Twist of Fate (2013 TV Movie) User Reviews (12)

Twist of Faith is Twisted **1/2

[edwagreen · 6/10 · 14 February 2013]

Despite the tragic story, the need for human understanding among people, and the nicely done film, "Twist of Faith," in the end, goes against every principle of Orthodox Judaism. While this shall seem bigoted to others, we must remember that this is a fact of life. We cannot distort the truth.

The film did show that even the most religious of people can have questions of faith when tragedy strikes. The story of a cantor whose wife and 3 children were shot dead on a city bus by a lunatic certainly meets that criteria. We don't know how anyone could survive such tragedy.

Fleeing to the south and living with a black family, the story shows tremendous human understanding and is to be praised for that. It's just the very end that Orthodox Jews would never accept. By the way, at least cast the mother of the cantor as someone looking Jewish. The woman who played the part was typically Irish looking to me.

Touching film with strange and strong "one world religion" components

[avocadess · 7/10 · 26 September 2015]

Overall I loved this film. It was very touching (and made me cry).

What was really strange to me was that the black church features in the film, called "Water of Life Baptist Church" practiced infant baptism. Why in the world would a scriptwriter have a Baptist church baptize an infant? That is just bizarre. The whole point of the beginnings of the denomination becoming "Baptist" was that they believe that people should be of an age where they consciously choose to be baptized and in direct contradiction to the Roman church's tradition of infant baptism. Very odd. Or maybe it is "Bethlehem United Methodist Church." I think it ends up changes names mid-movie. (And Methodists do not practice infant baptism either!) This is definitely an "ecumenical" film, pushing toward a transition to "one world religion," as one character in the film who is Jewish writes a "gospel" song that is not about Jesus -- but it becomes the "award-winning" song in a gospel song competition. So, it's like mixing Jewish, Catholic and Protestant as if they were all the same faith. Right after a shot showing the lead female actress wearing a Protestant cross, the camera goes to the lead male (who is boarding in a Baptist-or-Methodist church) sitting in the church where the camera scans a large Catholic crucifix (that is, a cross with Jesus hanging on it).

Actually it is kind of interesting to watch for all the incongruencies in the film. Toward the end there is a sermon in the "Baptist-or-Methodist" church and the preacher is dressed more like a priest; and there are candles list in the front and back of the church -- including two Menoras (a Jewish candelabra with 7 candles) behind and on either side of him. If they are going to mix religions like this they should come right out and say it. I don't like how this was done, making it all into a soup. I would not be surprised if Islam was represented in the film as well (but I am not familiar enough with Islam's symbols, etc. to pick up on that).

The lead (black) woman is very beautiful and reminds me a lot of Cher, the singer. She sings in the movie as well and wears her hair like Cher and kind of has Cher's singing style. I think my two favorite actors in the film were the two supporting roles -- "Uncle Mo" and the boy "Asher." The boy who played Asher is a great actor. Really, all the acting in the film was great.

There were also strange racial components in the script, such as when "Uncle Mo" refers to a white man as a "cracker." Despite all the weirdness I have listed, it was a very sweet and touching movie and I recommend it.

Deeply moving

[reallyreuben · 8/10 · 18 March 2022]

I saw this once, told my wife about it, and together we watched it two more times. There were times that we were close to tears. We are Jewish, and I must say up front that the Jewish aspect of this is handled vaguely, though respectfully. If that were all there was to this movie, we might not have finished it once. But there was, in addition, the story of two people damaged by life but who are drawn together by the highest, most refined values. I know that sounds preachy, but it doesn't come out that way. The principals,Toni Braxton & Julian Hirsh, in fact every actor actor played with simple truth. My wife and I believe that the one of the highest purposes in life is to make the unseen visible, and that is what this movie does.

An excellent film.

[jsuther-876-284737 · 9/10 · 21 December 2013]

I found this film to be exceptionally moving. I was loath to watch it, at first, as the brief description suggested that it might be emotionally disturbing to me in a way I do not like, with human tragedy at the basis of the story. However, I soon changed my mind, and have now watched most of it almost three times.

It is a human story set in a religious environment. It shows the true meaning of Christianity while dealing with human emotions in a most tender and loving way. Toni Braxton played her role most well and with feeling, once she began to recognize that Jacab was not only a gentle man, but also was deeply religious. I found there to be no conflict between the very different religious backgrounds of these two people, who were drawn closer together by the commonality of their religious beliefs and feelings.

