To Save a Life
The story opens with Jake Taylor (Randy Wayne) a high school student in the suburbs of San Diego attending the funeral of his ex-best friend Roger (Robert Bailey Jr.). After Roger's mom comes and asks Jake if Roger had said anything to him, she walks away, and Jake remembers that this all started back when they were young boys and best friends. Roger pushed Jake out of the way of a car, saving him but crippling himself forever. During their freshmen year of high school, after Jake had made the winning basket in a basketball game, a freshman cheerleader named Amy invited him to a party that Roger was not let into. In the years later Jake joined a new popular group of friends, Amy became his girlfriend, and he became star of the basketball team. Jake grew further away from Roger, who became more of a loner due to his condition which he was bullied for. Three years later as a high school senior, Roger came in with a gun and began to shoot. Jake, knowing what Roger was going to do, tries to stop him, but Roger tells him that it was too late. Jake watches in horror as Roger shoots himself. Roger dies from his injuries, killing 5 classmates in the process, prompting Jake to wonder if he could have saved him by being a better friend.
After the final basketball game of his senior year, Jake meets Chris, a youth pastor, who had spoken at Roger's funeral. Jake goes to a party that is broken up by the police and, being slow to orient himself, is the last to sneak out of the house. Amy had taken his truck, and he was without a ride home. With no other options left, Jake decides to call the number on the business card Chris gave him. On the ride home, Chris reveals that Roger had come to church the Sunday before he killed himself. Chris expresses guilt that no one had really welcomed him there.
Jake continues to struggle in dealing with Roger's death, attending church several times and drawing concern from Amy because of his withdrawn behavior. He discovers Roger's social networking page and sees that Roger had openly discussed his hopelessness. Amy joins Jake at church the following Sunday, but leaves during the service, feeling judged. Jake confronts the group angrily about their shallow faith and failure to be inclusive and inviting. Chris asks for a solution, and a girl named Andrea suggests that they all have lunch together at school.
For the next few weeks they all meet at lunch everyday. Slowly, Jake becomes shunned by all of his old friends, including Amy. Jake invites Jonny (Sean Michael Afable), a boy who had been mocked by a fake invitation to a party, to join them, which he eventually does. Jonny starts to emerge from the darkness he felt following Roger's death as he, Jake, and Andrea become friends.
After some time, Jonny asks Jake for advice on asking Andrea on a date. They go out for ice cream and Andrea sees scars on Jonny's wrist from cutting. She reveals that she used to be a cutter as well, touching his wrist. Jonny tries to kiss her, dropping his ice cream in her lap and causing her to draw back. Meanwhile, Jake finds out that Amy is pregnant with his baby and that she doesn't want to keep the child. He then discovers that his parents are about to divorce after his father had an affair. The next day at school, Jonny wants help from Jake on what to do with Andrea after he blew his chance. Jake takes his anger out on Jonny by brushing aside his concerns, effectively humiliating him in front of his peers.
Jake and Andrea attempt to patch things up with Jonny, but he ignores their calls and resumes cutting his wrists. Danny, the pastor's son, overhears Jake and Chris talking about Amy's pregnancy and posts drawings all over the school announcing the secret to the school. In the weeks that follow, Jake stops hanging out with his old friends for good and spends more time with his new friends. He gives up his dream about going to college, much to his father's disappointment, and talks to Amy, who has decided to keep their baby. Jake promises her that he will help her raise their child. Amy, having been shunned by all her old friends at school, begins spending time with Andrea and the other girls from the church. Jake continues to call Jonny, but he refuses to pick up his phone.
At the climax of the movie, Jonny bumps into Danny, who takes the cell phone Jonny drops. Minutes later, students are evacuated from the school due to a bomb threat. Danny steps forward and tells the police he thinks it was Jonny. The police search Jonny's locker and find horrific pictures of bombs exploding the school. They ask Jonny for his phone, but he doesn't have it, because Danny still does. The police handcuff Jonny and walk him through the crowd of the entire student body. Jake realizes that Jonny didn't make the threats when he calls Jonny's phone and sees Danny answer it. With Amy distracting the teachers that guard the exit, Jake runs past them to the road and steps in front of the police car. Jonny had opened a bottle of prescription pills preparing to overdose on them, but Jake successfully stops the vehicle just before Jonny ends up like Roger.
Danny is then caught by the police, but cannot bring himself to call his father, calling Chris instead. Chris leaves Danny alone, but Jake offers to stay with him. The pastor takes a leave of absence to spend time with Danny and Chris becomes the new pastor in his place.
Jake's life soon begins to look up. His daughter is placed in open adoption, and Amy gets back together with him. The daughter is adopted by a couple unable to have children and, instead of taking the child and leaving, they want to keep Amy and Jake in the family. His friends and family gather to see him off to Louisville for college, and his dad comes along with him so they can talk. Jonny gives Jake a note to read on the way there stating that he actually did feel like Roger and had considered taking his life, as well. He stated that if Jake had not invited him for lunch that day, he did not know where he would be at the moment. At that point Jake and his father stop the trip to Louisville and head home.
christian film