Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul

by Mike McGranaghan

Christian filmmakers Alex and Stephen Kendrick began their careers with the 2003 drama Flywheel. Since then, they have moved to the forefront of faith-based filmmaking with hits like Fireproof, War Room, and The Forge. Now they bring us Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul, a Brazilian remake of their debut effort. Director Alessandro Barros helms this release, which has been dubbed into English.

Noah Silva (Mario Bregiera) is a dishonest car salesman. He overcharges, doesn’t tell people about the damage his used automobiles have endured, and trains his employees to maximize profits through lying. None of this even remotely weighs on his conscience until he turns on the TV one night and begins watching a preacher. Suddenly, Noah decides to turn his life over to Jesus Christ. That means making amends to all the customers he’s stiffed. Doing so threatens his bottom line, but he trusts that God will make everything right.

Faith-based cinema has come a long way in the last two decades. It’s therefore disappointing to get an entry as regressive as Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul. This is a classic case of prioritizing message delivery over storytelling. The plot hinges on a series of miraculous coincidences, and every development is completely manipulative, right down to the laughably implausible ending. No subtlety, no nuance. Just old-fashioned, beat-you-over-the-head sermonizing.

Here’s what I’m talking about: There’s a very long scene of Noah watching the preacher, followed by another long scene of him praying. After that is yet another long scene of Noah apologizing to his wife Ana (Pérola Faria) and explaining in great detail how he’s turned his life over to God. His employees get similar treatment. Another sequence finds Noah telling his father, who promptly begins praying for him; that lasts for several minutes, as well. The movie is little more than an assemblage of endless sequences where Noah explains his religious conversion over and over.

Beyond that, the screenplay is packed with clunky dialogue, and the acting is often bland. (Admittedly, the weird, emotionless dubbing does no favors in that department.) The picture also relies on the old trope where the troubled man has a personality-free yet endlessly devout wife who encourages him in his newfound seeing of the light. Amazingly, it avoids the oft-used cliché where the wife’s name is either Faith or Grace.

The message of Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul - that your life will run more smoothly if you trust in God - is certainly respectable. Many audience members will respond positively. But as a piece of filmmaking, this is a big step backward, feeling like something that would screen in a church basement rather than in mainstream cinemas. You won’t feel inspired when it’s over, you’ll feel browbeaten.