“Angels in Our Midst” deals with the reality of being persecuted for one’s faith, and also for just simply being different.
The story focuses on Tobey Marshall (Ryan Sotzen), a junior high student who lost his parents on 9/11. He has never gotten over it, but reads his Bible, trusts in his guardian angel, and stays to himself. It is for these reasons he is called “retard” by several students who simply don’t know Tobey. A girl named Susan is a bit of a loner herself. Susan, called Suzy, has compassion for Tobey and befriends him. It should be noted that both Ryan Sotzen as Tobey and Therese Boyich as Suzy give excellent performances and are the main reason the story works as well as it does.
Suzy has a difficult time with the angel talk, but at the same time is curious about Tobey’s beliefs. A bully named Jim Doder (Matthew Vuckovich) picks on Tobey and pummels him on a few occasions, but he likes Suzy. It is difficult for him to see Tobey and Suzy develop a friendship, especially since Jim’s parents have separated. Tobey gets no support from the uncle he lives with. In fact, Uncle Nick is secretly in league with Jim and a few other boys, having them steal from homes and bring the loot to him so he can resell it.
Eventually Tobey has to deal with a false accusation and Suzy faces a moment when she has to decide if she believes in angels or not. A miraculous moment seems pretty certain to sway her from her previous negative mindset. We are very happy to award “Angels in Our Midst” our Faith Friendly Seal for ages twelve plus. It shows the difference one life can make!
