Lifetime is premiering four films in July and August that focus on women who lean on their faith to get through difficult times and unexpected challenges.
I previously mentioned these films by sharing Lifetime's press release in June, but I also wanted to give these films a space where I could post their individual posters, video promos, and any movie reviews that may come in after they air.
Please note: The trailers shared below contain some intense scenes, violence, and adult situations that are not meant for young children.
The Christian radio station KLove promoted the third film, Finding Faith, when it premiered in theaters on June 16th for one day only.
Here's a closer look at these upcoming Lifetime movie premieres that include faith & suspense...
Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story
Premiere Date: July 19, 2025
Starring: Chrissy Metz and Colin Moss
Storyline: Nichole Jolly is a nurse at the town’s hospital, who begins her day as usual, only to face an unimaginable crisis when a wildfire rapidly engulfs the town. Torn between her duty to protect her patients and her desperate need to find her husband Nick, (Colin Moss) and children, Nichole discovers an unyielding strength within herself to save not only her family but countless residents from the encroaching flames. The film is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit and the unsung heroes who emerge in the face of tragedy.
Movie Review:
🎬 Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story – This movie is based on a true story from the 2018 Paradise, California wildfire and features the heroic actions of Nurse Nichole Jolly. Actress Chrissy Metz gives an outstanding performance as Nichole, embodying grace under pressure with every scene and turning to her faith in God. The actors portraying her husband, sons, and hospital co-workers also deliver incredible, moving performances, all conveying the heavy emotional toll of the disaster.
Even when she is injured herself, Nichole carries on and helps patients who have been burned from the fire. Caution Mild Spoiler: One woman is shown with terrible burns and later passes.
This film is rated TV-14 due to intense and frightening situations with the wildfire that would likely be too scary for younger viewers. There is no adult content.
This movie is very intense, so if you don’t enjoy those types of movies you’ll want to pass, but the heart and emotion in this film are definitely worth the watch. This is one of those stories that is so powerful- it stays with you. It reminds you not to take a single day or breath for granted and hold on to family and loved ones a little tighter, enjoy your precious time together.
My heart goes out to those who have had to deal with these types of wildfires in California and other locations year after year. This movie is best suited for a mature audience who appreciates a story of courage and resilience. ~Net
Promo:
Before Your Father Finds Us
Premiere Date: July 26, 2025
Starring: Alexa PenaVega, Jaeda Lily Miller, and Tahmoh Penikett
Storyline: Sophia (Alexa PenaVega) and baby daughter, Emily, are forced to go into witness protection after she has to testify against her ex-husband Mason (Tahmoh Penikett) for his crimes. After years of living a seemingly normal life with new friends and relationships, Sophia learns that Mason has escaped from his maximum security prison. Knowing his strength and connections, Sophia is forced to reveal the truth to her now teenage daughter about who her father really is – and having to leave everything behind. Escaping to an old remote cabin in the woods together, Sophia and Emily must do everything it takes to survive Mason and his ruthless intent to make the family whole again.
Movie Review:
🎬 Before Your Father Finds Us - (may contain some mild spoilers) Alexa Penavega stars as Sophia, a devoted mom to her 14-year-old daughter, Emily (Jaeda Lily Miller). They attend church and their faith is evidently strong, especially Sophia, who leans on prayer often during times of trouble.
The movie is rated TV-14 for language and violence and it is definitely intense, at times, especially due to Mason, Sophia’s ex-husband, an escaped convict who killed a prison guard. He’s manipulative and very creepy. Most of his scenes are suspenseful and unsettling. I must say, the actor does an incredibly chilling job.
One of the earlier more lighthearted scenes shows Sophia having dinner with her boyfriend, Steve. I appreciated that she asked to pray before the meal, though I was surprised that he seemed caught off guard by it, which felt odd considering we learn minutes later that they've been dating for a year. Steve doesn’t propose on their anniversary, but instead offers her two keys- one to his restaurant and one to his home. Sophia seems surprised by this and says something like it's a big step. I half expected her to turn him down because of her faith and not because she wasn't ready. Honestly, they just didn’t seem to be in the same place spiritually.
When Mason, the ex-husband, shows up unexpectedly at Sophia’s home later when she is alone, they agree to meet later, but Sophia flees with Emily to a remote cabin, attempting to avoid the FBI, who she knows is compromised. So, yeah, it’s quite heavy and intense, but through it all Sophia prays and prepares with weapons and booby traps in the woods. Think Home Alone (when Kevin prepares for the burglars), but a little darker.
