Saving Sarah Cain
Encyclopedia
Saving Sarah Cain is a 2007 film based on Beverly Lewis
' 2000 novel The Redemption of Sarah Cain. The film premiered August 19, 2007 on Lifetime Television
. The film is distributed by Believe Pictures
and stars Lisa Pepper, Elliott Gould
, Tess Harper
, Soren Fulton
, Danielle Chuchran
, Abigail Mason, Tanner Maguire
, Bailee Madison
and Jennifer O'Dell
. The film was directed by Michael Landon, Jr.
) who claims that she once wrote about her life and is now writing cheesy columns. She is furious and heads to a restaurant where she meets with her boyfriend Bryan (Tom Tate). Sarah's phone rings: It is Lyddie, Sarah's niece. Sarah's older sister, Ivy, has just died of heart failure. Sarah hurries to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
for the funeral.
Her sister was a member of an Amish
community, and Sarah had never forgiven Ivy for leaving her alone in an orphanage. As the sole surviving relative, the court appoints Sarah as the legal guardian for the five children. 16-year-old Lyddie (Abigail Mason) and other members of the Amish community protest because they do not want an outsider to raise the children. Lyddie and another Amish member, Miriam (Tess Harper
), convince Sarah to stay the night. While there, knowing that her deadline is coming up for her column, Sarah writes about her day's events and sends them to Bill as a last resort.
The next day at the hearing, Sarah receives a surprising e-mail about her piece: The readers loved it and want more. Sarah takes the children back to Portland, as she is now their guardian, and the Amish children try to fit in and make new friends. The eldest child, Lyddie, is the only one not attending school; she stay at home and does the daily chores. Despite being labeled as a freak at school Caleb (Soren Fulton
) makes it on the wrestling team; after a bad first day Anna Mae (Danielle Chuchran
) gains attention after borrowing Sarah's clothing to fit in. Josiah (Tanner Maguire
) hates it there. Only Hannah (Bailee Madison
) is accepted on her first day in kindergarten class.
Bill likes the attention that the articles about the Amish children have produced, but Sarah rejects further offers of having the column being about them. Meanwhile, Madison (Jennifer O'Dell
), Sarah's rival at the same paper, gets wind of where the children attend school and a news team shows up during one of Caleb's wrestling matches. Later that night Sarah admits to the kids that the situation has spun out of control. Only Lyddie voices objection, saying it has gone against their traditions and beliefs, while the other kids defend and accept Sarah's apology. The resulting fight causes Josiah to pack up and leave home. While the family scrambles to find him, they later find Josiah behind a tree. Sarah decides to take the children back to their Amish community to leave them in the care of Miriam.
As Sarah is leaving the community, the children rush to catch up with her. Sarah stops and Lyddie hands her a letter that Ivy had written which contains her last wishes. It is only then that the truth is revealed: Ivy wanted Sarah to have the kids as an apology for breaking her heart, saying that they would be "blessings to [her] as they were to me". Sarah immediately changes her mind and finally decides to stay at the community with her nieces and nephews. The ending shows Sarah writing a book titled My Redemption. Bryan comes over to visit before a business meeting and brings her a piece of her favorite cheesecake
as the scene fades.
and BarlowGirl
.
Beverly Lewis
Beverly Lewis is a Christian fiction novelist and children's author of over 70 books.She was born Beverly Marie Jones, and is a former schoolteacher and musician. She started playing the piano at age 5, and began writing short stories and poetry when she was 9 years old.Much of her writing focuses...
' 2000 novel The Redemption of Sarah Cain. The film premiered August 19, 2007 on Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
. The film is distributed by Believe Pictures
Believe Pictures
Believe Pictures is a Christian film production company founded by partners Brian Bird, and Michael Landon, Jr. They have created major films such as The Last Sin Eater, the Love Comes Softly film series and Saving Sarah Cain, which won a 2008 CAMIE Award.Most of the releases went to Fox Faith for...
and stars Lisa Pepper, Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
, Tess Harper
Tess Harper
Tess Harper is an American actress.-Early life:Born Tessie Jean Washam on August 15, 1950 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. Her parents' names are Ed and Rosemary Washam. She grew up around lots of quilts and quilt makers. On her own time, she liked to sit on the porch-swing and read...
