Centered around an authentic performance by lead Preston Long, Breaking Man is a moving and heartfelt film about one man, Sean (Long), whose life is falling apart.

Sean is a pastor, husband and friend who finds himself let go from the church and facing divorce while struggling with some of life's most challenging issues.

Will he continue his downward spiral or will faith and friendship pull him through?

Co-written and directed by Jeff Harris, Breaking Man is the first feature film from Not Ashamed Films, a film production company describing itself as producing "a new breed of Christian film that is real and relevant."

Indeed, Breaking Man is real and relevant and displays a boldness not frequently found in contemporary Christian cinema.

Currently on the film festival circuit, Breaking Man has been an official selection at both the Phoenix International Christian Film Festival and the Castle Rock Film Festival and has had a couple screenings in the Phoenix area

A fine example of Christian micro-cinema, Breaking Man was filmed on an incredibly modest $3,000 production budget. Wisely, Harris and co-writer Sadie Tysdal have created a story that requires no distractions or special effects. Instead, the emphasis in Breaking Man is on the story and, rather refreshingly, the film takes an honest and raw look at issues facing Christians and pastors alike.  The two write from the refreshing perspective that living one's life faithfully isn't a shield from the everyday traumas of the world, and it's not a matter of if but when those trials happen and, perhaps most importantly,"Will it break you?"

While the film's limited budget is sometimes apparent where sound and lighting are concerned, Harris accomplishes quite a bit with modest means on the strength of his involving story and his gifted cast helmed by Preston Long's deeply felt performance.

Key supporting players Sadie Tysdal, Heidi Hageman and Harris do a fine job as those centrally involved in Sean's life, but it is Long who manages to beautifully embody the life of a man who has tried to live his life right and can't quite figure out what to do once life starts going so very wrong.

Breaking Man also features a killer soundtrack including the likes of The Red Airplanes, Brian Weaver, Jarrod Kinman, Brent Fent, Joel Vaughn, Hyland and others.

There may very well be those of you who struggle with the notion of a $3,000 film with all its tech obstacles and low-budget quirks, but take note that Breaking Man is the type of film that the Christian community is crying out for with its faith-based answers to life's biggest questions.

A promising debut from Not Ashamed Films and Jeff Harris, Breaking Man is a film you ought to catch at a film festival near you or once it arrives on home video. For more information on the film, visit the film's Facebook page.

© Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic