The Furnace

Newlyweds Mary and Matt are celebrating Christmas with her parents when he gives her a gift for their honeymoon - two tickets to Africa's biggest race, The Furnace, which will take them across the biggest animal reserves in the world. Then, in the second it takes to kiss, a bus wipes out their truck and Matt dies. A year later, Mary is grieving and using an oxygen tank to breathe. That's when she meets Coffin, a man who was once a doctor in Africa that came to America after civil war destroyed his village.Now, he digs graves, and somehow is able to push Mary toward recovery and eventually being able to run again. However, she still has the goal of running The Furnace. Is it possible? Director Darrell Roodt is South Africa's most prolific director, working with Patrick Swayze in Father Hood, James Earl Jones in Cry, the Beloved Country and Ice Cube in Dangerous Ground. He also directed Dracula 3000, Sumuru and Sarafina! You may recognize the actress who played Mary from I Spit On Your Grave: Deja Vu. She's Jamie Bernadette and has appeared in plenty of smaller roles and indie movies like The 6th Friend. I love getting movies to review, because there's no way I would have watched this otherwise. It's got a great message and really makes you consider how much you have going for yourself in life.

I want to thank the entire team for this film that touched my heart and soul. I will watch this movie everyday! It helps me to wake up with a positive attitude and a renewed sense of purpose and determination to push through with faith. Bravo! This is one to add to my collection of great films.

This was a well written movie that was riveting by great actors, great scenery, and an awesome plot. The movie showed Christianity but was not overly done.

Inspirational movie that champions courage, grit, and perseverance. However, the faith aspect that weaves through the story is not in line with the Bible. (Spoiler alert): dead humans don't become angels, & angels don't claim to be God. Despite the other great aspects of this film, the heretical beliefs potrayed here were a problem for me.

I watch hundreds of indie films every year and I rarely comment on but jamie Bernadette truly carries this film to a new level. The cinematography, performances, locations, and story grab your heart and give Inspiration to anyone that fight daily to overcome the worst obstacles. I can't wait to see more from this fine actor!

Jaime Bernadette is the star of this film in absolutely every way. She captures every emotion perfectly. I can't say enough about her performance. I was not crazy about the writing, but it was better than average. I would have taken a closer look at the dialogue. The cinematography was very good and the direction was very good. But, in the end it is Jaime that makes this a 9.

While Jamie Bernadette (I Spit on Your Grave - Deja Vu) is usually known as a queen of the horror film scene, in this film, she puts her ability to convey intense personal suffering into her unforgettable character, Mary. Mary's tribulations bring her to rock bottom and Jamie takes us there with her, each agonizing step, through loss, injury, despair and then finally, hope turned to triumph. If you are a person who sneers at religion, this story's not for you - Mary's rise out of the ashes is enabled in no small part by her discovery of a faith that renews her and by finding a wise confidant who trains and inspires her to climb out of the darkness she's in, to find a new purpose and triumph against all odds. "Inspirational" aptly fits this film. It's not necessarily easy to watch at times, Mary's suffering is so terribly real thanks to Bernadette's passionate portrayal. But in the end, it's deeply satisfying and well worth the time to make the journey vicariously with Mary as she redeems herself, body and spirit.

Well, any movie that portrays God as a short hair tattooed girl is, well good enough to throw in the furnace. A rather dark movie for a 'Christian' film and I've seen a lot. A feminist movie at its core and disturbing portrayal of God. He is always spoke of as a man not a women. Just wrong.

Sue me, I don't like any movies with preachy religious undertones, and especially not overt ones like in this. I'm sure if you are a christian you'd love it.