Princess Cut 2: Hearts On Fire

Produced by Paul Munger and written by Paul Munger and Elizabeth Hansen

The Plot

Love bears all things.

After years of trying to start a family, Robert and Lauren Anderson are excited to finally be pregnant. They eagerly share the news with Robert's older sister, Grace, who runs a small rural clinic with husband Dr. Clint Masters. Despite Grace's reassurances and motherly example, Lauren fears she won’t be able to maintain her athletic boutique and adequately raise a family. Modest success buoys her hopes, until the storms of life converge, driving them all to the brink of despair.

Review

Does the plot glorify God? Yes, “Love bears all things” in the beginning of the plot is taken from 1 Corinthians 13:7

Does the film content glorify God through His Word: Use of Bible verses and adhere to His commandments?

• The plaque Grace made was taken from Proverbs 24:3-4, Through wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 4 By knowledge the rooms are filled. With all precious and pleasant riches.

• The mother, Catherine, quotes from Revelation 21:4, “And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain. for the former things have passed.”

• Catherine, the mother, sang a hymn to Grace’s daughter after tragedy hit the family.

• Lauren, Robert’s wife, mentions to trust and be not afraid, in her letter to her child. Scripture is filled with verses about trusting the Lord and being not afraid (Psalm 56:3, Joshua 1:9)

1. Promotes God as the only God

   1. Catherine, the mother’s, reference to God about her having courage through the hard times - He is stronger than all the hard times we go through.

   2. Robert’s reference to Jesus Christ to his wife. Saying as long as they followed Jesus and he had his wife by his side - everything was going to be ok.

   3. Grace’s conversation with the executive at Nevis Foundation - their free clinic was doing God’s work in their community. This foundation apparently had a statement that included scripture in their mission statement - but had chosen big paying clients over free clinic’s like Grace & Clint’s that needed financial support.

   4. Grace’s statement to her sister in-law about having no idea that she was going to say the things she said to the executive. It reminded me of John 14:26 - the promise that the Holy Spirit will tell us what we need to say in our hour of need.

   5. Robert prays over a patient. Grace comments how it reminds her of her dad.

   6. Grace’s prayer to the Lord during tragedy.

   7. Robert told his wife that his mother would say her stability is not of this earth, and he agreed with her.

   8. Tessa, who is not a Christian, suggests that Robert’s wife prays about a decision.

2. Promotes being free from idols or refrain from promoting idols

   1. Robert’s statement about following Jesus and having his wife by his side - letting go of his own hopes and dreams. He just wanted to do the Lord’s will.

   2. Tessa’s focus on worldly things like a beautiful, expensive flat - which Grace said was not the foundation of happiness.

3. Honours parents or refrains from promoting dishonour of parents?

   1. Robert’s defence of his mother when his wife attacked her with words

   2. Robert’s wife’s apology to him and his mother for her senseless verbal attack.

4. Speak against murder or refrain from promoting murder?

   1. Tessa’s refusal to get an abortion. Her boyfriend said she had a choice and she told him she didn’t have a choice. Abortion was not a choice for her.

5. Speak against adultery or refrain from promoting adultery?

   1. Tessa’s boyfriend’s deceit - shows the humiliation that lies and adultery bring with them.

6. Speak against lies or refrain from promoting lies?

   1. Tessa’s boyfriend’s deceit. He said she was financially secure with him - but he lied.

Question: What Christian standards does the film convey?

• Scripture alone

  • Catherine, the mother, relied on her Bible - was seen reading her Bible

  • God’s Word is what preserved her (the plaque was preserved)

• Salvation through Christ alone (does not promote good works)

  • Robert’s reliance on Jesus Christ

• Biblical marriage

  • Robert’s wife is not submissive. In fact she is pushy, arrogant, disrespectful and domineering and often the spokesperson. Yet a biblical marriage also involves grace - and Robert consistently gives his wife grace. It also reminds me of 1 Corinthians 7:12-16 - the spouse of faith can be the model for the spouse that is lacking faith. The way their marriage is portrayed, when seen through the Word of God, looks wrong, as there is an attempt, on the wife’s side, to reverse the roles. Role reversal creates distortion and ugliness in a marriage. Some interactions between Robet and his wife were uncomfortable to watch - like the scene where he attempts to put a comforting hand on her arm and she violently shrugs it off. Through it all we see:

    • Robert honouring his wife during her meltdowns - not reacting and escalating the situation.

    • Robert tells his wife that God is in control and his desire to be the spiritual leader for his wife.

    • Robert’s announcement about having his wife by his side and following Jesus as the keys to success.

