Freshman Year: A Movie Review
Spoiler Alert: some elements of the movie are discussed in this review. If you would like to watch it, it is available on Netflix.
This is what the Lord says: “Cursed are those who put their trust in mere humans, who rely on human strength and turn their hearts away from the Lord. [..] But blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence. (Jeremiah 17:5, 7)
Freshman Year is an American movie released in 2019, directed by Jude Okwudiafor Johnson. It stars Diallo Thompson (The Christmas Swap, Mann and Wife) in the lead role of CJ, a young African-american believer who enters his first year of college and the pitfall that can come from the experience. He shares the screen with Natalia Dominguez (Organize Chaos, The Alternate) and Benjamin A. Onyango (The Beautifully Broken, God’s Not Dead) in this hour and forty-five minute heartwarming story about failure, family and the ability to be resilient in tough times.
The story begins with the graduation of CJ, a young African-american believer, son of Pastor Chukwumah (Benjamin A. Onyango). He goes to university with aspirations to continue spreading the gospel, playing basketball and studying. However, upon his arrival, he meets and befriends Marcella (Natalia Dominguez), who quickly becomes a love interest. After a game winning shot in the first game of the season, he goes out to party and drinks for the first time, leading to Marcella getting pregnant. The rest of the story recounts how they face their struggle, their families and the newest addition to their lives.
The lessons that resound and can be taken from this movie are multiple. The first begin with the main character CJ. He headed to the advice of his dad, which is great, but what started the entire affair was the fact that he didn’t listen to Marcella by agreeing to drink with the boys. The wise advice given by Marcella should’ve been listened to; the book of Proverbs says: The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice (Proverbs 12:15). It’s after that mistake that the young man humbles himself and listens to everybody and weighs out his options carefully in this new situation.
The second character that needs to be highlighted in Freshman Year, is the father, ¨Pastor Chukwumah, played by Benjamin A. Onyango. The character is faced with the situation of preparing his son for fatherhood much sooner than what he expected. He repeats the following verse throughout the movie: “For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity” (Proverbs 24:16). This serves as the central theme, for himself and the rest of the characters.
The final character from which a lesson can be taken from is Marcella. She is thrown into a situation which she had not planned for. Through the trials that she and CJ go through together, she is oftentimes weary, but willing to learn. Her arc ends with her accepting faith and Christ in her life. Appropriately, the bible verse that stands as the conclusion of her story is that of Hebrews 1:11, which reads: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”
In the end, the movie is a powerful lesson in the ability to rely on Yahweh. What is learned in this movie can be truly attributed to everyday life. What a believer must do is rely on the Lord at all times, for all things (Proverbs 3:5). It is a decent movie, one with powerful morals. It may not be the type of movie that everyone likes, but the message being given is a powerful one.