You may not think of a Post-Apocalyptic thriller as your go-to holiday movie, but what points to our need of a Savior better?
When Los Angeles is attacked by a nuclear bomb, the world panics. But, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, lives the Ross family who were prepared for the worse. As the world outside their gate crumbles, tensions inside the gate rise. Ian Ross hired ex-green beret Jeff Eriksson as security for The Homestead, but their versions of safety are drastically different. As their families begin to grow closer together, their differences may tear it all apart.
As the movie unfolds, characters start asking some difficult questions. Neal McDonough, who plays Ian Ross, states that his character really has to evaluate “What is the most important thing to you in life? Is it yourself or is it helping mankind?” Neal continues, “It’s a really great question that we all have to grapple with at some point in our lives.”
“Most post-apocalyptic movies, there’s zombies, death and destruction. While we have some action and thriller within the film. The theme of community, people coming together and sharing really stood out. In a post-apocalyptic movie, that’s really odd,” says producer Ben Kasica. The Ross family finally decides to open The Homestead up to the community, which brings new challenges, but as the film progresses, everyone begins to understand that the only way to survive is if they work together. Olivia Sanabia, who plays Claire Ross (Ian’s daughter) says, “Honestly, I think the film represents togetherness and working together as a community.” Tyler Lofton, who plays Abe Eriksson (Jeff’s son) states it this way, “people and community is what keeps the world going.”
The Homestead delves into where many apocalyptic movies end. After death and destruction, comes survival, but at what cost? This is the question Homestead attempts to answer. When faced with significant fear, Homestead demonstrates that the only way to overcome is together. The families on The Homestead choose to put the situation into God’s hands and help others. The overarching theme of faith and hope exists because this group of people approach things differently and see that life is all about community.
Homestead Cast Community
The community experienced on film wasn’t just for the cameras, the cast created a genuine community off screen as well. Olivia Sanabia expresses, “We all worked really hard to make this come to life. It was a lot of hours and a lot of figuring things out to try to make it the best that it could possibly be. We had such a beautiful cast and crew and it really was represented in the film as well. I think you can feel it.”
This strong bond and friendship doesn’t come just from hard work and perseverance. Producer Ben Smallbone (Joel and Luke’s brother from For King + Country) strategically pulled the cast together to help build this passion and connection with one another. “We did family dinners together weekly, where we would all get together and we would share a meal. If you share a meal with anybody, there’s an instant bond that’s created among those people. Beyond that, we (all the producers) try to create a family atmosphere on set. Kids are running around, spouses are welcome to come visit the set. That creates this desire of doing life together, and sharing our issues and going through our problems,” Ben explains.
Preparing the Homestead
Although community, faith and family are all roots to this film, there is also the theme of survival and being self-sustaining. Ben Smallbone reacts, “I don’t want people to misinterpret the message of the film as, “We need to be living in fear.” I think there’s an element of our faith where we’re called not to live in fear, but at the same time being prepared for the worst takes away from some of that fear. So preparation and understanding of how to take care of yourself, how to take care of your community and loved ones, God forbid something would happen, is an important message I hope people would hear. If all the comforts of this world are taken away. What we find in this movie and in this series are that beautiful joy comes from living in community with other people, bringing your family close, raising animals, growing crops. Living the way of the past and embracing the foundations of this great country.”
If we’re truly honest, many people aren’t prepared for an apocalypse, but films like these help us see that it’s not about survival, it’s about character and understanding that your greatest resource is you. Olivia Sanabia, who plays Claire, proclaims she had to learn how to connect with the earth because that wasn’t in her nature. “I honestly did a lot of gardening research. Claire has a green thumb. She has a way with agriculture, and I do not. That’s really a lot of her contribution to The Homestead.” In the midst of hardship and chaos, whether in daily life or in an apocalypse, it’s important to remember that God has provided so many resources and avenues for us to thrive. There is substance in living a simple life and providing for yourself. It’s significant to work with your hands and contribute to society.
Movie and Series
What makes this movie particularly interesting is that it continues as a TV series aired on Angel TV. Usually these two industries operate separately, but Angel Studios is setting a new trend. Producer Ben Kasica states, “A film leading to a television show supposedly has never been done before.” Additional characters will join the TV series as the community continues to struggle with survival on the The Homestead compound.
The real test of one’s faith is how they handle themselves in stressful situations and is that faith solid enough to remain as the pressure continues. In our culture and society, we don’t see a lot of people putting their neighbor first, but there is power in working with others and seeing the significance of their value and worth.
