’s context as a religious romance, bible story retelling and having been published in the early 1990s). In the video, the narrator showed the trailer for the film adaption and honestly the trailer kind of grabbed me. For being a Christian story, based on a popular Christian book, it seemed pretty genuinely romantic and steamy. So I was intrigued, sue me, and I streamed it.

It was nearly 3 hours long, I watched in the bath while I had a cup of tea and a soak, and honestly I didn’t hate it. 

For all the negative things I heard in the critique it seemed like the filmmakers had toned down or tried to positively address. The domestic abuse was virtually nonexistent, the was greater cast diversity (though all the main cast were white), it wasn’t too slut shamey, and even the religious elements were toned down. If I wasn’t aware it was a Christian romance I might not even have really noticed for the most part - only a few scenes were that overt and the rest was mainly visually symbolic (if I wasn’t expecting that, I might not have clicked).

The book, and film adaptation, is called Redeeming Love and was released earlier this year. The story follows a young woman named Angel who’s sold into sex slavery at a young age and is essentially just trying to survive as prostitute in the Old West. She is the most sought after girl at the brothel but miserable (fair considering her abusive and traumatic personal history) and just wants to save enough to leave and make her own way in the world. I don’t have a problem with that given the historical context (obviously not the abuse).

One day, she’s waking through town and passes a young farmer named Michael who is told by god that she is the one he’s supposed to marry. The film doesn’t explicitly say this, so it’s more a love at first sight on his part than anything though he does later say he trusts sky dad and the greater plan. 

Michael starts paying for Angel’s time at the brothel to just talk to her and get to know her. He does tell her straight up that he intends to marry her, to which she epic eye rolls and tells him to take a hike, but he continues to pursue her regardless. Angel resists and just let’s him sit there begrudgingly each time but tries to convince him to just sleep with her and then move on (he’s paying for her time and that is her literal job) but he refuses outside of marriage and love. 

After Angel is badly beaten by the brothel madam’s security for threatening the madam, Michael pays off the madam to take her away and convinces her to say yes to the marriage. So she does - apparently the book is murky consent there, but the film makes it clear she understands and willingly agrees.

They move to the farm and start to get to know each other and fall in love. Angel attempts to run away at first but Michael is kind to her and she returns. Eventually they are intimate and it’s honestly kind of hot - for a Christian romance. There’s nakedness and on-screen sex but it was tastefully done and pretty romantic and sensual. I was somewhat impressed but surprised. 

The middle of the movie was fine albeit average. Michael’s brother starts some drama, Angel runs away again, Michael goes to get her, they live happily for a while until the subject of children comes up and Angel admits that she had a forced abortion previously (huge fucking yikes) and that she believes herself rendered infertile from the trauma. Angel runs away again for three years and eventually comes back to find Michael waiting for her after all that time, they live happily ever after and they have kids. She also liberates some other prostitutes in a minor uprising in there too and starts a women’s shelter.

It was actually a sweet love story and being as non-religious as I am I genuinely enjoyed in spite of that. Like I said, it wasn’t overt and pretty well done. The irony too is apparently the film has been boycott by alot of Christian’s for being too steamy. I’ll take that as a win, for sure.

It also cracked my heart back open a little after I’ve been feeling so burnt out with romance and dating like I said last time. I’m not ready to go back to that life, and I don’t know when I would be (if ever), but I’m not against it or bitter about it. I still like romance, I still love love. 

It’s nothing high brow, but maybe give Redeeming Love a chance - just the movie though, not the book. I’ve read and watched a hell of a lot of romance and I’m not Christian so if I liked it I think it’s worth a watch.

Sam xox