Plot Summary
Angus Buchan has never had an easy life. He and his family were forced to flee from Zambia to South Africa due to racism, and now, their new farm land isn’t what they expected. Angus feels like he works all day and all week to no avail. However, one day, when he finally comes to the end of himself, he decides to listen to a local pastor and to the testimonies of other struggling farmers who came to know Jesus Christ when they had nothing else to turn to. Angus decides to put aside his pride and follow suit, and little does he know the huge ways God will use him to change the surrounding areas.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Global Creative Studios struggled in other international films they made in this same era, but they went all out for Faith Like Potatoes. The end result was a very professional production with great video quality and camera work, along with fine audio quality and an effective cultural soundtrack. Sets, locations, and props give off a very realistic and gritty feel that adds to the overall authenticity of the film. It’s obvious that a lot of time and effort were spent on crafting and constructing scenes that were difficult to film, and there was a high commitment to making the film look as real as possible. Though there is some choppy editing, this is still a top-notch production that Affirm Films has become known to distribute.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
The story of Angus Buchan and his family is a great true story that is based on realistic and accessible characters that are able to be related to as real people despite the time jumps that tend to hold their character growth back from being all it could be. Fairly good dialogue helps characters to remain personable and build personality and motive despite the large amount of content that is covered, even if narration hurts character development at times by trying to create a crutch to cover the time gaps. Even still, there is a good use of flashbacks to build character motive and personality that make it easier to connect with characters as real people, but the film may have still benefited from more flashbacks to replace the portions of narration. More flashbacks would also help the story flow better and avoid just hashing out one important life event after another. The plot walks the line between just being a collection of scenes and events and being a great story with a lot of content that actually holds the attention. Finally, there are many good themes and messages in Faith Like Potatoes, even if it might have been better to only focus on a handful of them. Overall, this is a poignant and believable historical account that is likely worth your time.
Acting Quality (2.5 points)
One of the biggest positives of this film is the great commitment to culturally authentic casting, which was likely not an easy feat. It was also likely not easy to have almost half of the dialogue take place in an obscure African dialect. Besides these pluses, emotions are fairly realistic, and line delivery is almost always on point. Though there are some moments of forced emotions and unnecessary yelling and screaming, cast members usually own roles well and appear to be comfortable in their acting, which is important. As a whole, Faith Like Potatoes is a top-rated film, even if a few minor issues hold it back from the Hall of Fame.
Conclusion
Despite falling short of the Hall of Fame, Faith Like Potatoes is still worth a watch because of its wonderfully true stories and life lessons. This is definitely Global Creative Studios’ finest work, and movies like this one is why Affirm Films originally gained ground in the Christian entertainment world. We absolutely need more movies like this one that depict real life events and inspiring historical accounts with the proper production packaging and the adequate acting support. Unfortunately, this sort of quality is hard to come by, but hopefully, we will begin to see more and more of this in the future.
Final Rating: 6 out of 10 points
Box Office Revolution 
Faith Like Potatoes – A Life Story
Here’s a curious movie and one I expected to find cringe worthy. Having heard nothing about it and knowing even less about the makers or performers, I watched out of curiosity. The first thing to stand out was the cinematography and editing of Dave Aenmey, who captures the striking South African locations with amazing visual style.
Then came the strong performance of the central character played with great power and commitment by South African Frank Rautenbach. His is a world-class tour de force with many difficult emotive scenes played with gusto. The Zulu Africans also came across with conviction (all bar a couple of the smaller roles) Director/screenplay writer Regardt van den Bergh acquits himself well in bringing this based on fact, faith-based story to surprisingly vivid life. While set around the tragic turmoil of the Apartheid years this is not the movies main focus. It features an above average soundtrack score, with a stand-out main song written and performed by South African artist Joe Niemand.
Taken from Angus Buchan’s autobiographical book and photographed on his farm, it follows the life of an angry young small-time farmer and his young family, as they battle the land and assorted family emotional situations. The screenplay doesn’t always convey some plot elements as clearly as it should, but the rather riveting story never the less holds interest throughout. Those not interested in faith based situations won’t get the significance of some actions, while others will be suitably inspired by the changes in Buchan’s personality, and the very real benefits he eventually brings to those around him. Well worth a look, and proves what can be done on a limited budget with full commitment from all involved.
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