“Freetown” is a gritty and dramatic movie about a war-torn civil war in Liberia and is based on a true story. The film takes place in 1989 in Liberia. Extremists have power, won by a fraudulent election that showed favoritism to members of the Krahn Tribe. Rebel fighters retaliate against the government. They seek out those sympathetic to the Krahns in order to kill them. Tribes fight among themselves — hence, the birth of the civil war in Liberia. In the midst of this war, a man named Abubakar, along with several Mormon missionaries, attempt to convert people to their faith and flee to safety.
The film features the killing of several people, but the camera always pans away from the moment of the shootings and death, making it much less violent than it would have been. The film features themes of perseverance, prayer, and patience. A few scenes feature people offering prayers up to God and a church scene in which communion is prepared. Also, a young woman is baptized. Fortunately, the war finally ended about seven years after the missionaries arrived at Freetown. The movie has a nice ending. Regrettably, due to the “other” content, featuring the comment about Joseph Smith, we cannot award the film our Dove Seal.
