Paradise Recovered

A very satisfying film with an unusual take on Christian faith, director Storme Wood's Paradise Recovered is built around a winning romantic-comedy-drama premise. Esther (Heather del Rio) is a young woman who was raised within the tiny bubble of an extreme Christian ministry—taught not to think for herself, or expect anything, or ever have fun. Living with a harsh minister and his wife as their housekeeper-nanny, Esther winds up being thrown from the house one night when her guardians' son attempts to seduce her. With nowhere to turn, she moves in with a couple of loveable slackers, Gabriel (Dane Seth Hurlburt) and Mark (Oliver Luke), who introduce her to such formerly forbidden pleasures as movies, card games, red wine, and skinny dipping. Gabriel turns out to be a religious skeptic who also happens to be the estranged son of a minister—even as he and Esther argue about God and the afterlife, it's obvious that he's falling for her. Raising interesting questions about faith, this engaging film is recommended. (T. Keogh)