There is gun violence and two men have a fight, one beating the other up severely.
If suspense isn’t your thing, you’ll likely want to pass. But if you enjoy thrillers with an element of faith, this might be a good watch for you.
Did I enjoy it? Well, I liked seeing Alexa and Jaeda; I thought they were excellent portraying mother and daughter. The darker stuff, however, wasn’t really enjoyable for me, but I did appreciate seeing good ultimately triumph over evil in the end. ~Net
Promo:
Terri Blackstock’s If I Run
Premiere Date: August 2, 2025
Starring: Kat Graham, Evan Roderick, and James Tupper
Storyline: Adapted from best-selling author Terri Blackstock’s book, If I Run follows Casey Cox (Kat Graham), a woman on the run after discovering her best friend Brent has been murdered—and she is being framed for it. Not knowing who to trust, Casey flees, using her intelligence and resourcefulness to stay hidden and the signs of divine guidance to help her in her journey. Meanwhile, Dylan Roberts (Evan Roderick), a war-weary veteran and private investigator with PTSD, is hired to track her down. As Dylan digs deeper into the case, he begins to suspect that Casey might actually be innocent and that the real story is far more complex—and dangerous—than it first appeared.
Movie Review:
🎬 My husband and I watched If I Run last night. First thing I will say is that if you don't like waiting to see how the story ends, don't watch it yet. The sub story concluded, but the main story is supposed to conclude sometime in 2026. I will also say I'm not great at writing reviews so my thoughts might be quite choppy. I'm trying not to say too much, with still giving information so I will say that it CONSTAINS SPOILERS!!!
The main story is about a girl, Cass, on the run because police believe she killed a good friend of hers, and she is trying to find out the truth. There are scenes where you see the dead person with blood around him, the main girl washing blood off her hands and shoes, etc. I didn't find the murder mystery part of this to be too graphic. There is a young guy, hired by the dead man's family to look into the death, who suffers from PTSD and we see some flashbacks when he was in the war.
The sub story is about a young girl who disappeared, a few years back, from the small town that Cass is hiding out in. Her family doesn't know if she is dead or alive. We see a young girl with a baby in several scenes. She is locked up in a room, appears disheveled, and my assumption is that she had likely been raped. There's a man in this storyline who is what I would call verbally abusive to his wife, but also physically abusive to his wife...and Cass. He is shown grabbing their arms with force and demanding things of them. There is mention that this husband and wife are often at a bar and we do see them there once. There no excessive drinking on screen, but we later hear someone mention that "he's been drinking".
I did not notice any LGB.... content, sexual content, heavy language, etc. I would not recommend that children watch, and would be cautious with younger teens. If you don't mind the mystery/thriller type movie then you might enjoy it. I did and hope that part 2 doesn't let me down when it comes out next year. ~Karen
Promo:
Finding Faith
Premiere Date: August 9, 2025
Starring: Paula Patton, Loretta Devine, Stephen Bishop, Nadine Velazquez, Demetrius Grosse, and Keith David
Storyline: Struck by a sudden death of her husband, Faith (Paula Patton) spirals out of control and loses her trust in God. But with the unwavering support of her family, pastor and close friends, Faith starts to find her way out of the darkness and into the light, rebuilding her life one step at a time.
Promo:
I would love to hear your thoughts on these movies!
Are you feeling inspired to watch Lifetime’s faith-filled films, even though they include some drama and suspense along the way?
Blessings,
Net
*promotional images and screengrabs via Lifetime
they look intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI’m really looking forward to these! Thanks for adding all of the promos.
ReplyDeleteI will be very cautious with these movies.....Lifetime has at times had some pretty graphic movies, They depict real life stories very well, but a lot of the times I'm hiding behind a blanket! lol...I'll probably check out a couple of these :)
ReplyDeleteSarah! Your comment made me laugh out loud because I have done the same 😂 I used to watch the channel years ago before I had kids because their “ripped from the headlines” true stories were very interesting but yes sometimes too graphic & detailed…. The last one I had watched was Girl In A Box and I literally could not sleep. But they do have some Christmas gems that I love. Some of these look good though!
Delete~Paula
Omg Yes Paula! lol that Girl in a Box one I had to watch something happy after watching that movie! I don't watch Lifetime as much anymore-but every so often they have something pull me in! and Yes, I do have a few favorite Christmas movies that are on our DVR that I watch frequently.
DeleteSarah & Paula, Oh my... you both are so brave! I don't think I could last 5 minutes on a Lifetime movie like that. The Hallmark/Ainsley mysteries are enough for me!
