Who Is A Stranger?

I had the privilege of viewing a pre-release of a worthy film this week: I WAS A STRANGER. The title refers to the biblical reference in Matthew 25:35 where Jesus says:

“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in…”

Many storytellers fall prey to preaching their message and theme with on-the-nose storylines and dialogue, allowing for no nuance, self-reflection, or self-discovery. Writer/director Brandt Andersen avoids this pitfall by miles by masterfully weaving together a pastiche of characters based on true stories that creates a perplexing, yet fully formed narrative puzzle that does not disappoint.

To be upfront, I WAS A STRANGER is an art film with foreign languages and subtitles, which I happen to love for authenticity in films, focused on a hard subject that takes intentional focus to follow and embark on the complex journey it invites us to embrace. Everything from the acting to camera work to locations to directing and music score feel somehow fresh and new and both small and epic — almost operatic — yet even that feels like a vulgar term to describe this film that is surprisingly intimate and emotionally engaging, as well as thoroughly mysterious as to where the story will lead and land.

The biggest challenge in watching I WAS A STRANGER is in wondering throughout: who Is the main character? In most stories this seeming lack of story focus would mean instant box office death. But in the masterful hands of Brandt Andersen, the breadcrumb trails leading the ensemble cast circles fully back to the title reference: Jesus. And yet Jesus is nowhere physically in this story, yet He is everywhere — specifically moving through the eyes, mouth, and hands of a character that only shows up in the latter part of the movie. And so who is the main character? Jesus? Or is it Jesus living in each person in need: hungry, poor, in prison, orphans, widows, homeless, lonely, despairing, suffering. Or maybe it’s every viewer of the film, individually, as the film leaves us hanging uncomfortably: for each of us can choose to be the hands and eyes and ears and mouth of Jesus to those in need in the very place we live, and breathe, and walk each day.

There is a purity of experience in not viewing the trailer prior to seeing the film, because it is a unique and powerful journey to enter this film world without seeing or knowing anything about it. If you want to see it without preconceived notions or expectations — do not view the trailer. Otherwise, the trailer is quite moving alone.

I celebrate Angel Studios and the Angel Guild for embracing this filmmaker, movie, message, and excellence in storytelling. May there be many more such worthy stories to be told, creativity, artistically, technically brilliant, engaging, and life-changing.

And may I be worthy to carry the torch as a filmmaker — helping to usher other such worthy films into the world in the here and now.

Film Premiere: January 9, 2026

Here's a link to the trailer if you desire to view it:

https://youtu.be/1M1tdJ2nVdU?si=hF3HvjToF-76tvqG

Photo/Poster property and courtesy of Angel Studios.