‘Extraordinary’ premieres

Like David Horton, LU Cinematic Arts prove mettle in landmark achievement

 

The Liberty University Cinematic Arts department reached a bold new peak with the premiere of “Extraordinary” on Sept. 7.

The film marks a first not only in Liberty’s history, but a first in cinematic history too. It is the first time that a student-driven feature film has ever been released nationally in commercial movie theaters, totaling over 400 across the country.

The red carpet event at Regal River Ridge Stadium 14 drew a crowd that filled up every available showing auditorium, minus one showing of “IT”.

The film is based on the true story about university professor David Horton (portrayed by Leland Klassen) and his wife Nancy (Shari Rigby).

As David sets out to run a 3,000-mile marathon despite his impending health risks, the growing rift in the Hortons’ marriage climaxes as they face together a race that could end David’s running days—and potentially his life.

David takes a stand that echoes Olympic runner Eric Liddell—seen in the 1981 film “Chariots of Fire”— who affirmed God’s calling for him to run, no matter who understood it or who looked down on it as lesser, self-fulfilling work.

“It’s the miracle of pushing beyond your limits,” Klassen’s character said in the film. “Something no one understands but you.”

Yet as the story and race progress, it becomes apparent that this is Nancy’s story of overcoming as much as it is her husband’s.

Snapshots of Nancy’s daily life and her vacillating conflict between supporting her husband and punishing him for missing out on his family are surprisingly relatable.

We see a spiritual build-up in Nancy at the same time as we see a nearing physical and emotional breakdown of David, a heartfelt parallel.

“I didn’t want to know [David] wouldn’t choose us,” Rigby’s character confesses in one of the quieter moments of the film.

Though understated, like that quote, the theme of perseverance is as real for Nancy in learning to trust as it is for David, who collects little roadside treasures on his run while rediscovering the treasures he left behind him.

The thematic elements at play here were presented as a subtle sampler in this fledgling feature, leaving anticipation for a greater meal at hand from the Cinematic Arts community at Liberty. They took bold strides in everything from camera shots to CGI, and dipped their toes into balancing story with script.

The “show versus tell” balance can be a hard one to strike in film. But the crew took a crash-course in the only sure method to learn it: charging it head-on and learning along the way, no matter how rocky, in their own race of self-discovery much like David Horton’s.

The hope is that this one peak on the incline of success will launch Liberty’s Cinematic Arts department to a new climax along their continuous climb.

This groundbreaking accomplishment to reach a national stage proved to viewers on Thursday that the department is capable in their storytelling potential and budding visual skills to dive into deeper waters.

And now, maybe they know it too.

Jarrett is the feature editor.