It’s fitting that a movie celebrating life would begin with a birthday party. When David Scotton turns 18, his father beamingly tells him that God has great things planned for his life. Initially, David believes this is simply a typical proud parental comment, though he soon realizes just how true the statement is, using the insight he gains to help others. As David comes to accept who he is, and embraces who he will become, he learns just how much of a special gift life truly is.
Lifemark (2022), a new film based on a true story, follows David’s process of coming to terms with his adoption as he goes on to meet his birth parents after having reached legal adulthood, opening up contact with them for the first time. Having been raised by two encouraging, supportive adoptive parents who instilled their steadfast Christian faith in David, David has known the deep love of a family, reflecting God’s goodness back to him. But the journey of faith is one of seeking, so it is natural that David yearns to know more about his roots, and the circumstances behind his adoption.
A beautiful, stirring tribute to the pro-life movement, testifying to the power of one decision to transform the interlinked destinies of so many, the film explores how we all can impact each other by using the lives God gave us to bring hope. The Scottonsmodel genuine compassion, forgiveness, and kindness in their interactions, navigating complex issues in a thoughtful manner, and affirming positive values, making Lifemark a solid option for families, especially those with teenagers, to watch together. Its strength is in its message of unity, because David’s journey is not one solely of self-discovery, but of community.
At first, we observe how David’s support network, consisting of his adoptive relatives, along with his best friend, Nate, care for him through the challenges he faces as he grows, stepping into the uncertainties of his future. However, in time, as David hears more of the story that led to his miraculous birth, he gives back, sharing his story with others, so that he, too, comes to be a channel of support, a messenger communicating God’s grace to those around him. Though David’s birth mother, Melissa, was on the brink of terminating her pregnancy when she was herself just 18, a highschooler unprepared to provide for a child, she ultimately chose not to. That fateful day in the clinic, the Holy Spirit moved her heart to change, urging her to “Get up. It’s not too late,” and so, she did, saving David’s life.
Seeing the resilient, accomplished, and sincere young man David became, almost 19 years later, Melissa understands more fully what she could have missed out on, had her son never been born. While his adoption was closed, it ultimately allowed her to one day know the treasure of his existence. Beginning with a birthday party, the movie ends on a celebratory note, too, with even greater layers of meaning. Thanking Melissa for giving him life, David sends a dog tag necklace to her, commemorating the day she chose life- the tag is a “lifemark.” Her choice is what enabled him to have a birthday in the first place, making this “lifemark” just as worthy of joy.
Respectfully sparking dialogue on navigating the world with empathy and recognition of human dignity, the movie is not political, but rooted in faith, emphasizing healing love. Advocating for adoption, it offers an important perspective that deserves to be heard. In one of the movie’s flashbacks, watching a transcendent glow of happiness illuminate teenage Melissa’s face when she holds the infant David for the first time after he is born, we bear witness to a mother’s all-encompassing love, the overarching narrative that carries the film. Aptly, though, the “lifemark” date on the dog tag is March 19, the feast of St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, and the ultimate example of paternal love. It’s a reminder of the source of all life, God the Father, who gave us His Son, Jesus, out of love, to offer us new life, and thus, the hope of eternal bliss with Him in Heaven, thanks to His sacrifice.
Lifemark speaks to sacrificing out of love to preserve life, and in so doing, points back to redemption through Christ, the mercy of God for His children. Although Melissa battled guilt for putting David up for adoption, worrying that he would resent her, her heart is mended by his love, redeemed, as he assures her that he was never angry with her, only grateful. Hugging each other, peace fills their faces, capturing the purity of love between a parent and child. Certainly a must-watch, Lifemark compellingly sheds light on a path forward, on what’s born in our souls, anew, when open to life, in all its possibility. As a unique coming-of-age story, it is real and personal, imbued with bright moments of humor and sweetness, endearingly soft, and hard-hitting all at once. Either way, it is impossible not to be affected by this film anchored in Christ, attesting to the indelible mark He makes on our lives, interconnected as part of His family, an unbroken Body.
✠
Photo by Bethany Beck on Unsplash