I was moved to tears on several occasions, and there are few movies that do that to me. The acting is good and the story, excellent. I found two of the reviews somewhat short-sighted as to the meaning of the Christian spirit, and they clearly did not see as much humanity or the meaning of Christianity in it, as I did.

Jacob's Ladder

[wes-connors · 5/10 · 11 February 2013]

In small-town Brent, Alabama, single singer-teacher Toni Braxton (as Nina Yarber) devotes time to her young son and the church, where she sings gospel music. Friends attempt to play matchmaker, but Ms. Braxton resists. Meanwhile, in big-city Brooklyn, New York, devout Jewish musician David Julian Hirsh (as Jacob Fisher) witnesses a horrific bus massacre. After the tragedy, Mr. Hirsh moves to Alabama and meets Braxton. At first, she is unimpressed with his shabby, homeless appearance...

Hirsh is secretive about his background. He begins working as a handyman for Braxton and the church. He also loves music, just like Braxton. Hirsh teaches Braxton's son Nathaniel James Potvin (as Asher "Ash" Jones) to play basketball and a father-son relationship develops. Hmmm... Braxton's rabbit-hunting uncle Mykelti Williamson (as Moe) approves. You'll have to see if Braxton and Hirsh hook up, and how his past threatens the possibility. "Twist of Faith" is a mostly Christian TV-movie, with good music.

***** Twist of Faith (2/9/13) Paul A. Kaufman ~ Toni Braxton, David Julian Hirsh, Mykelti Williamson, Nathaniel J. Potvin

Great movie showing how people of two faiths can overlook differences and love each other.

[cpedley · 9/10 · 4 July 2017]

Sadly, sometimes people of faith, whether it be Jewish, Christian, Atheistic or any other, are so rigid in their beliefs that they overlook the power of God to bring people together who have common experiences.

Yeshua (Jesus Christ) pointed this out on several occasions. I also believe that being kind and hospitable to strangers is part of Judaism and of Christianity. I will not take the time to point out where but it IS there in whatever part of the Bible you wish to believe. Christians should at least believe both the old and new testaments. Jews can find this in what we call the Old Testament.

A Jewish man who loses his wife and 3 children at one time and sees them shot dead after being alive moments before, has caused him to lose his way and become a homeless man searching for some meaning to all of this.

He is befriended by an uncle of a beautiful young black woman (who looks aboriginal to me) who has also lost the love of her life through a mistake that she made. Gradually he becomes a part of their "family" by the kindness of these black Christians and of their whole church.

He is confused when both the black woman and he are drawn to each other and fall in love in spite of differences in their beliefs but suddenly feels like he is dishonoring his dead wife and family and goes home to the city.

Will true love overcome mistaken beliefs? Well if you wish to find out, you will need to watch the movie.

Hopefully you will be able to put aside rigid beliefs which do not allow for love to overcome them and experience this very emotional movie well-played by Toni Braxton and David Julian Hirsh.

What a crock of wishful thinking and religious propaganda!

[Elli_The_King_of_Broadway · 1/10 · 24 January 2015]

To suggest that an Orthodox Cantor would leave his Jewish faith and enter and live in a Church - which is strictly forbidden in Jewish law - is nothing short of wishful thinking and religious propaganda on the part of those who wrote this drivel.

Filled with inaccuracies concerning Jewish practice and language, this 'film' is an insult to the intelligence of anyone who knows even the slightest thing about Torah Judaism.

==SPOILER ALERT== (as if it weren't apparent form the start)

Again, with the wishful dreaming of those who would seek to convert Jews out of their born faith, the ending that claims that a religious Jewish mother would encourage her son to 'follow his heart' and leave the faith to marry a non-Jewish woman and live in the comfort of the Church is a slap in the face to Jews the world over.

Shame on both those that created this propaganda laden crap and to Lifetime for not fact checking the final piece for accuracy.

Beautiful Story

[mirose2 · 10/10 · 14 July 2021]

This is a feel good movie that I truly could watch every day. Braxton's acting is not perfect but it's not too distracting to get the gist of this movie. There may be actions or decisions that some believe would not happen IRL but it's just a movie. Relax and enjoy.... If you want to "feel good" and lose your troubles for a while, this is the movie.

Wonderful premise ... but

[olliemankz · 4/10 · 25 January 2015]

I was unaware of Toni Braxton's immense likability. I have known about her, of course, for years but had never seen anything with her in it. In fact, I hope I don't offend in saying that, given her slightly arched nose and those pipes, this movie was a revelation for me in that I saw her as a possible heiress to the throne of Barbra.

