Plot Summary
As Rachel Cartwright and Mitchell Little grew up in the small town of Providence, Tennessee, they each took different paths until finally meeting up. Though they were together for a while, they lost touch as they grew older and went different paths again. But even as life takes them in their different directions, they are destined to meet up again no matter what.
Production Quality (2 points)
It’s very interesting to take a risk by creating a silent film, and as it turns out, it’s better to have no audio than bad audio. Additionally, it was wise to fill the sound with an original soundtrack, even though it is sometimes incongruent with the time period the plot is trying to portray. However, we would have liked to hear more instrumental tracks. Silent films rely heavily on camera work and video quality, and both of these elements passed the test of professionalism. There are also historically realistic sets, locations, and props throughout. The main caveat to raise here is that some scenes tend to lag too long—we would have liked to see more content, but it’s a good start. Regardless, Sharon Wilharm and Mainstreet Productions demonstrate the ability to engineer high quality productions, and we can’t wait to see them reach the next level.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Due to the silence, there is no audible dialogue, only implied dialogue. This is both good and bad because it limits the mistakes and the rewards. Nonetheless, the viewer can figure out fairly well what is going on in the story. However, the storyline is somewhat simple and typical. Some sequences are too long while others are too short, but there is far more plot content in Providence than in many non-silent films. We would have liked to know these characters a little better than we do, but that’s just a limitation of silent plots. In the end, the plot is okay, yet we feel that this plot could have been a little more complex than this.
Acting Quality (2.5 points)
It is definitely difficult to act and to acting coach in silent films, yet both are pulled off well in Providence. These cast members show better emotions than some non-silent films—for the most part, we really know what is going on, and that’s a huge accomplishment. While there is some historically inauthentic costuming, most of it is good. In short, this is a professional performance.
Conclusion
We were wary of silent films before seeing Providence, but it seems like having no sound makes everyone, especially the cast, try harder to improve quality. While silent movies may not be the future, this is definitely a good place to jump start from and to use to improve into greatness. The good news for Christian film is that after an extended wilderness of the early 2000s, movie makers are finally moving to the point of higher production quality. Providence is an example of this trend. Mainstreet Productions shows great promise for the future and we look forward to what they have planned next.
Final Rating: 5.5 out of 10 points
Full disclosure: We were provided by the creator with a copy of this film in exchange for a fair and honest review
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