#6 - Faith Like Potatoes

By Michelle

Summary: Based on the amazing true story of a hot-headed farmer whose life goes from bad to worse when he buys a new farm in South Africa. He finds himself in a losing battle with the hardships on his farm and with anger and doubt. In the midst of his crisis, he finds God. Undiluted faith fuses with this wild farmer to create a potent and formidable mix as he continues to face a variety of challenges, but this time with the power of God.

What's it all about: Angus Buchan, a tempestuous Scottish farmer moves his family to South Africa after the political unrest and uncertainties in their home in Zambia. Unfortunately, he discovers that his new farm presents even harder challenges than he had before. Angus works really hard to try and get his farm going, but as much as he fights, he finds that his doubts and anger start to take over his life building a mounting tension in his family life as well. Just as Angus is reaching breaking point and his wife is coming to her wit's end, he decides to give his life to God. Now this crazy Scotsman tries to work out what to do with his new found faith and is encouraged by his pastor to start sharing his faith. As he shares and exercises his faith in the different situations that arise, he discovers that despite the opinions of others that God can do amazing things (and even the impossible) if he will only trust Him!

Notable Quotes:

• "If God can pick up a crop of broken maize, how much more can He pick up your precious broken heart, your broken life!"
• "To hell with El Nino! Put your trust in God, not in a weather phenomenon. Put your trust in the Creator of heaven and earth, not in a promise of a drought from hell. That's where El Nino comes from and that's where it belongs! That's why I say 'Trust God!'"
• "The condition for a miracle is difficulty, but the condition for a great miracle is impossiblity."
• "Feel this potato. Smell it! Your faith in God must be just like that! It must be real."

Highlights: 

• Actor, Frank Rautenbach, as the passionate Angus Buchan.
• A scene of a bush fire that gets dangerously out of control on the farm. 
• A scene of one of his female workers whom Angus tentatively prays for after she was struck by lightning.
• Angus and his family dealing with their faith after a tragic accident – very powerful.
• The daring speech that Angus makes at the prayer gathering at King's Park Stadium.
• A song during the credits called, "A New Day" by Joe Niemand, particularly in context of Angus' life - this song touches me everytime!

Movie length: 116 minutes

Rating: 8 out of 10

Final review: Older children at a parent's discretion and with their guidance could watch this movie, however I woudn't recommend this movie for little ones because of an accident scene in the second half and the occasional swear word at the beginning. While this is not exactly a big budget movie, it does have some stunning cinematography and a nice musical score as well, and the acting is also pretty decent too. However, it really is the story itself that is inspiring. The account of how God took a farmer with an anger problem and a life out of control and made him into a powerful man of faith will really challenge and build your own faith. The real Angus Buchan that the film is based on continues to inspire and challenge people all over the world to simply trust God.