, Soren Fulton
Soren Fulton
Soren Fulton is an American teen actor, best known for playing Rob Austin in A Ring of Endless Light, Caleb Cottrell in Saving Sarah Cain, and Fermat in Thunderbirds. He also voiced the character Mordred in Justice League. He starred in the television pilot of The Oaks, playing Young Dan...
, Danielle Chuchran
Danielle Chuchran
Danielle Ryan Chuchran is an American teen actress, having appeared in films since 2001. Currently she is best known for playing the role of Mary Ingalls in the newest screening of Little House on the Prairie...
, Abigail Mason, Tanner Maguire
Tanner Maguire
Tanner James Maguire is an American child actor. He appears in the film Janie. He is most famous for his roles in Letters to God and, earlier, in Saving Sarah Cain, in which he plays the older brother of Hannah Cottrell, Josiah Cottrell...
, Bailee Madison
Bailee Madison
Bailee Madison is an American actress. She is most famous for her role in the 2007 film adaption of Katherine Paterson's Newbery Medal-winning novel Bridge to Terabithia in which she plays May Belle Aarons, the younger sister of Jesse Aarons. She films a webshow with her babysitter and fellow...
and Jennifer O'Dell
Jennifer O'Dell
Jennifer O'Dell is an American film and television actress. She performed on the TV series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, where she played Veronica....
. The film was directed by Michael Landon, Jr.
Plot
The film begins with Sarah Cain (Lisa Pepper), a successful columnist at the fictional Portland Times in Portland, Oregon. Her daily column has been rejected by her boss Bill (Elliott GouldElliott Gould
Elliott Gould is an American actor. He began acting in Hollywood films during the 1960s, and has remained prolific ever since. Some of his most notable films include M*A*S*H and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice, for which he received an Oscar nomination...
) who claims that she once wrote about her life and is now writing cheesy columns. She is furious and heads to a restaurant where she meets with her boyfriend Bryan (Tom Tate). Sarah's phone rings: It is Lyddie, Sarah's niece. Sarah's older sister, Ivy, has just died of heart failure. Sarah hurries to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania
Lancaster County, known as the Garden Spot of America or Pennsylvania Dutch Country, is a county located in the southeastern part of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of 2010 the population was 519,445. Lancaster County forms the Lancaster Metropolitan Statistical Area, the...
for the funeral.
Her sister was a member of an Amish
Amish
The Amish , sometimes referred to as Amish Mennonites, are a group of Christian church fellowships that form a subgroup of the Mennonite churches...
community, and Sarah had never forgiven Ivy for leaving her alone in an orphanage. As the sole surviving relative, the court appoints Sarah as the legal guardian for the five children. 16-year-old Lyddie (Abigail Mason) and other members of the Amish community protest because they do not want an outsider to raise the children. Lyddie and another Amish member, Miriam (Tess Harper
Tess Harper
Tess Harper is an American actress.-Early life:Born Tessie Jean Washam on August 15, 1950 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. Her parents' names are Ed and Rosemary Washam. She grew up around lots of quilts and quilt makers. On her own time, she liked to sit on the porch-swing and read...
), convince Sarah to stay the night. While there, knowing that her deadline is coming up for her column, Sarah writes about her day's events and sends them to Bill as a last resort.
The next day at the hearing, Sarah receives a surprising e-mail about her piece: The readers loved it and want more. Sarah takes the children back to Portland, as she is now their guardian, and the Amish children try to fit in and make new friends. The eldest child, Lyddie, is the only one not attending school; she stay at home and does the daily chores. Despite being labeled as a freak at school Caleb (Soren Fulton
Soren Fulton
Soren Fulton is an American teen actor, best known for playing Rob Austin in A Ring of Endless Light, Caleb Cottrell in Saving Sarah Cain, and Fermat in Thunderbirds. He also voiced the character Mordred in Justice League. He starred in the television pilot of The Oaks, playing Young Dan...
) makes it on the wrestling team; after a bad first day Anna Mae (Danielle Chuchran
Danielle Chuchran
Danielle Ryan Chuchran is an American teen actress, having appeared in films since 2001. Currently she is best known for playing the role of Mary Ingalls in the newest screening of Little House on the Prairie...
