'Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot' Review

In theaters July 4, 'Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot' is a compelling family drama emphasizing the power of compassion and community to make a difference

If you’d told me five or six years ago that secular films would be in steep decline whereas faith-based films would be steadily increasing in quality, I would have told you:

I’ll believe it when I see it.

Through the first two decades of the 2000s, the explicitly Christian movie scene was laughably bad (with the notable exception of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and a couple others). They were vaguely inspirational at best, overtly preachy at worst, and 2014’s Left Behind with Nicholas Cage at ugliest. By contrast, I thought that mainstream cinema was in a pretty healthy spot at the end of the 2010s. I’ve seen more films from the year 2017 than any other year in film history, and 2018 was not far behind. I thought that secular cinema was healthy and Christian cinema was in stark need of reinvigoration.

But something about 2020, whether it was the pandemic or the various social movements that took the United States by storm that year or the streaming revolution seeking to capitalize on viewers stuck at home, seemed to jinx Hollywood and it hasn’t been the same since. On the other hand, Christian cinema seems to have taken a turn for the better. There are a couple of highly anticipated films from Mel Gibson and Terrence Malick coming our way (hopefully) in the next couple of years; Gibson and Mark Wahlberg gave us the flawed but still enjoyable Father Stu; and Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio, although divisive, gave a respectful, deeply moving, and positively beautiful portrait of one of the greatest saints of the 20th century.

And since 2021 Angel Studios has been on a roll, raising the filmmaking standards for Christian cinema. They have, of course, had some misses, but I am glad to say that Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot is not one of them.

Sound of Hope is based on the true story of a small church in the rural town of Possum Trot, Texas, which set out to welcome as many at-risk foster children as they could handle into their homes. It follows specifically the story of Reverend W. C. and Donna Martin, who are the leaders in this quest to adopt as many kids as possible. They already have two of their own, including one with special needs, but over the course of the film they adopt four more, each with their own needs and challenges.

The film is quite emotionally compelling, and a lot of that is due to excellent performances in the two lead roles from Demetrius Grosse and Nika King. The two have excellent chemistry together and they radiate joy and empathy during the movie’s high points, but also are able to convincingly portray a married couple driven almost to their breaking point by the mission they believe God has given them. Diaana Babnicova also shines as their daughter Teri, a child with a very troubled past who acts out as a coping mechanism. The whole supporting cast is great, lending an authentic east Texas atmosphere to the project.

The story itself is usually quite compelling, at its best reminding me of Erin Brockovich. It shines a light on places and people little seen in mainstream Hollywood and news culture. The focus on the value of human life and the vulnerability of children is quite welcome in this day and age, and I especially liked how it shows the story of a community working together to combat this evil situation. These families are unable to handle all these foster kids alone; however, when they come together as a church and town community, they are able to do great things. Many people when faced with such as situation have a tendency to say “someone should do something!” These folks instead said “I should do something” and did, not by lobbying the government or “raising awareness” about the problem but by showing radical love to these children by welcoming them into their homes, and this film tells that story in an inspiring way, but also in a way that feels very real and true to life, not sugarcoating the difficulties but showing how people can and did overcome them.

Although I did overall find the story engaging, Sound of Hope is perhaps a bit too long. The beginning and end of the film are very strong, but the middle drags somewhat as they go through the up-and-down cycle of adoptive parenthood, especially since these families in Possum Trot are by no means wealthy. This criticism is by no means unique to Possum Trot; many films that are based on true stories are loathe to ruthlessly cut extraneous bits because these are real details of real people’s lives. However, a tighter focus often strengthens the emotional punch of your story, and I think Sound of Hope could have benefited from that.

My other problems with the film weren’t actually flaws in the film itself, but some of the marketing decisions that Angel Studios has made with this film did take me out of it sometimes. First, I think that Possum Trot, the original name for this film, would have been a more memorable title than Sound of Hope. I suspect that they are trying to tie this film in with last year’s smash hit Sound of Freedom, since they both deal with vulnerable children. However, I have to keep reminding myself of this film’s true title, whereas Possum Trot sticks easily in the memory. I also must reiterate my annoyance at Angel Studio’s habit of putting explicit and heavy-handed calls to action at the end of their films. The ending of this film was very good and memorable, with us seeing a party at the real Possum Trot with the actual people depicted in the film laughing, dancing, and sharing fellowship. It brought the whole film together in a wholesome and delightful way. However, immediately after they address the audience directly and ask us to buy more tickets using their QR code. It sucked that emotional delight right out of me and made me feel more like I had just watched a 2 hour infomercial. I try my best to separate the films themselves from these marketing decisions, but each time I see them do this, it annoys me more. If Angel Studios really wants to separate itself from the dredge that is 21st century Christian cinema and build an audience outside of Evangelical-land, then it needs to put this tactic to rest.

Some problems aside, overall I found Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot to be quite good and engaging. It’s not as good as Cabrini or Sound of Freedom, but is a compelling drama and provides an inspiring look at the power of community and radical love to solve complex problems. The pro-life and pro-family messaging is welcome in this culture, and did not usually lean too far into being preachy or distracting (again, until the direct address at the very end). Angel Studios continues to show that Christians can, indeed, make films on par with their Hollywood counterparts; I hope that they continue improving and making better and better Christian cinema in the future.

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot hits theaters July 4th.