“I Still Believe” tugs at heartstrings

Mia McKinstrey, staff writer|April 1, 2020

courtesy of WDRB.com

I had seen the trailer to “I Still Believe” many times on tv and every time I would say “I
want to go see that.” Due to the Coronavirus, the movie theaters are shut down so I thought I
wouldn’t be able to watch it until they reopened. When I was searching through amazon to pick
a movie to watch, I came across the movie “I Still Believe”. I was shocked to find it on there, but
knowing it was new, I knew it was going to cost some money. I clicked on it and it was $19.99
just to rent, which is absurd for only getting to watch it one time. I ran down stairs and asked my
parents if I could buy it and pay them back and they said yes. I then rented it and started
watching not knowing I was going to ball my eyes out throughout the whole thing.
The movie is based on the book, which is a true story. KJ Apa plays a young christian
singer/songwriter, Jeremy Camp. Almost immediately after arriving at college in southern
California, he meets one of his idols, Jean-Luc, the lead singer of a successful Christian rock
band, who invites him to help out during their campus concert. Looking at the audience from
backstage, Jeremy spots Melissa, singing along to the music. It’s love at first sight, and he soon
manages to awkwardly introduce himself. But while Melissa clearly returns his interest, her
already close, if not romantic, relationship with Jean-Luc complicates any burgeoning
relationship she might have with Jeremy.
Jeremy convinces Melissa that their love is destiny and ends up dating. When Jean-Luc
eventually finds out about the couple’s romance, he seems momentarily hurt but immediately
gets over it. And when Melissa is diagnosed with stage-3 ovarian cancer, Jeremy doesn’t
hesitate before proposing marriage. If I tell you the rest I might spoil it. Just know that there will
be tears streaming from your eyes and your heart will go out for Melissa and Jeremy.
The movie itself was well written and the cast goes well with the real people. The movie
makes you think and also makes you want to be as kind, sweet, and as tough as Melissa.