Angelina Jolie falls to her knees to pray for a miracle while directing 'Unbroken'
There was little doubt that the film "Unbroken" would make a big impact and inspire audiences around the world when it hit theaters this Christmas. In case you have not seen it, it tells the incredible true story of the prisoner and survivor of World War II Louis Zamperini and his unimaginable path of difficulties and suffering that he endured only because of his firm refusal to back down, his fierce determination to support himself. of hope and ultimately her insistence on forgiving those who tried to break both… her body and her spirit.
With an epic and heartbreaking storyline to imagine and recreate on the big screen, even the film's director, Angelina Jolie, came face to face with the power of prayer during production.
Zamperini's daughter, Cynthia Garris, recalled a particularly stormy day in New South Wales, Australia, when sunlight was desperately needed to shoot an important scene.
"[Angelina] said, 'I don't know what I'm going to do, so I'm going to do what Louie would do,'" Garris said at a recent press conference. “She got down on her knees, and she prayed for a miracle… everyone saw it. She stopped raining instantly. The sun came out, a rainbow came out. She then said, 'Let's take this take,' [and] they took it. When she said 'cut it out', she started to rain again. "
Jolie, Garris said, was touched by Zamperini's faith. Garris believes that she was part of God's plan for Jolie to "find Louie and make this movie to find a way to direct her life to Jesus."
In an exclusive interview with Movieguide® TV co-host Evy Baehr, Angelina said, “We've all been looking for what is going to move us through this movie. This movie talks about that. It talks about how to overcome, how to face obstacles. "
When Evy asked Angelina how “Unbroken” will reach the faith community, Jolie responded, “Faith is very much present in our film. Sometimes we represent it with very obvious symbols, and sometimes it is light. It is the darkness and the light. "
For those of us who have been walking with Jesus for some time, we know that the Lord speaks to us in a thousand ways. Sometimes it's a sermon that feels like it's prepared for us, or timely Scripture that practically jumps off the page and into our hearts. At other times, however, the voice of the Spirit is soft like a spring rain; We only listen to it if we are waiting to hear it. This same voice seems to be what Jolie heard that day during filming, when the clouds left, sunlight poured down from the sky, and a rainbow framed the scene in a way that no filmmaker could imitate.
While no one can know for sure what, if any, the impression of Angelina Jolie's answered prayer may have made on her beliefs regarding salvation through Jesus Christ, her humble act of supplication represents many on this planet. that they are, as she said, searching. Christians should be encouraged to pray that Jolie's beautiful experience during the filming of “Unbroken”, as well as her relationship with Zamperini, will stay with her, speak to her, help her and guide her to invite Jesus into her heart. as personal Lord and Savior.
Movieguide® believes that “Unbroken” is going to be a movie worth watching this Christmas season, as it has a very strong biblical worldview that extols courage, forgiveness, sacrifice and the importance of holding onto hope in the midst. of the darkest moments in life. Although the film does not follow Zamperini's life after the war (the time during which he became a Christian leader), during the finale his eventual faith in Jesus Christ is revealed, a fact that, in our eyes, still does. more of a hero.
