The Faithful: Women of the Bible (Christian Movie Review)

The Faithful may lack some technical grit, but it will challenge Christians and non-believers alike to view Old Testament stories from a different perspective.  

About the Film 

When it comes to Bible adaptations, I’m often skeptical. They tend to be cheesy, preachy, or simply underwhelming. But with recent productions like The Chosen and House of David, the standard is slowly improving. The Faithful may lack some technical grit, but it will challenge Christians and non-believers alike to view Old Testament stories from a different perspective.    

The Faithful, a new series by Fox Entertainment, portrays three generations of Old Testament women: Sarah and Hagar, Rebekah, and Leah and Rachel. The first episode (the one I’ve seen) begins with the betrothal of Sarah and Abraham, jumps to Sarah and Hagar meeting in Pharaoh’s palace, covers the complicated drama surrounding Ishmael and Isaac, and ends with Sarah’s death and burial. The show addresses themes of faith and doubt, of God meeting people at their lowest and showing them that he keeps his promises (more on this below). The plot is entertaining and edifying, even for those unfamiliar with the biblical source material.   

Technically, I felt the lighting of the scenes made it feel too modern and that took me out of the story a little bit. While the set design was incredible, it still felt too clean and prevented me from fully immersing into the story. Besides this, it is a well-shot series.   

The story is told from Hagar’s perspective. She narrates with awe and love, despite having been abused by Sarah. The women’s relationship—which is central to the narrative—is characterized by love at times and poisoned by jealousy at others. It offers an interesting glimpse into what slaves in this period experienced. They were part of the family, yet subject to instruction and punishment.  

For the most part, this episode stays true to the biblical account, even quoting Scripture in several places. It takes a few liberties in order to fit the story into a cohesive narrative structure, but I didn’t find any of the adjustments to be problematic.  

The elusive Minnie Driver does a phenomenal job as Sarah, a vastly different role from what she typically plays. But this casting decision leads to my biggest problem (or maybe “confusion” is a better word) with this show and others like it: Why is everyone British? We know where the characters lived, and it’s nowhere near the UK. But I digress. Despite this inaccuracy, the actors do a decent job of portraying their characters as grounded but flawed.   

When reading the biblical account, it feels as though the decision for Abraham to have a son with Hagar was made within a matter of days. But it took years of struggling with frustration and doubt before the couple resorted to such drastic action. The show does an excellent job of showing that progression. Abraham doesn’t seem to be too upset about having to lie with Hagar, and Sarah calls him out on it: “You could have protested a little more.” I appreciated the comment, even if it wasn’t taken directly from Scripture. It shows how Sarah’s doubt has grown so large that she feels she must take control. When she does, she makes a mess of everything.   

The Bible differs from other literature of its era in that it tells women’s stories. Still, how many adaptations are told from a woman’s perspective? While The Faithful may not have the technical prowess of other recent Bible adaptations, it is a strong start to a subgenre I hope continues. It may help viewers—particularly women—connect to the story in a new way.   

Doubt and Control  

Sarah struggles with doubt. She is too old to bear children, yet she is told that her husband’s bloodline will outnumber the stars in the sky. She doesn’t believe God could open her womb at her old age. As a result, she takes control of the situation and instructs her husband to lie with Hagar, her servant. From this action, seeds of bitterness, contempt, jealousy, and anger sprout between Sarah, her husband, and Hagar, who has been Sarah’s obedient servant and friend.  

Later, Sarah overhears God tell Abraham she will bear a son of her own, and she laughs! After years of barrenness, her heart has grown cold. Despite her doubts, God provides her with a son, and she learns that he doesn’t make empty promises. He turns her bitter laughter into unshakable joy. She says, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” Our God is big, and we must trust him to keep his promises.