DeleteI couldn't even watch the trailer for the Nellie Bly Story when Lifetime promoted that during Christmastime one year.
If these new movies get too intense, I'll definitely be grabbing my blanket to hide behind, too, even if it's 100 degrees!!! :) :)
I know what you mean about hiding under a blanket. One "based on a true story" was based on something that happened in my hometown when I was in college, though they set it in a completely different state. It was too close to home, if you know what I mean, and I had to turn it off.
DeleteOoh! Net, I remember that Nellie Bly movie. It was good, but yes, it had me biting my nails!! If I ever watch something scary, I like to have some humor in the movie as well. More enjoyable for me to watch. Which is why I love Signs. But I mute the language. Thankfully there isn’t that much.
DeleteI have to admit it, this looks very interesting. But I will watch with caution because of the reputation Lifetime has. Sometimes dark.
ReplyDeleteIt would have been nice for Faith in the Flames if in the description it says she finds the strength in the Lord instead of inside herself. But I’m not surprised, coming from Lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI’m surprised K~Love promoted Finding Faith. I don’t understand how a Christian company would put an actress in there so badly immodest. I can in good conscience watch it. And the trailer showed a sensual scene. I would be careful.
ReplyDeleteOops! Meant to say I can’t watch it in good conscience.
DeleteMovie Review... (may contain some mild spoilers)
ReplyDeleteBefore Your Father Finds Us - Alexa Penavega stars as Sophia, a devoted mom to her 14-year-old daughter, Emily (Jaeda Lily Miller). They attend church and their faith is evidently strong, especially Sophia, who leans on prayer often during times of trouble.
The movie is rated TV-14 for language and violence and it is definitely intense, at times, especially due to Mason, Sophia’s ex-husband, an escaped convict who killed a prison guard. He’s manipulative and very creepy. Most of his scenes are suspenseful and unsettling. I must say, the actor does an incredibly chilling job.
One of the earlier more lighthearted scenes shows Sophia having dinner with her boyfriend, Steve. I appreciated that she asked to pray before the meal, though I was surprised that he seemed caught off guard by it, which felt odd considering we learn minutes later that they've been dating for a year. Steve doesn’t propose on their anniversary, but instead offers her two keys- one to his restaurant and one to his home. Sophia seems surprised by this and says something like it's a big step. I half expected her to turn him down because of her faith and not because she wasn't ready. Honestly, they just didn’t seem to be in the same place spiritually.
When Mason, the ex-husband, shows up unexpectedly at Sophia’s home later when she is alone, they agree to meet later, but Sophia flees with Emily to a remote cabin, attempting to avoid the FBI, who she knows is compromised. So, yeah, it’s quite heavy and intense, but through it all Sophia prays and prepares with weapons and booby traps in the woods. Think Home Alone (when Kevin prepares for the burglars), but a little darker.
There is gun violence and two men have a fight, one beating the other up severely.
If suspense isn’t your thing, you’ll likely want to pass. But if you enjoy thrillers with an element of faith, this might be a good watch for you.
Did I enjoy it? Well, I liked seeing Alexa and Jaeda; I thought they were excellent portraying mother and daughter. The darker stuff, however, wasn’t really enjoyable for me, but I did appreciate seeing good ultimately triumph over evil in the end. ~Net
Movie Review - Faith in the Flames: The Nichole Jolly Story –
ReplyDeleteThis movie is based on a true story from the 2018 Paradise, California wildfire and features the heroic actions of Nurse Nichole Jolly. Actress Chrissy Metz gives an outstanding performance as Nichole, embodying grace under pressure with every scene and turning to her faith in God. The actors portraying her husband, sons, and hospital co-workers also deliver incredible, moving performances, all conveying the heavy emotional toll of the disaster.
Even when she is injured herself, Nichole carries on and helps patients who have been burned from the fire. Caution Mild Spoiler: One woman is shown with terrible burns and later passes.
This film is rated TV-14 due to intense and frightening situations with the wildfire that would likely be too scary for younger viewers. There is no adult content.
This movie is very intense, so if you don’t enjoy those types of movies you’ll want to pass, but the heart and emotion in this film are definitely worth the watch. This is one of those stories that is so powerful- it stays with you. It reminds you not to take a single day or breath for granted and hold on to family and loved ones a little tighter, enjoy your precious time together.
My heart goes out to those who have had to deal with these types of wildfires in California and other locations year after year. This movie is best suited for a mature audience who appreciates a story of courage and resilience. ~Net