) gains attention after borrowing Sarah's clothing to fit in. Josiah (Tanner Maguire
Tanner Maguire
Tanner James Maguire is an American child actor. He appears in the film Janie. He is most famous for his roles in Letters to God and, earlier, in Saving Sarah Cain, in which he plays the older brother of Hannah Cottrell, Josiah Cottrell...
) hates it there. Only Hannah (Bailee Madison
Bailee Madison
Bailee Madison is an American actress. She is most famous for her role in the 2007 film adaption of Katherine Paterson's Newbery Medal-winning novel Bridge to Terabithia in which she plays May Belle Aarons, the younger sister of Jesse Aarons. She films a webshow with her babysitter and fellow...
) is accepted on her first day in kindergarten class.
Bill likes the attention that the articles about the Amish children have produced, but Sarah rejects further offers of having the column being about them. Meanwhile, Madison (Jennifer O'Dell
Jennifer O'Dell
Jennifer O'Dell is an American film and television actress. She performed on the TV series Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, where she played Veronica....
), Sarah's rival at the same paper, gets wind of where the children attend school and a news team shows up during one of Caleb's wrestling matches. Later that night Sarah admits to the kids that the situation has spun out of control. Only Lyddie voices objection, saying it has gone against their traditions and beliefs, while the other kids defend and accept Sarah's apology. The resulting fight causes Josiah to pack up and leave home. While the family scrambles to find him, they later find Josiah behind a tree. Sarah decides to take the children back to their Amish community to leave them in the care of Miriam.
As Sarah is leaving the community, the children rush to catch up with her. Sarah stops and Lyddie hands her a letter that Ivy had written which contains her last wishes. It is only then that the truth is revealed: Ivy wanted Sarah to have the kids as an apology for breaking her heart, saying that they would be "blessings to [her] as they were to me". Sarah immediately changes her mind and finally decides to stay at the community with her nieces and nephews. The ending shows Sarah writing a book titled My Redemption. Bryan comes over to visit before a business meeting and brings her a piece of her favorite cheesecake
Cheesecake
Cheesecake is a dessert consisting of a topping made of soft, fresh cheese, usually on a crust or base made from biscuit , pastry or sponge cake. They may be baked or unbaked...
as the scene fades.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack for Saving Sarah Cain features songs by Christian groups such as Point of GracePoint of Grace
Point of Grace is an all-female Contemporary Christian music group. The trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as well as Terry Jones and Heather Payne...
and BarlowGirl
BarlowGirl
BarlowGirl is an American Christian rock–CCM all-female band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of sisters Alyssa , Rebecca , and Lauren Barlow . The band has won several awards in their genre; their song "Never Alone" was the longest running No...
.
- "How You Live" (Point of GracePoint of GracePoint of Grace is an all-female Contemporary Christian music group. The trio consists of Shelley Breen, Denise Jones, and Leigh Cappillino. The group started out as a quartet in 1991, with original members Breen and Jones, as well as Terry Jones and Heather Payne...
) - "Saving Sarah Cain Main Titles"
- "Sea Shells"
- "Farewell"
- "Dishes are Never A Chore" (Mark McKenzieMark McKenzieMark McKenzie is a film composer who studied with, among others, Pierre Boulez, Morten Lauridsen and Witold Lutoslawski. He also has been a highly respected Hollywood orchestrator on many blockbuster films...
) - "Sarah’s Story"
- "Love Letter"
- "Nay!" (Josiah’s Tree Climb)
- "Those Were Our Tears!"
- "Here’s My Life" (BarlowGirlBarlowGirlBarlowGirl is an American Christian rock–CCM all-female band from Chicago, Illinois. The band is composed of sisters Alyssa , Rebecca , and Lauren Barlow . The band has won several awards in their genre; their song "Never Alone" was the longest running No...
) - "You’re OK in Everyway"
- "Five Amish Orphans"
- "She Prayed For You Everyday"
- "Don’t Leave Us"
- "Prayer Changes Everything"
- "You Carried Me" (Building 429Building 429Building 429 is a Christian rock band signed to Essential Records. They were the Gospel Music Association 2005 New Artist of the Year. Their name is derived from a Biblical passage known as Ephesians 4:29, which, in the New International Version of the Bible, reads as follows: "Do not let any...
)