Saving Sarah Cain

Saving Sarah Cain
DVD cover
Directed by	Michael Landon, Jr.
Starring	Lisa Pepper Tess Harper Elliott Gould Danielle Chuchran Abigail Mason Jennifer O'Dell Whitney Lee Soren Fulton Tanner Maguire Bailee Madison
Music by	Mark McKenzie
Distributed by	Believe Pictures
Release dates	August 19, 2007 (TV premiere)
Running time	87 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English German

Saving Sarah Cain is a 2007 film based on Beverly Lewis' 2000 novel The Redemption of Sarah Cain.^[1] The film premiered August 19, 2007 on Lifetime Television. The film is distributed by Believe Pictures and stars Lisa Pepper, Elliott Gould, Tess Harper, Soren Fulton, Danielle Chuchran, Abigail Mason, Tanner Maguire, Bailee Madison, and Jennifer O'Dell. The film was directed by Michael Landon, Jr.^[2]

Plot

Sarah Cain (Lisa Pepper), a thirty-something columnist at the fictional Portland Times in Portland, Oregon, has seen better days as far as her career is going. Her latest column has been rejected by her boss Bill (Elliott Gould,) who reminders her that she once wrote great stuff about life, and is now writing puff pieces. He tells her she needs to get back to good writing or she is heading back to the news-writing department.

While out to dinner with her boyfriend Bryan (Tom Tate), who is planning to propose to her, Sarah's cell phone rings. It is Lyddie (Abigail Mason), Sarah's sixteen year-old niece whom she has never actually met. She has called to tell Sarah that her older sister, Ivy, has just died of heart failure. Sarah hurries to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania for the funeral.

Many years prior, her sister married a man who was a member of an Amish community, and Ivy's choice to join that community had made Sarah feel abandoned and caused ill feelings between the two. He was killed a few years previous to Ivy's passing when he was hit by a car. As it turns out, Sarah is the sole surviving relative, and the court insists she is the legal guardian of Ivy's five children, and either she takes responsibility for them, or they will be put into the state's foster care system. Members of the community protest because they do not want any 'outsiders' to raise the children. Miriam (Tess Harper), an elder and friend of Ivy's, and Lyddie convince Sarah to stay the night in order for her to figure out what she will do. While there, knowing that the deadline for her column is that night, Sarah writes about her day's events and e-mails same to Bill as a last resort.

The next day, while at the hearing, Sarah receives a reply e-mail about her piece. The readers loved it and want more. Sarah realizes an 'opportunity' in the making, and decides to take the children back to Portland. Lyddie stays is Sarah's apartment and does the daily chores. Despite being labeled as a freaks at school, due to their Amish clothes, the four other children try to fit in. Caleb (Soren Fulton) quickly becomes a star on the wrestling team. After awhile, Anna Mae (Danielle Chuchran) gains attention from boys after borrowing Sarah's clothing. Young Josiah (Tanner Maguire) hates it there. Only Hannah (Bailee Madison), who's six years old, is accepted on her first day in kindergarten.

Bill likes the attention that the stories about the Amish children have produced, but Sarah rejects further offers of having the column being solely about them, feeling bad about 'using' the kids. Meanwhile, Madison (Jennifer O'Dell), Sarah's rival at the paper, discovers where the children attend school and has a TV news team show up during one of Caleb's wrestling matches. The children discover what Sarah has been doing, and feel betrayed, believing she was truly concerned for them. Sarah admits to the kids that the situation has spun out of control, and the kids go off to bed upset. Her boyfriend Bryan expresses his disappointment in her too.

Sarah realizes what she has done and takes the kids back to the Amish settlement in Pennsylvania, to assign the children to the elders there. As Sarah is leaving the community, the children rush to catch up with her. Sarah stops and Lyddie hands her a letter that Ivy had written which contains her last wishes. It is only then that the truth is revealed: Ivy wanted Sarah to have the kids as an apology for breaking her heart, saying that they would be "blessings to [her] as they were to me". Sarah changes her mind and decides to stay at the community with her nieces and nephews. The ending shows Sarah writing a book titled My Redemption. Bryan comes to visit while on a business trip and brings her a piece of her favorite cheesecake as a reconciliation gesture, and they hug.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Saving Sarah Cain features songs by Christian groups such as Point of Grace and BarlowGirl.

1. "Pie" (Three Days Grace)
2. "How You Live" (Point of Grace)
3. "Saving Sarah Cain Main Titles"
4. "Sea Shells"
5. "Farewell"
6. "Dishes are Never A Chore" (Mark McKenzie)
7. "Sarah’s Story"
8. "Love Letter"
9. "Nay!" (Josiah’s Tree Climb)
10. "Those Were Our Tears!"
11. "Here’s My Life" (BarlowGirl)
12. "You’re OK in Everyway"
13. "Five Amish Orphans"
14. "She Prayed For You Everyday"
15. "Don’t Leave Us"
16. "Prayer Changes Everything"
17. "You Carried Me" (Building 429)

DVD release

Fox Faith released the film to DVD on January 15, 2008.

References

External links

• Saving Sarah Cain Cast Member Interviews & Panel
• Saving Sarah Cain at the Internet Movie Database