August Rush tells the story of a charismatic young Irish guitarist (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) and a sheltered young cellist (Keri Russell) who have a chance encounter one magical night above New York's Washington Square, but are soon torn apart, leaving in their wake an infant, August Rush, orphaned by circumstance. Now performing on the streets of New York and cared for by a mysterious stranger (Robin Williams), August (Freddie Highmore) uses his remarkable musical talent to seek the parents from whom he was separated at birth.
Directed by
Kirsten Sheridan
Written by
Nick Castle (screenplay); James V. Hart (screenplay); Paul Castro (story); Nick Castle (story).
Starring
Freddie Highmore (Evan Taylor - 'August Rush'); Keri Russell (Lyla Novacek); Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Louis Connelly); Terrence Howard (Richard Jeffries); Robin Williams (Maxwell 'Wizard' Wallace); William Sadler (Thomas Novacek); Marian Seldes (The Dean); Leon G. Thomas III (Arthur (as Leon Thomas III)); Mykelti Williamson (Reverend James); Aaron Staton (Nick); Alex O'Loughlin (Marshall); Jamia Simone Nash (Hope); Ronald Guttman (Professor); Bonnie McKee (Lizzy); Michael Drayer (Mannix). Please follow the IMDB link for full cast details.
Important: the following essays and comments are authored by Soul Food Cinema readers. Whilst the Editor prays for the spiritual integrity of all content of this site, it should be noted that these represent personal opinions and carry no official endorsement. If you consider any content to be a misrepresentation of Catholic teaching, please contact SFC. May God bless you and enlighten you in your reading.
-
Articles, Essays and Reviews
-
Please contact SFC if you are interested in submitting an essay on this film.
-
Readers' Comments and Opinions
-
Click the link to comment on this film. You may like to copy the film title and year (as given above) to your clipboard now for pasting into the following form.
-
The Holy Spirit makes the truth known to us
Mark Banks (United Kingdom)
Opinion: Recommended
I liked this film and thought it had a good pro-life message to it. Yes Lyla and Louis slept together, which was wrong, but the rest of the film showed that there were consequences to their actions, not only with respect to Evan their child, but also emotionally as Lyla is depicted as being distant from her friends and the scenes of her searching for her child in the administration office show what a stress it has been on her life. Neither she nor Louis feel like continuing with their music, and Louis is so uptight he gets into a fight with his friend. The second important message, which other critics appear to have overlooked, is God’s guidance in our lives; the whole Old Testament teaches us this and shows that if it is in accordance with God’s plans there’s nothing He can’t do and no where He can’t place us. The most disappointing comments I read with respect to August Rush were: “If this film is a "fairy tale" it is mainly because the parents… seem to share an almost mystical bond with each other and with their son, even though they have never met him before”. Er, yes, that’s kind of what parenthood entails. Why do so many women get depressed after abortions? Even the fathers? Because they know they have lost a child. More than anything I think this film speaks to us of how the Holy Spirit intrinsically makes the truth know to us in our lives.