My family, which is multigenerational and includes my teenaged son who has a diagnosis of High-Functioning Autism and my parents, always enjoy a family movie night with a film that has a good message. Trust Fund by Mapelle Films is just that type of movie, which is why I'm glad I was chosen to write a review about it for the Homeschool Review Crew. I was also glad to have been given the opportunity to review the film's companion book entitled Love Was Near.
The Movie:
Trust Fund is a modern day twist on the classic Bible story about the Prodigal Son from Luke 15:11-32. One twist that makes the movie different is that the Prodigal in Trust Fund is the younger daughter whose name is Reese. Reese is the proverbial spoiled, rich kid. She lives a life for which most people can only wish. This isn't enough for Reese, though. She wants more. More money. More power. More freedom. After all, isn't she entitled?
The other twist is that rather than receiving her inheritance Reese stole the money from her father's business. Reese's older sister, Audrey, is angry and jealous. She feels that her sister should have to answer for what she has done. Trials grow us. They have the power to transform us. By the end of the story, Reese has learned much about who she truly is.
Trust Fund has good messages weaved throughout its story. It is family friendly and engaging. It has an excellent cast of characters including some who may be familiar to viewers. Furthermore, the fact that Willie Garson (White Collar, Hawaii Five-O), one of my son's favorite character actors, is in the film was a huge bonus for him.
The Book:
Love Was Near, written by Sandra Martin, is the companion book to the movie. Although its target audience is aimed toward tween and teen girls, I used the book with my teenaged son. I discussed portions of it with him and then we discussed the thought-provoking questions in the journaling section together.
My son didn't once groan that it was a "girly" book. Instead, he shared his insights with me freely. I liked that the book helps readers realize key truths about life. I also like the Christian themes and scripture sprinkled throughout the book as well. Most importantly, I appreciate that it identifies what love truly looks like with the greatest love being the love God has for each one of us.
The Study Guide:
The Mapelle Films site contains a free Study Guide that can be downloaded, saved, and printed. It discusses the main idea of the story, the characters and their main traits, scripture reference to the story of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15, thought-provoking discussion questions, and additional scripture references.
Mapelle Films is the company that produced Trust Fund and its companion book Love Was Near. Isaac Alongi, who is the Producer of Trust Fund, was creating his own films at age eleven. This homeschool alumni was permitted to hone his talents and along with his wife, Sandra Martin, who authored Love Was Near, operates Mapelle Films as a company that strives to entertain and inspire. Isaac pursued his passion and has made a name for himself in a way that honors God.
View more reviews of Trust Fund by Mapelle Films and its companion book, Love Was Near, at the Homeschool Review Crew.
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