PG-13 | 1h 52m | Drama, Faith-based | 2025
Based on co-writer and co-executive producer Nathaniel Deen’s real-life experiences, “Brave the Dark” is an inspirational indie about high school teacher Stan Deen’s efforts to help a wayward high school teenager overcome traumatic childhood experiences.
Of all the relationships Stan formed throughout his lifetime, none were as special as the one he had with his surrogate son Nate Williams (who officially changed his name to Nathaniel Deen in 2018). Stan helped Nathaniel to see that life isn’t about receiving, but about what you can give to others.
Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, 1986: Nathan Williams (Nicholas Hamilton) is a troubled senior jock who runs track, appears to be creepily obsessed with his girlfriend, robs stores with his buddies, and makes getaways in his pinstriped ’70 Camaro.
Stan (Jared Harris, son of Richard Harris, the original Albus Dumbledore of the “Harry Potter” movies), is the avuncular, kind-hearted drama teacher who takes it upon himself to try and steer at-risk Nathan’s Camaro away from the off-road dirt track of life that leads to the swamp, and back onto the highway of reaching his potential.
Rough Past
Nathan was orphaned at an early age. He then spent a few years with his rigid, uncaring, and unforgiving grandparents, who eventually sent him pin-balling through various foster homes. Now homeless, sleeping in his car, “out past the cornfields where the woods got heavy,” (as Bob Seger would say), Nathan attends classes irregularly.
His larcenous, so-called friends ditch him, let him twist in the wind, and take all the blame when he’s the only one arrested for the abovementioned electronics store burglary. Then, Nathan’s girlfriend (Sasha Bhasin) breaks up with him. Her father’s not having it.
Pariah
While the majority of Garden Spot High School’s faculty see Nathan as a foregone conclusion and a lost cause, the only person rooting for him is his drama teacher Stan. Now, some of Nathan’s classmates, some of Stan’s faculty colleagues—and Nathan himself—are understandably suspicious about Stan’s motives. Is Stan grooming Nathan? He’s certainly got quite the predilection for musical comedies going on there.
It might simply be that Stan could use some set-building help for the school’s upcoming stage production of “Flowers for Algernon.” It could also be that Stan’s been feeling very lonely since the death of his mother a couple of years before.
It takes a fair amount of time before Nathan and Stan begin to forge a bond of mutual trust. It takes even longer for Nathan to start talking about the traumatizing effect of a horrendous incident he witnessed as a child.
A Harris Brothers Project
Co-leads Harris and Hamilton bring out the affecting best in each other under the circumstances, which is that it’s all a tad lackluster. It’s time Angel Studios started making every effort to get heavy-hitting, A-list directors to helm their products. Interestingly, Jared Harris’s brother Damien directs, and Nathan’s probation officer is played by the third Harris brother, Jamie.
And while that’s a nice all-in-the-family affair, faith-based is often a hard sell, and the direction needs to go next-level to make audiences forget that they’re watching a film that’s concerned with presenting faith-based solutions to problems. Faith-based films shouldn’t be content to preach to the choir, but to present theocentric fare to atheists in ways that will make them lean forward in their seats and think, “Hmm—I never thought of that.”
While “Brave the Dark contains many warmhearted insights, it’s got perhaps a few too many somewhat edgy elements to qualify as family friendly entertainment suitable for all ages, not to mention the camera lingering a little too lovingly on shirtless Nathan in a variety of settings (shower, locker room, prison). Parents can probably share this one with their early teens and older kids.
‘Brave the Dark‘
Director: Damian Harris
Starring: Jared Harris, Nicholas Hamilton, Sasha Bhasin
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 1 hour, 52 minutes
Release Date: Jan. 24, 2025
Rating: 2 1/2 stars out of 5
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