Now Playing: Filmmaker Darren Wilson

Your film Furious Love released in February. What kind of response has it gotten?

Darren Wilson: It’s
been pretty overwhelming, actually. I knew we had a good film on our
hands, but I wasn’t sure how people in general would respond to it,
especially seeing how polarizing my first film, Finger of God, was. But this one seems to be crossing all denominational boundaries and is rocking people to their very core.

We’re getting reports of whole groups
of people, youth especially, who are giving their lives to the Lord
after watching the film because they are so overwhelmed by how much God
loves them. At one screening more than 1,000 people showed up,
including some witches who had come to curse the film. By the end of
the movie, one of those witches gave his life to Jesus. He said what he
had couldn’t compare to what he saw in this film!

Why did you want to address deliverance?

Wilson: I
didn’t! What’s so funny about both films is that they were both
directives given to me by the Lord. They weren’t things I thought up
because I thought people wanted to see them. When I was finishing
filming for Finger of God (and a sequel was the furthest thing
from my mind at that point), Heidi Baker, from Iris Ministries had a
specific word for me she felt was from the Lord. First, she saw me
filming the occult. Then she said the Lord was saying that “I had to go
into the darkness to show the light.” That prayer led me down this path.

What are people saying about the film?

Wilson: It’s hard for
me to even say this, but many are calling it the best movie they have
ever seen. I don’t think they’re speaking from a technical standpoint,
but more because what they’re seeing is so powerful, and it’s real.
We’ve had pastors from all denominations weep openly throughout the
screenings, and then dedicate the next four weeks of their sermons to
God’s furious love for His people.

The film looks at some pretty grim situations. How have audiences reacted to those scenes?

Wilson: Most audiences
are expecting one thing but getting something entirely different. The
“grim situations” are simply the backdrop of a much larger story of a
God who will not be stopped in His quest to defend us and fight for us.
Most audiences think the film is going to kind of exploit these
situations, but instead they just become the setting for God to step in
and do what He does best, which is to love us. I always said I was
setting out to put God’s love to the test, and I just figured that if I
was going to test His love, I was going to put up a good fight. I
figured He could handle whatever I threw at Him, which of course, He
did.

What have been the biggest surprises since the film opened?

Wilson: The fact that the film is being so universally embraced. Finger of God has gotten me into some trouble but it seems like everyone loves Furious Love.
Also, what is happening at the church showings is both wonderful and
surprising. Most churches we’ve heard from are reporting crowds much
larger than they expected, and the response after the film has often
overwhelmed them.

 Why should people watch this movie?

Wilson: The
Lord spoke to me very clearly just before the movie was released, and
He said, “It’s time for My bride to begin putting on her makeup.” I
think it’s time for the church to make herself beautiful for her
bridegroom. The church has been through some rough patches … but God
hasn’t given up on us, and He still loves us. In order for us to be
beautiful in His eyes, though, we need to begin to love both ourselves
and others the way He’s called us to love. Unfortunately, I think a lot
of Christians have a hard time loving others when they’ve never felt
the Father’s love for themselves. Hopefully, this film will give them
that encounter that will finally move the concept of God loving them
from their head down to their heart.