This is a well made film and deals with the tragedy which occurred when a gunman killed five Amish children and injured five others at a schoolhouse shooting in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania in October 2006. The movie is painfully real and results in a lot of grief for the characters. It is a bit depressing to watch but there are some tender moments and a theme of forgiveness which is remarkable. The Amish leaders travel to the gunman’s wife’s home to tell her they forgive her husband and ask if there is anything they can do for her. One woman in this story, Ida, struggles with forgiveness after her daughter was one of the girls who were killed. But she learns something remarkable about her daughter and what she did just before she died and it changes her heart.

Due to the theme of violence resulting in death and grief in this film, we are awarding it our Dove “Family-Approved” Seal for ages twelve plus. There is hope found in the midst of the suffering in this story.