GMC will air on Sunday the World Premier Movie “To Save a Life”. A very powerful film about teen suicide, choices and faith. Suicide is the third leading cause of death in adolescents and teenagers; To Save a Life aspires to give hope to hurting teens who feel alone and empower students to make a difference in their peers.
Jake Taylor has everything. He is the popular boy in school, he has a Basketball scholarship, is dating the girl everyone wants and seems (on the outside) to have the perfect life.
Roger Dawson was Jake’s best friend until Freshman year when he became the popular kid. Now Roger is alone without friends, incessantly picked on and pushed around and no one can see he’s hurting and needs someone.
Jake and Roger were best friends when they were little, when Roger had saved his life, until the politics of high-school came into play and left Roger behind for no other reason than because he wasn’t cool enough to move forward. After a last ditch effort in order to seek a helping shoulder, Roger does the one thing no one expected, he takes a gun onto campus and awakens everyone with tragedy and Jake’s last ditch effort to help was too late.
After the death of his friend, Jake begins to wonder if he could have done something to prevent it and this leads him on a journey to question his life, his choices and what was ultimately important in life. He begins to see others like Roger, in a way seeking them out to understand the unexplained. It cost him everything, his friends, his girlfriend, his dreams and his reputation – but Jake realized that it was more important to find what he wanted his life to be about rather than settle by turning away.
To Save a Life may center around Jake and Roger, but it has a cast of many characters who all weave in and out of the story – some like Roger and others that are just as alone even if the sun seems to be shining on them. It brings into question what faith is, what life is and why each are individually important. It’s a wonderful movie, it has some very powerful and dramatic scenes – however is still fit for family t.v. It brings up questions that you can discuss with your adolescents and teenagers regarding suicide and also about how they treat others around them.
During the airing of To Save a Life on Sunday, Christian Hip-Hop Artist KJ-52 will be in a Live Chat to answer any questions regarding the movie and/or about teen suicide. KJ-52 was a lot like the teenagers in the movie, filled with hurt and bitterness which led to negative choices and has also seen first hand what these kids encounter in the movie. You can join the live chat on Sunday 7 and 9pm EST on GMC’s Facebook Page.
There will undoubtably be questions after the movie, if you would like some discussion points for your family you can download the .pdf Discussion Guide to help you through. It’s a wonderful guide with scene by scene discussion and answers.
You can learn more about the actors and the Live Chat by visiting Watch GMC TV. I must note that although this movie is centered around Christianity, the feelings expressed in this movie and what the teenagers go through is a universal feeling. It is something we all feel at one point in our lives whether on one side or the other. The tragedy that awakens the school is something that has occurred in real life and the people who have caused them are very much like the students in this movie. Having once been a teenager who felt a lot like Roger at one point in my life, I believe in the purpose of this film and I think it brings up many questions and provides many answers to those that need it.