by Matthew Pejkovic
If there is one word to describe the current political and social climate in the United States, it would be ‘divisive’. Tribalism has replaced community, and with the US presidential election soon upon us, the lines of division are sure to be even further extended.
That is what makes the timing of a film like Ordinary Angels so vital. Based on a true story, Ordinary Angels stars Hillary Swank as Sharon Stevens, a struggling hairdresser who rallies her Louisville, Kentucky community to help widowed father Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson) save his critically ill daughter who is in dire need of a liver transplant.
It all leads to an inspiring moment of community action, when during a record-breaking snowstorm in January 1994, Sharon and members of the community endlessly toil at a local church parking lot to create a landing space for a helicopter to airlift Ed and his daughter to a local airport for transport to a children’s hospital, where waiting is a new liver. The media would name this the ‘Louisville Snow Baby.’
The producers of Ordinary Angels are the Kingdom Story Company, a film and TV studio focused on creating life-changing content from a faith-based context as told by a variety of talented storytellers and filmmakers. Among those filmmakers is director Jon Gunn, whose list of credits include Jesus Revolution and The Case for Christ.
Ordinary Angels was in development for 15-years before the original script written by Kelly Fremon Craig (Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret) and Oscar nominated actress Meg Tilly (Agnes of God) landed in Gunn’s hands.
“After all of these years of it struggling to find its way, I had the good fortune of being the one to bring it to life and carry it over the finish line,” said Gunn [left]. “I’ve done a lot of true stories, I take it very seriously to be the one that depicts the life of this family… it’s a story about healing, really. And about helping other people and how that often leads to our own healing. I love that message, and I’m thrilled to be sharing this finally with the world.”
Ordinary Angels also gave Gunn the chance to work with a two-time Oscar winning actor in Hilary Swank, who delves into her Erin Brockovich-style advocate with big hair gusto; and a burgeoning star in Alan Ritchson who delivers a performance sure to surprise those who know the hulking actor for the Reacher streaming series.
“Hillary Swank… she’s funny, she’s colourful and dynamic. I mean, honestly, it was such an honour to have her in my film. And then Alan Ritchson… this is a performance that nobody’s going to see coming from him. (As Ed) I think he’s just vulnerable and honest, and strong and broken.”
Sharon and Ed represent the importance of community and purpose in an increasingly cynical world.
“You can change just one life and it can be transformative,” said Gunn. “Sharon was one of those people who just saw a family in need and took it upon herself to help them. What I find so interesting and so inspiring about it, is that she not only helped this family in the struggle to save the life of this young girl, but she also mobilised an entire community.
“I think in the divided times we live in now with so much pain and suffering and the division in our culture, I love sharing that message with the world that this is a story about coming together, about helping, about serving, about finding your calling, and acting on it… it really is a call to action to put your faith up on its feet.”
Despite the events of Ordinary Angels occurring 30 years ago, many of the issues addressed in the film – namely addiction, the high costs of medical expenses, and the need for organ donation – are still vitally relevant today, a fact that is not lost on Gunn who hopes Ordinary People can affect significant change. To that end, the filmmakers aligned the US release of Ordinary Angels with a pay-it-forward campaign with non-profit organisations RIP Medical Debt, Donate Life America, and The Salvation Army USA in a bid to help those struggling like the characters in the film.
“There’s a couple of organisations we’re partnering with on this film that the movie speaks to and that I’m very excited about,” said Gunn. “I hope that it does help those who are struggling, because normally medical debt comes with other life pain and struggles, so it’s kind of an insult to injury. I also hope that it speaks to legislation change. I think we live in a really broken culture where people are just crushed when they have medical issues, and the misfortune of that kind of pain and suffering that, on top of it, you just can’t ever pay these impossible bills.
“This is a story about a blue-collar single dad with two daughters living in the 1990s with almost half a million dollars in medical debt from the loss of his wife and his daughter’s illness. How is anyone ever supposed to get on the other side of that? I hope it does make people think about how they can reach out and help those that are struggling, and all of that is just a positive thing across the board.”
Ordinary Angels is in cinemas 14 March 2024
