Faith Like Potatoes

By Ashley Card
Guest Writer

CBN.com - The call on a man’s life has great value. South African farmer Angus Buchan exemplifies this very statement as he took one leap of faith that birthed a vision that not only affected the lives of his family, but also his community.

Angus Buchan had a great concern that weighed heavily on his heart in regards to the farmers of Zambia. While toiling to create a more healthy and conducive environment for his family and the village, Buchan witnesses several miracles and even traumatic events. In the development of a rich community full of flourishing crops, Buchan is overwhelmed with the burden and it causes extreme tension in his marriage. While witnessing a dry season, Buchan breaks down and gives his life to Christ.

How It Measures Up

Faith Like Potatoes is a pleasant film. Don’t be surprised to find yourself fighting back tears. However, the movie also lacked at times. It is rather slow in developing action. Though the beginning laid the foundation for the direction of the film, building up to the climax took too much time. The dramatic music set a good tone for the film, giving off a more serious vibe.

The film was quite direct in introducing each character, the setting was well described, and the plot was easy to follow. Each character represented the humility in stewardship and hard work. The simplicity of walking with the Lord was also reflected in the movie. As Buchan continues to seek, understand, and talk to God, he begins to have an intimate relationship in which he becomes an open vessel to be used. Those who are humble and have a willing heart are the ones God uses. Therefore, He gets all the glory in every miraculous work that Buchan performs in the film.

The DVD Extras

The special features consist of several short documentaries that give viewers more insight on the production of the film. They offer a more meaningful message as crew members are able to elaborate on the effort put into the film, the faith works that took place to bring the film to life, the spiritual symbolism in the film, and a more detailed description of the characters in the film. The extras definitely increase the value of the DVD.

God’s Farmer: the Angus Buchan Documentary: This documentary briefly summarizes the true life stories of the Buchans as they make their journey from Zambia to the new farm land called, “Shalom”. The documentary holds in depth interviews of the actual Buchans, their workers, and people of the community. It is a reflection of how God uses ordinary people, those who are humble and willing to be used by him, to miraculously reach individual needs.

Faith for Faith Like Potatoes: This beautiful documentary touches on the faith acts that each crew member of the film performed in order to birth the vision of this film. The prayers, sacrifices, and financial investment that each person contributed to the film is the very essence of this special video.

Directing Faith Like Potatoes: This special features give an in-depth observation and description of the behind-the-scenes development of the film. Each crew member speaks on the directing skills of Regardt Van Den Bergh.

The Cast: This video is a breakdown of each character. It describes the process of shooting each actor in character; the make up and even the emotional expression that the actors stir within themselves to portray the character.

Kings Park: This special feature touches on all of the technicalities, recruitment, and even a break down of how this scene was shot. The camera man follows the crew each day recording the process of one of the most emotionally moving scene.

The Music of Faith Like Potatoes: This extra is a documentary of composer Grant McLachlan's hard work in setting the tone of the film, and the music and their traditional roots. It also touches on the process of developing an orchestra for the film.

The Take Away

Faith Like Potatoes is a reflection of God’s excellent storytelling abilities, as it followed the life of a farmer who had enough faith to change an entire community. This story is the perfect example of how God is the author, the Holy Spirit is the writing utensil, and we are the words written in paper. We are a living story.