“The Tribunal” features a unique story line. A man named Tony Mirakul (Ryan Wesley Gilreath) falls for a Catholic girl named Emily Vanderslice (Laura Mock). However, his pressure for her to have sex with him eventually leads to her giving in and then regretting it, due to her religious beliefs. They break up, and soon she winds up with Tony’s best friend, Joseph Seacker (Chris Petty). He is gentle, and she falls in love with Joseph. This drives a wedge between Tony and Joseph, who had a rock band together. Joseph wants to marry Emily, but one thing stands in the way: He was divorced from a woman named Jessie (Victoria McDevitt), who never truly believed in marriage. The only way the Catholic Tribunal, led by three priests, will permit them to marry is if Joseph can prove he deserves an annulment of the marriage and that the “divorce” stigma will be wiped clean. Also, an interesting twist to this story is that Tony can be the witness to secure the annulment, allowing his ex-girlfriend, whom he still loves, to marry his former best friend.
This movie has a few scenes of “making out,” and a couple has sex before marriage (which is implied with the couple in bed and talking about it, but not shown on the screen). Yet the girl repents for it and wants to be married to her next boyfriend. We are awarding this innovative story our “Faith-Friendly” Seal for ages 12-plus. Its themes incorporate forgiveness, purity, and the seriousness of marriage.