Unsung Hero is on the radar of Christian music fans because it’s the background story of for King & Country as well as Rebecca St. James. Developed by Kingdom Story Company, the producers behind I Can Only Imagine, I Still Believe, and American Underdog (the stories of Bart Millard of Mercy Me, Jeremy Camp, and Kurt Warner, respectively), the story follows the immigration of the Smallbone family from Australia to the United States as David Smallbone (Joel Smallbone, who also directs) moves his family to Nashville in 1991, hoping to make a name for himself as a music producer.
While we know how the story ends (kind of) with the fame of the musical act involving Joel and Luke (for King & Country) Smallbone and St. James, what we may not know is the long and winding road that delivered these musical acts to the stage. What happens over the course of the film is that we see the parents, David and Helen (Daisy Betts) struggle to find a foundation for their family in Tennessee after a turn of bad luck sends them scrambling. We watch them deal with life as unwelcome immigrants, searching for sources of income and attempts to find purpose. And we watch the negotiation of their marriage and parenthood, two things that are difficult enough without poverty and immigration thrown in.
The focus of the film is David, who has layers of guilt and shame to strip and examine, as he falls far from the stage he once dominated. His relationship with Helen, and with Rebecca (Kirrilee Berger), is tested by all of the financial shortfalls, even as they meet Eddie DeGarmo (Jonathan Jackson), musician and producer, as well as Jed Albright (Lucas Black) who works in the music business. Joel Smallbone gives style and substance to the struggle in this sophomore cinematic effort, his acting follow-up to 2016’s trafficking thriller Priceless. But the title of the film gives us a clue to what this is really about…
Helen Smallbone is the rock of the family in these early years. While the religious material is prevalent, it’s interwoven in the story, not in extended pontifications from the pulpit of a church. Helen teaches her children to pray; she models for them peace and patience in the face of difficult situations. She is the one who holds onto faith even when David is in danger of losing it. She is the unsung hero who is finally dragged from the background into the forefront.
As a fan of for King & Country, the film was engaging. As a reminder of the power of family, of teamwork, of relying on each other, it’s inspiring. The soundtrack is fun, and the cinematography is stylish. For audiences seeking something that points toward a path of resilience and hope, Unsung Hero will be music to their ears.
Unsung Hero is in theatres now.
