Joel Smallbone Describes Seeing the Miraculous Amid Family’s Poverty
By Movieguide® Contributor
For KING + COUNTRY’s Joel Smallbone talked to Movieguide® about what it was like to grow up “financially poor” but “spiritually wealthy,” reflecting on his family’s story portrayed in UNSUNG HERO.
“I love that. That’s part of what the film depicts,” Smallbone began. “Is this kind of oxymoron of feeling so physically unsafe but emotionally and spiritually feeling so safe in our family or, as you said, being so poor in so many ways and yet seeing really the miraculous happen, you know.”
Movieguide®’s summary of UNSUNG HERO reads:
UNSUNG HERO is a true story about a Christian family from Australia’s struggles to survive and thrive in the rough and tumble music business while trying to serve God. When the father, David Smallbone, loses big on promoting an unsuccessful tour, he thinks relocating the family to Nashville may be their best route forward. Odd jobs and a local church keep the family afloat while David seeks work in the music industry. David’s father, wife Helen and others tell him he should focus on the musical talent living under his own roof. The family’s prospects rise when he takes that advice to heart. Can focusing on God and family lead them to the new life they seek?
Smallbone recalled the specific prayers they would pray as a family on the living room floor.
“We would pray these— we’d sit on the floor in the living room—we’d pray these very candid, visceral, unpoetic prayers about, you know, what we needed and just seeing God do such radical things in our midst. It kind of, even as a child, it was very hard to grapple with,” the singer explained.
But he clings to one specific part of his story: all the people who helped his family.
“One thing I felt so strongly both as a child and as an adult even now is that part of the miracle was the local community,” he described. “Being seen by the local church or the first-grade school class.”
“We found out we weren’t going to be able to give each other gifts in Christmas and, you know, we love Santa Claus and so they partnered with Santa Claus to give us more gifts than we’d ever received,” Smallbone continued. “And the oxymoron of like having nothing in our house but having all these beautiful Christmas gifts, and so I think people were such a magical part of the miracle of what we experienced.”
UNSUNG HERO premieres in theaters today, April 26. Movieguide® praised its “Very strong Christian, biblical, moral worldview.” Part of the review reads:
UNSUNG HERO is a powerful, compelling story of faith and family, told with lots of sincerity and heart. The acting and writing is very good and convincing. UNSUNG HERO has a strong Christian, biblical worldview. The family’s Christian faith is not only clear from their repeated prayers to Jesus to guide and provide for them, but also from their infectious enthusiasm and spiritually uplifting song lyrics.
Check out the rest of Movieguide®’s interview with Smallbone here:
Movieguide® recently reported on how the movie “circles around mothers”:
Smallbone co-wrote and co-directed the movie and plays his father. Ultimately, though, the film “really circles around our mom. Circles around mothers.”
He explained how motherhood inspired the title UNSUNG HERO.
“You know there are so many moms out there,” Smallbone said. “There are so many women that sacrifice so much and are unseen for the great day-in and day-out work that they do, and so this is our small attempt to celebrate one of our great heroes. Two of our great heroes, really: our mom and our sister.”
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