5 family friendly films to watch this holiday season
'What Rhymes With Reason'
Emmy Award-winning director Kyle Roberts hopes to help teenagers overcome battles with depression and suicidal ideation with his new film, “What Rhymes With Reason.”
The film follows six teenagers who embark on an adventure after a tragedy impacts their lives. Throughout the film, the teens, each going through their own battles, explore legendary landmarks that no one else has discovered.
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The movie deals with anxiety, depression, anger and thoughts of suicide.
"When '13 Reasons Why' came out and other shows like that that glorify suicide, we knew, as a team, there had to be a better way to talk about this that is real and honest, like those John Hughes films. But it also had to be family-friendly and not cheesy,” Roberts told The Christian Post.
It took the creators eight years to produce this film. Roberts explained that the first five years consisted of doing lots of research and talking to “counselors, principals, youth leaders, youth pastors, and high school kids” to get their feedback.
Roberts’ work and family-friendly approach have attracted huge Hollywood studios such as DreamWorks, Disney and Nickelodeon. He’s worked on a lot of mainstream family content, but his new film is infused with the heart of his faith in Christ.
“It's not a straightforward, overtly Christian movie and not ‘Outer Banks’ or something. We’re kind of in the middle, he shared.
The 2014 Emmy winner for "Broken Beyond Repair” was a youth leader at Young Life for eight years, and that's where he met his wife. Since leaving Young Life, Roberts has seen a rise in anxiety, depression and suicide among youth.
He said social media, content such as Netflix’s original series “13 Reasons Why” and the COVID-19 lockdowns all led to the spike in suicidal ideations.
"There's no hope, there's no redemption in ‘13 Reasons Why.’ It's entertaining, but there is no hope. So I would [ask], 'Why? Why are you making this movie or show?'”
According to the CDC, the No. 2 cause of youth deaths, starting at age 10, is suicide. Just five years ago, it was ranked No. 10. There are a reported 700,000 suicides each year.
“What Rhymes With Reason” has partnered with The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a toll-free suicide prevention helpline, to donate the proceeds of the film to their efforts.
Coming off the heels of the film’s theatrical launch, starting Nov. 10, “What Rhymes With Reason” will be offered to groups across the country for a movie night. For more information, visit the film’s website.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: jeannie.law@christianpost.com She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
