Nothing here is right: the script - ridiculous, the dialogues - utterly unrealistic, the acting - cringe worthy. When the heroes are chased, rather than run for cover (there are woods around) they just keep to the clearing. When there's an emergency, they look on rather than jump into action. The characters are just flat. An over-acted tortured expression is the most common occurrence throughout the film. Watching this movie is like watching a human-like robot convey an algorithm written message of love - it follows the rules, but you can tell something's off; it just fails to elicit any feeling. The only thing I enjoyed in this film were the frequent images of nature and the ocean. Other than that - it's just terrible.

This movie is much needed right now! It's filled with so much hope, forgiveness, and faith. Very raw and emotional storyline packed with great character development. Beautiful cinematography and exceptional directing considering many first time actors. Our family watched it on the big screen and highly recommend.

This movie has a great message of hope and mercy. I find, though, many movies of this type don't have great visuals and music, but Rising Free did! Overall a great experience in the theater!

My family and I really enjoyed this movie. It did have some intense action at times, but no foul language and very minimal blood. My favorite character was James. He reminded me of the prodigal son. For me, this was relatable in our family. I really like how the message was uplifting but not in your face. Very pretty images and music! Would watch it again and will purchase when it comes to DVD.

I saw Rising Free in theaters last week and really enjoyed it. I do not cry in movies, but I did in this one. The cinematography was of the highest level I have seen on a big screen. The imagery at times reminded me of the epic scale of The Revenant, which won an Oscar. The acting was ok, but did have a few shortcomings. The story line, at first, is a little slow, but picks up and engages into some very heavy, engaging subject matter. The dialogue was very well written. Overall, a very touching film with a powerful message of hope and forgiveness. Highly recommend. 7 for acting and story line, but a 10 for the overall message and cinematography!

I went to Rising Free with a group of friends and by the end of the night, we ran out of Kleenex. I have never quite experienced a movie like this. It reminded me of Pride and Prejudice at times but with messages of faith woven in. We all really enjoyed the film. It had a few shortcomings, but all movies do. It was written beautifully and the music and imagery were absolutely stunning! Like many BBC shows, this had a slower pace to it at first, but it gave you time to really fall in love with the characters. Not every movie needs to be action 100% of the time like super hero movies. This movie has it, but at the perfect moments. Overall, it was one of my favorite movies of 2019! I highly recommend it.

I gave this 3/10 just because of the photography and the beautiful sightseeing. Plot and most importantly dialogues couldn't keep up with the wonderful view. Before I begin, it is so interesting to do some digging and realize how most ratings for this film (giving it a 9 or 10 star rating) comes from profiles who have joined IMDB for the exact same time, curiously having rated just one single title: Rising Free. Hmm... Anyways. I tend to watch between 130~150 new movies every year (not counting those you rewatch from time to time), and because of that, I believe I got enough "cultural baggage" to compare titles, to say this one is just plain awful when it comes to character development and dialogue, not to mention poor acting to top it off. I actually found myself chuckling from time to time, facing the so many disconnected actions amongst characters and clichés. I managed to watch 30 minutes before leaving the room. As you realize throughout the first 5~10 minutes just how robotic and artificial the actor's lines are, you simply cannot wash this feeling off, as the next scenes keeps coming. You'll naturally force yourself to analyse each new spoken line critically, because the coherence is so weird that the entire plot becomes dull, and you stop enjoying the story just to criticize the bad writing. There is no way around it, you cannot follow along, because things do not flow naturally. This is the first work by the writer and director, so I hope my piece of criticism can help them evolve and get better. Guys, do some more study about the human nature. Behavior. How people acatually react to situations in our daily lives. If you've never been into this or that kind of situation, do some research on people who have, just don't go writing it off from the top of your mind, or else you'll risk getting flat characters with dubious dialogues like that.

As a frequent movie goer, I'm always drawn to films for their cinematic qualities. To say that Rising Free was a breathtakingly cinematic experience would be an understatement. I have never before seen a film with such grand scenery, moody coloring, and captivating film angles. It's one that I know I must see more than once. Director Christian Johannesson truly hit it out of the park with his vision and the imagery is utterly captivating!

A very inspiring movie! Our whole family loved it! We cried, we cried again, and walked away with hearts of gratitude.

Went with family and friends to see this in theaters. Surprisingly, the theater was almost sold out and a few people clapped during the credits. It was pretty impressive for a limited release. The acting, at times, was a little forced and rehearsed feeling. The lead actress did well though. From my research, it looks like it was her first movie. The story does start off pretty slow, but as the movie went on, it picked up. The message was strong on forgiveness but in a very real way. I look forward to seeing what this debut film crew has coming up next. Overall, it was decent and is worth the watch for the message and imagery alone.