Forgiveness sounds nice in a sermon, but it’s a whole different animal when you have to put it into action. That’s the test writer/director Bob Ahmed presents in Adam’s Fire, a story about the hardest thing anyone can be asked to do.
Twelve-year-old Adam (Hudson Barry) has a life most kids would envy — a farm perched in the mountains of West Virginia, loving parents, and not much to worry about beyond chores and open fields. Of course, this is the movies. One afternoon, Adam and his charitable mother, Amy (Alicia Underwood), decide to bring their new neighbor, Jackie (Jennifer Marshall), a basket of homemade food as a welcome gift. Suffering from PTSD as an Army combat medic, Jackie begins reliving her last tour and mistakes Amy’s knocks for gunfire. Amy is killed, and Adam is there to witness the entire event.
One year later, Adam is not handling his mother’s death very well. His father, Dan (Chris Alvarez), a decorated veteran himself, tries everything to pull his son back, but to no avail. Adam is constantly getting into fights with the town bullies and won’t talk about it. Word gets around that Jackie has served her one-year prison stint and moved back home next to Adam and Dan. Adam gets in trouble by going to Jackie’s home and destroying her fence. One day, he brings a hammer with him and confronts her, only to have Dan and Sheriff Rick (Tom Ohmer) arrive in time to stop him.
The town has one therapist, Dr. Liz (Eileen Grubba), who has Jackie as her client. She also has Amina (Aizzah Fatima) and her daughter Mariam (Zahra Jamal) as clients, and they are living with her for a month. The next time Adam comes face-to-face with the bullies, Mariam sticks up for him and takes them down with her training in Taekwondo. The two become friends, and Adam wants Mariam to teach him to “fight,” but both Dan and Amina think it’s a bad idea as the Muslim and Western histories come into conflict.
“Suffering from PTSD as an Army combat medic, Jackie begins reliving her last tour and mistakes Amy’s knocks for gunfire.”
I should start by saying Adam’s Fire is a very heavy story, especially for a film aimed at children. Amy’s death is not treated lightly — it’s a tragic event and stays a tragic event through the entire film. A lot of productions keep these kinds of emotions just under the surface, but Adam’s Fire goes deep into Adam’s soul. You also have Dan’s military experience. He was a war hero fighting in the Middle East. He has his own trauma and prejudice toward Adam’s new friend. On the flip side, Amina and Mariam come to this story from the opposite end of those same conflicts — Mariam’s father was a doctor killed on his final combat tour. There aren’t a lot of punches being pulled, and I appreciate that. This film refuses to coddle children or play it safe. Kids carry emotions deep — it’s rarely just under the surface — and to reach them with this story, you’ve got to meet them where they are.
At the heart of the story is forgiveness. When the worst happens, the question is whether you carry your anger around and let it infect your entire life, or find a way to turn it around. It’s also a story of family — a father and son and a mother and daughter — and the importance of sticking together when everything falls apart. Part of forgiveness comes from sacrifice: the ability to let go. That’s really the core of this film — every character finding a way to let go, even Jackie, who can’t forgive herself. It’s the same guilt and trauma that has led too many of our veterans to come home and take their own lives, and the film doesn’t look away from it.
What makes Adam’s Fire work is just how deep it’s willing to go. This is one of those movies you may want to show someone who has gone through it, because it says you’re not alone — there’s always a way out. I should also mention it’s a very Christian story, with the Muslim angle there as a contrast, and both are handled in a delicate and uplifting way. Ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances, discovering that forgiveness is not weakness — it’s the greatest act of courage.
For screening information, visit the Adam’s Fire official website.
"…One day, he brings a hammer with him and confronts her…"
