The Film
There is no doubt there is a message in To Save a Life and whether you'll buy it isn't really the point. The story is meant to be inspirational, but even if you care not to take away that part of it, this is still a reasonably moving film. It tells the story of Jake (Randy Wayne) who was once best friends with Roger (Robert Bailey Jr.), a teenage social outcast, who resorts to taking his own life. This leaves Jake in a difficult place, especially as Roger had actually saved his life years earlier, and he questions his own path. The film does take a heavy-handed approach in attempting to be inspirational, and there are some very strong clichés as the film examines the social cliques. Still, for a low budget film this is so much more than just a grown-up after school special.
The Picture
A few years ago low-budget films had a distinct low-budget look, but thanks to high definition digital video it is hard to tell the difference anymore, and this translates quite well to the 1080p, 2.35:1 presentation on Blu-ray. Compared to recent releases from the Sony vault, including films from just a decade ago, this one looks surprisingly good - with vibrant colors and deep black levels.
A dialog-heavy film, much of the audio is heard through the center channel, and the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack does a good job with the dialog as well as with the ambient sounds of daily life - including those unexpected tragedies. Music can be a little hot at times, but no so much so that it overpowers the spoken word. Other scenes, such as those on the basketball court with Jake are a little overdone as well. This was no doubt intentional, to make you feel like you're in the crowd, but here is where less would have been more.
The Extras
The producers didn't save much in the bonus features, which include a commentary and deleted scenes, as well as a "behind the scenes" featurette. The "gag reel" is included, but sort of doesn't really work with the tone of this story. Additionally there are two music videos; "Bounce" by J-Rus and "Sunset Cliffs" by Paul Wright.
Final Thoughts
How you take the film relies much on your level of faith, and while basically your typical drama, To Save a Life will have fans and foes alike. Judged as an indie film it looks really good on Blu-ray and sounds pretty good too. The story is predictable but interesting enough that it won't feel like you've lost time for watching it.
Product Details
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