As the camera pans across Ghana’s landscape there is an unsettling feeling in the viewer’s stomach. There is nothing luscious about the land; it is entirely barren. Everywhere the eye reaches is covered in a thin layer of dust eclipsing all of the semi-permanent shacks that line the streets. “The Great Reverse the second film released in the Nomad Reality film series produced by Backroad Entertainment, exposes the crude emotion of poverty while awakening the viewer’s senses.
The Great Reverse” is the follow-up movie to the 2006 documentary “Sara Groves: Just Showed Up For My Own Life” which surrounds a singer/songwriter’s desire to raise awareness of human tragedy throughout her community and the world. “The Great Reverse” catapults into the reality of living below the poverty line by following nine individuals as they set out to make their mark and spread God’s teachings throughout schools and communities in West Africa.
A Christian missionary initiative called One Hope supplies volunteers with two weeks of training and educational tools that will help the everyday believer convey their message of God’s grace to an audience in the developing world. The key to the members’ journey as they participate in the initiative is a strong spiritual belief accompanied by the desire to make a difference throughout the world. This film progresses over a period of 18 weeks in which the individuals each experience an emotional journey that changes them forever.
“The Great Reverse” follows a group of nine everyday Christian believers who journeyed to West Africa with the One Hope initiative instilled with the idea that they would be the teachers in small communities. Little did they know West Africa would teach them how to truly find themselves. “The Great Reverse” perfectly describes the role reversal that took place as the teachers became the students and learned more about compassion anguish and human relations than they ever thought they needed to know.
The cinematography features no special effects no takes or retakes; it is a documentary pure and simple. The documentary works to share the benefits of faith and Christianity with the audience. By the end one realizes that life is more than a lost piece of luggage a luxurious home or even an ocean view. It is about human connection and companionship. “The Great Reverse” makes one want to trade all of life’s material possessions for the rich relationships that the travelers share with the Ghanese they encounter.
While the topic of faith may not initially appeal to all audiences the underlying message is universal: One must reach out to the community and throughout the world to truly make a difference.
There is no distinction between race ethnicity or wealth within the organization. The One Hope team puts all of that aside in anticipation of attaining a greater good. One Hope response teams journey through Ghana teaching throngs of children through catchy songs such as the “Hello Song and age-appropriate dramas about deciding between the beautiful powers of God versus the ill effects of Satan.
The group is made up of a wide variety of characters, with everyone from the French Christophe, whose luggage fails to immediately make it to Ghana, to Shell, who in one scene runs around trying to catch a baby goat. Throughout the film, a multitude of humorous and heartfelt incidents constantly cause the viewer to relate to the nine team members, despite their extraordinary circumstances.
Although the documentary is rather repetitive with its visuals, watch it once with an open heart and mind. If a Pepperdine viewer takes anything at all from The Great Reverse it should be a basic awareness of the blessings of attending a prestigious university within the United States, away from the treacheries of poverty, war and anguish.
This film truly allows the viewers to participate in an honest journey of self-discovery. Let the journey begin.
The DVD was released Sept. 15. Catch a preview of The Great Reverse” at www.nomadshow.com.
