"Brothers" Short Film Review

A dead father. A funeral service. A grieving family.

A sequel to the parable of the Prodigal Son. Set in modern times.

Although produced several years ago, the short film "Brothers" is still being used frequently to promote spiritual discussions. The film begins a few years after the original story from Luke 15. The father is now dead and the fallout between the two brothers is still happening.

The plot deals with several topics, including regrets, forgiveness, jealousy, and perseverance. We've all experienced these issues and any one of them would easily spark a conversation with viewers.

Actors Anthony Cosmano and Chris Burns do a great job as brothers in need of reconciliation. The acting is believable, both among the two main characters and the extras at the wake. I love that the mom is included in this sequel too, bringing depth to the storyline. I also appreciate how the backstory is told without making you feel like you're listening to backstory. It's not forced or contrived, it's just a conversation that happens naturally between the two family members in the lobby.

Directed by staff member, Paul Hardway, the film (shot in First Presbyterian Church of Orlando) is almost 9 minutes long. Our ministry has used this film both in the U.S. and overseas with much success. Below are some of the questions you could ask after to prompt deeper talks.

• Which of the two brothers has the greater flaws?
• How would your own dad respond if you were the brother who abandoned the family?
• What do you think about the concept that the father in this story is like God?

You can be part of the movement that brings the greatest story of all time to everyone. When you're done viewing the short film, scroll down and join the Jesus Film Project's^® email newsletter to see how the story of Jesus changes everything.

Building Bridges with a Thriller

Rarely do horror movies present the message of Christ. And I wouldn't really call the latest short film created by Jesus Film Project^®, a horror film. "Nightwatch"  is more of a G-rated thriller.

Moreover, God is using it to reach students overseas with the gospel. In one Asian country a young woman named Tiffany is seeing God work…

Tiffany was pretty sure the director of the girls' school, which adheres to the dominant religion in the area, didn't like her.

But as the in-country contact for Jesus Film Project teams in her region of Asia, Tiffany worked hard to build bridges with leaders in the community.

One day, to her surprise, she had a nice visit with the director. This resulted in an invitation for Tiffany and some of her Jesus Film^® associates to teach an English class at the school.

The superintendent personally welcomed the team to the campus, serving snacks and talking with them for an hour before the seminar for the students began.

The team then showed the short film "Nightwatch"  to a group of 72 girls before breaking out into small discussion groups.

According to Tiffany and the other members of the team, the time spent with the girls was precious. The director seemed appreciative of their visit as well.

Pray for God to continue to strengthen the relationship between the local ministry workers and the school's director and teachers. And pray this leads to more opportunities for believers to interact and have spiritual conversations with both the educators and the students.

I often use the sovereignty-themed, Mel Gibson movie "Signs," to jump-start conversations about God. What other scary movies from Hollywood might be easy to use for sparking spiritual conversations? Give us your ideas in the comments.