This might be appropriate in that the story in Twist of Faith involves a young Jewish man who finds solace in a Southern black church. He has a past ... a very grave past. It is his history that makes for me a romance between him and the young mother played by Braxton stretch credulity and propriety.

Braxton's character matches the handsome newcomer in mystery ... but he eventually gets her secret out of her. I don't recall that during the movie anyone ever hears what his is, although we, the audience know, so that's fair ... no doubt the congregation will eventually find out; perhaps there is no rush. And therein lies a beautiful leap of faith. I recall thinking, though, as the uncle, played by Mykelti Williamson whom we all remember and love from Forest Gump .. he was Bubba, takes the newcomer rabbit hunting that, in another film in which the young man was actually trouble, this would have been a very tense moment. Music would have mounted telling us the uncle was in danger especially when he handed the newcomer the gun. By the way, no rabbits were hurt in the making of this film I'm sure, although what follows seems lifted from Winter's Bone, a fabulous Jennifer Lawrence vehicle and the scene for me that made an indelible imprint on the American consciousness. That movie is the one that made Lawrence a star, in my view, not The Hunger Games, although it is probably what got her the part in Hunger Games.

But I digress.

I know the main characters are in their early 30's or so and both extremely attractive, and I know the Jewish mother in the story absolves anyone of guilt, but if you're like me you will find what seems to be the timeline in this story way too accelerated. Maybe the way things turned out are what the main male character needed, I'll give it that, so I guess I can rethink the movie and perhaps watch it again; the acting, production values, direction and title were all wonderful. But in my world the possibilities for the young man and woman should have taken about five years to reach develop.

So brace yourself. The story is indeed romantic. You might just not be ready for it either.

Matters of the Heart

[lavatch · 9/10 · 23 June 2021]

"Twist of Faith" is a beautifully constructed gem of a film. The sensitive screenplay was complemented by a stellar cast and crisp photography to weave an unforgettable story.

Jacob Fischer lost his wife and children when they were victims of a brutal shooting in Brooklyn. Hopelessly lost, the respected cantor boards a bus and keeps going until he arrives at the sleepy community of Brent, Alabama. It is there that his life is transformed by those around him. In turn, he affects their lives in a reciprocal exchange of matters of the heart.

While Jacob's story is moving, the film truly belongs to a member of the Bethlehem United Methodist Church, Nina Jones. As played by Tony Braxton, Nina delivers a beautiful set of vocals in the church choir. She develops a bonding with Jacob, who has been given a small space to reside in the church and work as a handyman. She is also suffering from what she believed were serious moral transgressions. Now, she too has the opportunity to heal.

My favorite character was Uncle Moe, who was the first to lend a helping hand to Jacob. Moe recognized a "sick-in-the-heart" feeling about Jacob, and it was Moe who allowed him to sleep in the church. Moe also recognized the growing attachment between Nina, who is his niece, and the strange visitor.

The drama of the singing contest of the churches was highlighted by a song that was written by Jacob. But the greater dramatic import was the developing relationship of Nina and Jacob. In the human contact of the two characters, the film delivered a powerful dose of compassion and the search for human happiness.

Twist of Faith - a movie with almost no faith aspects

[jollyfolly · 1/10 · 14 December 2013]

This is a movie that you assume will be Christian going into it. It takes place in a Christian environment, but that is about as far as Christ is involved. If you want to watch this movie as one of Christian values, or of faith or of our Saviour - you will probably be disappointed, as I was.

They blaspheme and use other cussings in the movie, and our Saviour is not even mentioned. In fact, they sully any part of the movie that could be good with cheap worldly desires. This movie was as secular as anything else you might see on television.

If you want to watch a glorifying movie, one that is true to our calling and our beliefs as true followers of Christ, then you will certainly be found in confusion in this movie. A Twist of Faith is the same thing as Nestea, they tell you there is a lemon-twist, a twist of lemon - if you will. But when you taste it, you don't really notice that lemon flavour, and when you read the ingredients you find that there is no lemon in there at all, but natural flavours - likely not from lemon at all. The movie was the same, as you watch it and find that Christ has no place in this "Christian" film. This film is without Christ Himself, and is therefore an -ian movie.

Be warned.

-Peter

Twist of faith

[mitchellrharl · 10/10 · 22 February 2022]

Toni braxton is beautiful talented.this movie is so inspirational.

Lot of lessons to learn by kids they are so smart.

The music is beautiful.

Feel so sorry for the jewish man.