I still believe - DVD

Movie: No sooner has he arrived at Calvary Chapel Bible College in California than the life of young musician Jeremy (K.J. Apa) changes permanently. First he meets his idol Jean-Luc La Joie (Nathan Parsons), who immediately recognizes Jeremy's talent and takes him under his wing. And then he also meets the enchanting Melissa (Britt Robertson), with whom he falls head over heels. Although their relationship is not under an easy sign, as Jean-Luc has also lost his heart to Melissa, a short period of carefree happiness begins for the two - until this is put to the test by a shocking diagnosis. Jeremy manages to give them both hope and strength with his music - but is that enough to go the hard way to the end?

"I still believe" is the next film from directing duo Andrew and Jon Erwin after "I Can Only Imagine: The Song of My Life", which deals with the true story of a Christian rock musician. The story is quite moving, but its execution is only partially convincing. First, the positives: the chemistry between "Riverdale" star K.J. Apa and Britt Robertson is very cohesive. The beginning of their relationship in particular is wonderfully romantic and definitely goes to the heart, despite an extra helping of kitsch. The supporting roles are also well cast with Gary Sinise ("Forrest Gump") and country star Shania Twain. Even though the script with its rather clichéd dialogues doesn't allow for any really great top performances, there's nothing wrong with the film in terms of acting.

The camera work and the partly very beautiful songs also leave a positive impression. Even if you're not a fan of Christian rock and country music, some of the songs heard in the film really catch your ear quickly - and some go straight to your heart. So far, so good. The movie only starts to have a problem when it focuses too much on the Christian aspects of the story - as was the case with "I Can Only Imagine: The Song of My Life". It just seems - and I say this as a pastor's son - too much like a sermon, which is not exactly subtly delivered. It just comes across as a tad too extreme, which then dulls the emotional power of the story considerably.

It's good that the real Jeremy Camp found the support in his faith to get through a really tough blow and find new courage to live. It's also nice that he can give courage and hope to others through his music. But the way the whole thing is conveyed here in the last third of the movie is just a bit too thick to be convincing anymore. That being said, "I still believe" is a thoroughly beautiful romance that could even move you to tears at some moments. A "Sehenswert" but there is still only with minor restrictions.

Picture + Sound: The image of the DVD can capture the atmosphere of the story especially with the warm color scheme very well. In addition, the pleasant image sharpness is also convincing, which also in the many darker moments details come neatly to the fore. The audio is available as a powerful Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, which, in addition to the dialogue, also powerfully transports the many songs that can be heard here out of the speakers. There is also an additional stereo mix, which sounds a bit more centrally mixed, but also serves its purpose well.

Extras: The DVD offers interested viewers quite extensive bonus material. Starting off are four featurettes with a total running time of just under 35 minutes. These look at the making of the film (approx. 9:26 min), on the casting (approx. 8:50 min) as well as the music (approx. 6:22 min) and let at the end also still the real Jeremy Camp and Bart Millard, whose success story was likewise filmed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, come to word (approx. 10:15 min). The short documentaries are of course quite promo-heavy, but offer quite interesting info and worth seeing behind the scenes.

Continues with a short alternative ending (approx. 1:30 min, German audio), as well as a promotional making of (approx. 4:12 min, German audio.) and the trailer for the film. Finally, the DVD offers eight cut scenes (approx. 12 min.), with three longer sequences well worth watching for fans of the film. To the English-language extras are commendably German subtitles available!

Conclusion: "I still believe" tells the true story of Christian rock musician Jeremy Camp and his great love Melissa. After a perfectly solid start, the last third unfortunately wears on arguably thick. Nevertheless, the whole thing has become a thoroughly beautiful and also touching romance, which can convince on DVD with a good technical implementation and decent extras. Recommendable!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp