Redeeming Love is a 2022 American Christian Western romance movie directed by D.J. Caruso, who helped write the story with Francine Rivers. The movie is based on Rivers' 1991 book of the same name, which tells the story of Hosea from the Bible. The film is set in the American Old West during the California Gold Rush and features actors Abigail Cowen, Tom Lewis, and Logan Marshall-Green.
The movie was produced together by Pinnacle Peak Pictures, Mission Pictures International, and Nthibah Pictures. It was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, and shown in movie theaters on January 21, 2022, by Universal Pictures. Critics gave the film mostly bad reviews, but many viewers liked it. Redeeming Love was nominated for the GMA Dove Award for Best Inspirational Film or Series at the 2022 GMA Dove Awards.
Plot
During the Gold Rush, Angel is a highly desired prostitute in Pair-a-Dice. She survives by dealing with her anger and shame. Farmer Michael Hosea, after praying for a wife, falls in love with Angel at first sight.
The brothel's bodyguard, MacGowen, and the madam, Duchess, often abuse Angel. In flashbacks, her name is Sarah, and men frequently abused her. When she meets her father, Alex Stafford, he tells her she should never have been born because her mother, Mae, was his mistress. He stops supporting her, so Mae sells everything. A pawnbroker named John gives Mae money for sex, making her a prostitute. Eventually, Sarah becomes ill and dies. Distraught, Sarah rejects her mother's faith. John sells her to a pimp named Duke, who renames her "Angel" and then has John killed.
Years later, the teenage Angel allows Alex to have sex with her as punishment. When Alex learns about this, he commits suicide. A prostitute named Sally helps Angel escape from Duke, but Sally is later killed. Angel travels to California to start over but is immediately robbed. Without money, she returns to prostitution.
In the present, Michael enters Angel's room and declares he wants to marry her. Though surprised, she remains distant. His frequent visits push Angel to demand money from Duchess to leave. Not wanting to lose her, she claims she owes money. MacGowen then nearly kills her.
Rushing to the brothel, Michael sees Angel's wounds, pays her debt, and proposes again. She accepts, and he takes her home. Michael cares for Angel as she recovers, despite her coldness. He constantly surprises her by declaring his love for her as his wife but refuses to have sex with her. Afraid to trust him, she runs away, but Michael convinces her to return.
As Angel and Michael begin life on the farm, she develops feelings for him, and they finally consummate their marriage. Michael's late sister Tess's husband, Paul, arrives and immediately distrusts Angel. Angel flees when she realizes Michael wants children, as she believes a forced abortion made her unable to have them. Paul gives Angel a ride for sex. She complies but becomes ill afterward.
Back in Pair-a-Dice, Angel returns to the brothel to collect her money. However, MacGowan burns it down with Duchess inside, and an angry mob kills him. Without money or a place to live, Angel reluctantly prostitutes herself at a bar. She gratefully returns home when Michael arrives.
Michael and Angel's relationship grows stronger, built on honesty and care. Angel fully falls in love with Michael and wants to stay. They help a woman in labor and take in her family. Believing the oldest daughter, Miriam, is better suited for Michael because she is not barren, Angel has sex with Michael one last time before disappearing the next day. She leaves Miriam her wedding ring with a note, asking her to care for Michael. Michael decides not to search for Angel, respecting her choice to return on her own.
Now able to cook, Angel gets a job at a cafe instead of returning to prostitution. However, on her first day, the hotel is burned down by the recently arrived Duke. He forces Angel back into prostitution to save her boss's life. Discovering Duke still forces young girls into prostitution, Angel confronts him. Duke silences her with a threat of death.
Duke places Angel on his new establishment's stage. Regaining her faith, she exposes Duke's trafficking of young girls. Duke denies the accusations and tries to kill Angel, but an African-American man stops him, allowing Angel to free the girls. An angry mob lynches Duke. Afterward, Angel dedicates herself to helping rehabilitate young girls.
Three years later, Paul finds Angel running a school for girls. She assumes Michael has married Miriam, but Paul reveals he has not. She accuses him of separating Michael and Miriam, but Paul insists there was no interest between them, as Michael is still waiting for Angel. Paul tearfully apologizes, but Angel has already forgiven him.
Angel returns home and finally tells Michael her real name is Sarah. She never shared it before because it was the only thing she had that no one could take from her. Michael welcomes her home with a warm embrace and returns her wedding ring. Years later, he and a pregnant Angel are shown fishing with their young son.
Cast
- Abigail Cowen as Angel/Sarah
- Tom Lewis as Michael Hosea
- Logan Marshall-Green as Paul
- Wu Kexi as Mai Ling
- Livi Birch as Sarah Stafford
- Famke Janssen as Duchess
- Nina Dobrev as Mae
- Eric Dane as Duke
Production
The film was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa, in February 2020. News about the film was shared in April 2020. D.J. Caruso directed the film, and Roma Downey and Francine Rivers helped oversee its production. Francine Rivers also wrote the script, and Caruso assisted with writing it. Redeeming Love is the second project made by producers Cindy Bond and Simon Swart. Their first project together was the 2018 film I Can Only Imagine. Wayne Fitzjohn, Michael Scott, and Brittany Yost also helped produce the film.
Release
The movie Redeeming Love was first planned to be released in spring 2021. However, it was delayed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was shown in theaters in the United States and Canada on January 21, 2022.
It became available on video-on-demand platforms on February 8, 2022. Then, it was released on Blu-ray and DVD on March 8, 2022. The movie was also available for streaming on Peacock starting March 10, 2022.
Reception
Universal Pictures released the film in 1,963 theaters on January 21, 2022. It was expected to earn less than $5 million in the United States during its first three days. Instead, it made $3.5 million over its opening weekend, ranking fourth at the box office. By its fourth weekend, the film dropped out of the top ten, earning $354,835 and finishing twelfth. Worldwide, the film earned $9.46 million, which was much less than its $30 million production budget.
On the review website Rotten Tomatoes, 11% of 28 critics gave positive reviews, with an average score of 4 out of 10. On Metacritic, the film received a score of 32% from 7 critics, which means most reviews were negative. Audiences who saw the film rated it "B+" on a scale from "A+" to "F."
Mike McCahill of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars. He wrote that the story spreads its message too thinly over 134 minutes and compared it to a TV show that mixes religious themes with confusing and strict ideas. Nell Minow of RogerEbert.com gave it 2 out of 4 stars. She said the film’s most emotional moments were too forceful and that it missed a chance to reach more people. A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club called the love story "unpleasant" and said it relied on an unfair situation where one character could not refuse another’s advances. He gave the film a grade of D+.
Randy Myers of The Mercury News gave the film 2.5 out of 4 stars. He said the film might appeal most to religious viewers but was well-made and included messages about love and second chances.