Not Today Movie Review
“Slavery is real.”
These are the opening words and primary message of Not Today, produced by Friends Media, which opened in theaters April
12. Following such films as Fireproof and Courageous, Not Today is
the latest feature film, released in theaters, created by a church.
At the start of the movie, viewers are introduced to Caden
Welles, a spoiled 20 year-old who has been given material riches by his wealthy
father, but who has abandoned his Christian faith because he’s angry with God
over his parents’ divorce.
Caden and three friends decide to spend some of his father’s
money on a trip to India, where they expect to party nonstop and live it up in
a five-star hotel. Caden’s world gets
turned upside down, however, when he meets Kiran, a homeless man, and his daughter
Annika, who are starving.
Feeling guilty for refusing to help the pair, Caden finds
Kiran, only to learn that he and his daughter are members of the lowest caste
in India, the Dalits or “untouchables,” and as such have no real opportunities
available to them. Desperate, Kiran has
sold his daughter in the hopes that she will find a better life as a domestic
servant, and maybe even an education.
Distraught and confused, Caden does some research and learns
that Dalits are routinely taken advantage of by human traffickers who trick
them into selling their children into sweatshop labor or sex slavery. The remainder of the movie follows Caden and
Kiran’s desperate search for Annika in the hopes of rescuing her. In the process, Caden has to face his anger
with God and somehow come to trust Him again.
Not Today was obviously created by people with
hearts for the victims of human trafficking throughout the world, and its
primary purpose is to make people aware of the reality
of slavery (there are anywhere from 10 to 30 million slaves in the world, many
of them young children sold into prostitution), and to inspire people to get
involved. Still, it is a powerful movie
with a gripping plot.
Christians will relate to the main characters and even
non-Christians will be moved by the reality of human trafficking, and the
tragic plight of the Dalits. One of the
greatest virtues of the film is the many resources it offers viewers to get
involved in the fight against slavery and the abuse of the Dalits:
Free the Slaves: http://freetheslaves.net
Dalit Freedom Network: http://www.dalitnetwork.org/
Not For Sale: http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
For more information or to bring Not Today to your area, visit the official site, http://nottodaythemovie.com
Finally, at the close of the film, viewers are asked to text
the word ‘Today’ to 68398, to help provide schools and other safe environments
for children most at risk of human trafficking.
