His Only Son

His Only Son is a 2023 American biblical drama film produced, edited, written and directed by David Helling. It is based on the account from Genesis 22 in the Old Testament when God tells Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on the mountain of Moriah. The film stars Nicolas Mouawad as Abraham, Sara Seyed as Sarah, and Edaan Moskowitz as Isaac, with Ottavio Taddei, Nicolai Perez, Daniel da Silva in supporting roles.[4] It was released in the United States on March 31, 2023.

This article is about the 2023 film. For the 1912 film, see His Only Son (1912 film).
His Only Son
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Helling
Written byDavid Helling
Based onThe Bible
Produced by
  • David Helling
  • Roman Medjanov
  • Mike Kaney II
Starring
  • Nicolas Mouawad
  • Sara Seyed
  • Edaan Moskowitz
  • Ottavio Taddei
  • Nicolai Perez
  • Daniel da Silva
CinematographyNick Walker
Edited byDavid Helling
Music byJordain Wallace
Production
company
RockBridge Productions
Distributed byAngel Studios
Release date
  • March 31, 2023 (2023-03-31)
Running time
101 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$250,000[1]
Box office$12.2 million[2][3]

Plot

The film recounts the story in the Old Testament when Abraham was commanded by God to sacrifice his son Isaac on the mountain of Moriah. While traveling to the place of the sacrifice, alongside Isaac and two servants, Abraham is flooded with vivid memories from the years he and Sarah spent longing for the son they were promised. Ultimately, right before Isaac is sacrificed, an angel stops Abraham and a ram is sacrificed in his stead.[5]

Cast

Production

His Only Son is the debut film from writer/director David Helling, a former United States Marine. The film was made in 2019 and took five years to make.[6] The movie was filmed entirely outside on set in California.[7]

Release

The film's producers partnered with Angel Studios for distribution and crowdfunded over $1.23 million for its March 2023 theatrical release.[8] It is the first nationwide theatrical release to ever be crowdfunded.[9] His Only Son was released in theaters on March 31, 2023, and will subsequently be made available for streaming on Angel Studios.[5]

Reception

Box office

Released alongside A Thousand and One, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, and the wide expansion of A Good Person, the film made $2.2 million on its first day and went to debut on $5.5 million from 1,920 theaters in its opening weekend, finishing in third.[10]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 82% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 5.7/10.[11] Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, while those polled by PostTrak gave it a 93% positive score, with 83% saying they would definitely recommend it.[10]

Collin Garbarino of WORLD gave the film a score of 3/5, saying, "Despite the movie's limitations, the journey with Abraham might be worth taking."[12] Jackie K. Cooper gave the film a rating of 6/10, saying that it was, "A good presentation of the Abraham/Isaac bible story, perfectly timed for the Easter crowd."[13]

Roger Moore of Movie Nation was highly critical of the film, giving it 1.5/4 and saying, "There's a reason others have filmed the Abraham/Isaac story, but always left it as merely a chapter in the larger narrative of 'The Bible…In the Beginning' or 'The Greatest Story Ever Told.' It's just a vivid but short anecdote, not material for an epic."[14]

References
  1. "Angel Studios' latest film 'His Only Son' recounts the story of Abraham and Isaac". KSL. March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  2. "His Only Son (2023)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  3. "His Only Son (2023)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  4. "His Only Son - Cast".
  5. "His Only Son Movie Release Date". 9 February 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  6. "New biblical film His Only Son blows filmmaker David Helling's mind with response". Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  7. "Biblical drama centering around 'controversial' passage in Scripture enjoys crowdfunding success". Fox News. 24 January 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  8. "Invest in His Only Son - Angel Studios". Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  9. "New biblical film His Only Son to be first crowdfunded theatrical release this Easter". Retrieved 23 March 2023.
  10. D'Aleessandro, Anthony (April 1, 2023). "'Dungeons & Dragons' Locks Up $38.5M Opening: Is This Enough To Start A Franchise? – Sunday Box Office". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  11. "His Only Son". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 15, 2023.
  12. Garbarino, Collin. "His Only Son". WORLD. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  13. Cooper, Jackie K. "Movie Review of His Only Son". Youtube. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
  14. Moore, Roger (April 2023). "Movie Review: Abraham's story aimed at the Easter audience - "His Only Son"". Movie Nation. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
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