Paradise Recovered

A very enjoyable movie about a girl living in a very uber-cult-like Christian sect and what happens when she intersects with a more moderate to liberal world. In fact moderation is a good word for the film. It is about finding normalcy amongst so much information and so many influences. It is not a preachy movie, but it is about being OK to have something to believe in. It is funny and entertaining and the young star is adorable, Heather Wallis is like a younger Ellie Kemper. Dane Seth Hulbert plays Gabriel, a grocery store employee who becomes many things to Ester, He is the irritating sand in her oyster shell, as she is trained in belief and he is someone who chooses which thoughts to think. Oliver Luke plays Mark, Gabriel's friend and roommate. The sort of second banana that you would find in Jack Black, but to the films credit the funny and entertaining moments are well balanced between the three main characters. The movie has been accepted to 17 film festivals, which says something about it's attraction to a fairly wide audience. I saw it at the Idyllwild Film Festival and it was well received and I really enjoyed it.