Alan Ritchson and Hilary Swank deliver powerful performances in Ordinary Angels, an inspiring true story of faith and community during extreme hardship.

“Do to others what you want them to do to you”. This commandment from Jesus to his followers is known by some as “The Golden Rule”. Recent times, unfortunately, have seen too many shunning this commandment, with tribalism replacing community.

Ordinary Angels takes place in 1994, a time of no internet and social media, and a stronger sense of faith and community. In the blue-collar city of Louisville, Kentucky, hard times have fallen upon Ed Schmitt (Alan Ritchson), a widowed roofer struggling to raise his daughters: eight-year-old Ashley (Skywalker Hughes), and five-year-old Michelle (Emily Mitchell) who is in dire need of a liver transplant. To make matters worse, Ed has found himself drowning in debt.

Offering to help is Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank) a small business owner and hairdresser whose heavy drinking lands her in Alcoholics Anonymous, where she is encouraged to find a purpose for her life. The story of Ed and his family proves to be just that, although Ed is dubious about Sharon’s need to help.

Ritchson and Swank portray their characters with the right kind of dramatic flair needed to make an inspirational story like Ordinary Angels work as well as it does. Swank delves into the Eric Brokovich archetype of no-compromise advocate with big hair/southern accent gusto, yet it’s the moments when Sharon confronts her own demons where Swank is at her best. Ritchson is especially impressive as the loving yet stubborn Ed, the Reacher star wowing in emotional moment of despair and gratitude, while also rockin’ a mean moustache. The quiet-loud dynamic between Ritchson and Swank works very well.

Directed by Jon Gunn (American Underdog), Ordinary Angels covers a wide range of subjects including grief, addiction, financial distress, and purpose. The latter is especially relevant, with Sharon and Ed responding to the purpose called upon them: Sharon to confront her own struggles and failures while helping others in need; Ed to let go of his bitterness and stubbornness when confronted with an act of good will.

It all speaks to a core teaching of Christianity that many forget, which is we are all broken people unified in the faith that to help those less fortunate is to act on the mission that Christ delivered to us.

Take the last 20 minutes of Ordinary Angels: set during a record-breaking snowstorm, Ed desperately tries to drive his now fatally ill daughter to a local airport for transport to a children’s hospital, as Sharon and members of the community endlessly toil at a local church parking lot to create a landing space for a helicopter.  It’s the kind of race-against-time sequence that could be seen in an action thriller, yet the heroes in Ordinary Angeles are those called to serve a family in need.

It is inspirational to watch, with Ordinary Angels a testimony to humanity at its best driven by purpose, faith, and love. Pray we see more of this during our time.