Paige Bier_April 18_The Prisoners: Testing Your Faith

The film The Prisoners challenges the faith of a human being. Throughout the film, I saw the struggle the father faces when he is trying to find his daughter after she has been kidnapped. In the middle of the film, after the dad has been fighting and searching for five days (which seems like eternity for a father without his daughter), he is saying the Lord’s Prayer and isn’t able to say, “As we forgive those who trespass against us”. This showed that the kidnapping of his daughter made him question his faith, and he couldn’t even complete a prayer that he rehearsed every day because of it. In the end of the film, the kidnapper admits that she kidnaps young children because it makes people “lose their faith”. Not only do they lose their faith, but also engage in sinful behavior themselves.

       I have watched this film multiple times and I find something new every time I watch it that relates to the teachings of the Lord. This film unravels the importance of faith. Once the father loses his faith, he is not able to remain sane in finding his daughter. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding”, which perfectly relates to this film. The father of the little girl lost his faith and trusted on his own understanding, which made him suffer. This movie showed the importance of keeping your faith, no matter how difficult or tough situations might get.

      There have been many times that I have struggled and wanted to give up, or times that I have questioned my faith because everything was going wrong. The most difficult times can be a time where the Lord is going to help you the most. Although we ask the Lord to change our situations sometimes, we must realize the Lord was intending for the situation to change us. He will always be the light in our darkness, and we must take the time to see it. This film reminds me that we must remain faithful to the Lord even after we have found our faith. Testing the faith of the children's fathers throughout this film displayed a great message to the importance of relying on God and trusting in Him above all things. 

The Prisoners (2013) starring Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Melissa Leo.