Proclaiming to be the movie that changes everything, “I AM” has certainly achieved such a standard.

A faith-based film, “I AM” has adapted the Ten Commandments to modern day life through the stories of 10 different people.

I AM, played by Tomas Boykin, is the title character throughout the film, and plays the role of God. In the film, I AM aids 10 people, as each works through their individual failings to follow the Ten Commandments.

Biola screens film before its DVD release

Biola was the first university and non-church organization to participate in the pre-screening on Oct. 27.

The event was open to all students and allowed them to get behind-the-scenes information from the producers at a special question & answer session that took place after the movie’s pre-screening.

Written and produced by John Ward and Todd Zeile, the nonlinear film was created with the angle to “change everything”— from the way that movies are produced to the way they are received by viewers.

“There is a lot of ‘velveeta’ in Christian movies,” said actor and producer Ward in the question & answer session. “We wanted to do something different and change the rules up.”

Film intends to raise more questions than it answers

Although the film’s theology is based on God’s love for humanity, Ward states that it is not intended to provide all the answers. In fact, it is meant to raise questions.
When asked what questions the film was meant to raise, Ward replied that the film was meant to pose questions such as, “What is God really like? How does he feel about us?”

The producers presented this question with the film’s release to over 25,000 churches on Oct. 10. Ward and Zeile took most of the responsibilities upon themselves, mass-producing it on their own dime, without knowing that the film would become widely sought after by so many churches.

Producers excited for critiques from Biola film students

“We were especially excited to come to Biola, and have our film picked apart by film students,” said Zeile. “We have had our theology interpreted and reviewed, but not many of the semantics of film.”

The film’s overarching theme is to show God’s heart for his people. The film weaves in and out of the 10 lives as they violate the Ten Commandments in their daily routines. As the viewers look on, the characters are shown that the commandments are given out of God’s love for humanity and his desire to protect those that he loves. With 10 story lines, viewers are given the chance to understand the many consequences of sin, on both large and small scales.

Biola students respond to film

Although the movie is designed to create questions for pastors, Biola film students were able to analyze the film through their critic’s lens.

At the prescreening, students also had a chance to determine if the theology was well-presented through a filmmaker’s eye.

“I found the theology to be well-rounded and enjoyed the different angle these guys took,” said junior Abbey Barrie.

Ward, who used to be a screenwriter for Paramount Pictures, said writing the script for this movie was an ongoing process.

“The process for [writing] this movie was the most challenging out of any of the scripts that I have ever written before,” Ward said.