  • Robert’s mother’s encouragement for Robert to go after his wife, after a heated argument. On a side note, Robert’s mother consistently shows Robert’s wife grace, even though Lauren is constantly meddling in the family business, instead of letting Robert do what he thinks is the correct thing.

  • Depicts the often painful transition from the biological family into marriage, which is made even harder when one of them is not following the Lord - in this case, Robert’s wife. In addition, Robert feels torn between filling his father’s place in his biological family and being the head of his new family by marriage.

  • Grace’s disapproval of Tessa living with her boss, which results in her making Tessa a gift based on Proverbs 24:3-4

  • We see the mother, Catherine, being accepted by her daughter in-law as a mother, which gives a hint that a future film my show Catherine teaching Lauren how to be a biblical wife, as it says in Titus 2:3-5: the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things— 4 that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.

• Husband as the head in his home and the local church

  • Jim, the father, had passed away leaving a hole in the family for leadership. But towards the end we see Robert’s progression as the spiritual leader in his home and his mother’s support.

• Recognition of the value of life and blessing in children

  • Tessa’s refusal to get an abortion. Her boyfriend said she had a choice. Tessa told him she didn’t have a choice - abortion was not a choice for her.

  • Catherine and Lauren’s (her daughter in-law) conversation about the blessing of children.

• Recognition of the body as the temple of God

  • Robert’s wife’s pushing herself to the limits with jogging and heavy lifting and stretching, and emotional stress even though she is pregnant - even though she experienced physical pain.

Question: Does the film give glory and honour and thanks to God?

• Catherine’s mention of the new earth promise from Revelation. This is a wonderful promise and gives glory to God for what is to come.

• Catherine, the mother, was not mad at God for the tragedies in her life - she held onto His promise to be faithful. This is a good portrayal of how we are called to trust in the Lord, no matter what, and to look forward to the blessed hope, Jesus Christ, who will return and make all things new, as promised in Revelation 21.

• Robert’s praise to the Lord for blessing him beyond his wildest imagination, with his wife, Lauren.

Question: Did the film encourage my faith? Yes.

• The mother’s refusal to turn her back on God during tragedies, in fact, He was her biggest comfort.

• The mother’s response to Robert’s wife’s outbursts reminded me of James 1:19, “Be slow to anger, quick to listen and slow to speak.”

Question: What actions did I do, as a result of seeing the film?

• Reflection on faith during life’s tragedies. How is my faith?

• Reflection on James 1:19 “Be slow to anger, quick to listen and slow to speak.” How do I react under pressure?

Question: Would I change anything about the film?

• Clint was very close to the Lord in The Princess Cut, but his character didn’t show his faith in the sequel. It would have been good to see Clint’s faith amidst the tragedy.

• Christmas, thanksgiving and birthdays - not biblical. These things are deeply rooted in our traditions - but they are not biblical. Christian films need to leave them out, so that we have the ideal model in films.

• On a side note - there seems to be a Princess 3 in the making. I hope it shows Robert’s wife, Lauren, submitting to the Lord and her journey as a godly wife, in addition to Clint’s strong faith that was shown in The Princess Cut.

• I read that there was a body double at the end of Fireproof, for the kissing scene, because the main actor said he only kissed his wife. So his wife was used as a body double to keep integrity. The Princess Cut didn’t have kissing or touching beyond hugging. Princess Cut 2 had kissing scenes - or other beyond hugging scenes between the character Robert and his wife - and they are not married off screen. I think The first film, The Princess Cut, had the right idea. Christian movies don’t have to have kissing or beyond hugging scenes with actors and actresses that are not married off screen, as it compromises how we use our bodies to God’s glory. So if I could change the film, those scenes would have been changed.

SUMMARY

I had to watch this film twice in order to wrap my mind around the messages it was sending. Princess Cut 2 is messy, complicated - nothing like Princess Cut, the first film. At first, it is easy to miss the message of faith, because it is so different to The Princess Cut. The main spiritual leader, the father, has passed away, so that strong spiritual presence is gone and you have Robert’s wife, Lauren, who takes a lot of space and differs so much from the biblical mother, Cathrine. But upon review, there are strong messages of faith during adversity. The Princess Cut shows a strong, biblical family. Princess Cut 2 shows how the ravages of life can affect our household of faith - but the remaining message is that faith must prevail, and that God’s love is unchanging and faithful. 1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love. Princess Cut 2 is a portrayal of 1 Corinthians 13:13 - it shows the presence of God’s love, mercy and grace in our life cycles.

Film site: www.christiancinema.com

NB! The links I reference for my films is the source I used, but it is not an endorsement of the entire film streaming company. I am sure this particular film can be found on various digital streaming companies.

Source for film thumbnail: www.christiancinema.com