The Movie

Group 4
By Andrea Greer
Megan Heid
Thomas Harris
Source Information
Saved! Is a 2004 teen comedy involving issues such as
religious satire, pregnancy, homosexuality, divorce and
disabilities. It was filmed at Clayton Heights Secondary
School in Surrey, British Columbia but set in suburban
Baltimore County, Maryland. The film is based on director
Brian Dannelly's experience attending Arlington Baptist
High School, a Christian school located in Baltimore,
Maryland. It was produced by United Artists, Single Cell
Pictures, Infinity Media, James Forsyth Casting, and Red
Bull Productions. It was released by MGM studios.
Mission or Purpose?
 The mission is to provide different perspectives (through some
strange and entertaining situations) on the idea of being homosexual
or an unwed pregnant mother in a strong Christian based society.
 
 The movie is about a young Christian high school student named
Mary who found out that her boyfriend, Dean, is gay. In an attempt to
“cure” him she gives up her virginity. She reasons that God will restore
her spiritual and emotional virginity in her conquest to save Dean.
However, after their encounter he still ends up being sent to a Mercy
House for “degayification” and Mary finds out (to her horror) that she
is pregnant. Having feelings of despair, Mary’s friends turn on her as
she becomes a social outcast in her school. She eventually becomes
friends with the other misfits in her class and tries to make it through
the rest of her senior year without others finding out about her
pregnancy.
 Mixing of ideas?
 It was interesting how homosexuality was viewed in this movie. Mary was raised to
believe that it was unnatural and wrong based on her Christian faith. So why is one
homosexual?

 Mary tries to “cure” him and he is sent to a Mercy House for “degayification”. This
perspective makes it look like homosexuality is a disease or illness.
 
 When Mary tries to tell her friends that maybe her boyfriend can’t help being gay, one of
them responds “You’re not born a gay! You’re born again!” This is referencing the belief
that homosexuality is not genetic and it’s a choice. She thinks one can change their own
mind and “rid their perversions”.

 After confessing to her friends that her boyfriend was gay one of them says, “Oh no!
The gayness would have been passed on to children!” This contradicts the former
statements in recognizing that homosexuality is genetic or influenced by being raised by
a gay parent.
 
 Fact: Homosexuality has no known “cause” and can be an influence of many different
factors. However, homosexuality is no longer seen as a “mental illness” and it isn’t
something that can be “cured”. Evidence also shows that children raised by gay parents
grow up emotionally stable and happy as normally developing children of heterosexual
parents. It also shows that children raised by gay parents are not influenced to become
gay themselves because of their exposure to gay parents. (From our text book )
 Pressures of Unwed Pregnant
Mothers
The fact that she would rather have “cancer” than be
pregnant says something about the social pressures
they place on unwed mothers in her community.
Eventually she ends up vulnerable and detached from
everyone as her friends turn on her. She’s afraid to tell
anyone and has no support through most of her
pregnancy except for the other “outcasts” in her
school.
Other Perspectives
They gave other perspectives as the movie
progressed. With the character Patrick (Mary’s love
interest) stating, “I don’t think the Mercy House is for
the people who are sent there. I think it’s more for the
people who do the sending.”
At the end of the movie Mary and her friend’s state
that they need to accept everyone as they are. “Why
would God make everyone so different if He wanted
us all to be the same?”
 Does the information seem up-
to-date and unbiased
Obviously, some of the negative viewpoints and feelings
people share on homosexuality and unwed mothers are still
found in strong Christian faiths existent today. This movie
is about recognizing the extremes some people go through
in their religious zeal. It is in no way demeaning Christian
faith or is an “anti-Christian” movie. The main Character,
Mary, never denounces God, but she changes her
perspective to one that is less fanatical. This movie is about
gaining a more open perspective on controversial topics. So
although the movie starts off typically biased from the
religious perspective, they are successful in delivering more
open viewpoints and a positive message on self acceptance.
Sex Ed Class – a little too late?
It was interesting how the movie made reference to
the lack of sex education schools today. The pictures of
the nude male and female figure in the classroom
didn’t even include reproductory parts. The
perspective they shared was that abstinence is best and
you should wait until you are married. They made
several references to this way of thinking throughout
the movie. Mary even noted that she wished they
would have informed her about sex education a little
sooner before her misguided attempts left her
pregnant.
 Are the authors, producers, web masters, or other
managing entities reliable people or groups? How do
you know this?
One of the directors of this movie attended a school
similar to the one portrayed in the movie. I think a lot
of the ideas and feelings shared by the characters in
the movie are similar to what the director has seen in
real life. Even though this movie is fictional, the main
points and arguments that the film makers address
are real ones.
What type of information is
available?
This is a fictional movie so they don’t provide
“available information” like organizations or resources.
However, I did note that in the movie Mary attended a
“Planned Parenthood” clinic. This could be a reference
to other pregnant women who are searching for help.
Would this resource be useful for
your peers to review?
It isn’t entirely informational, but it does provide
some very different (if maybe exaggerated)
perspectives on the issues of homosexuality, teen
pregnancy, and extreme religious zeal. Obviously, if
someone was a strong religious believer who was
against homosexuality and pre marital intercourse,
they probably would not enjoy this movie. Otherwise,
we would definitely suggest it to my peers. It’s a sweet
and humorous outtake on many of the concerns our
society places on these issues.
 New Insight?
It didn’t challenge our beliefs in any way, but it did
help us see some of the ways in how people think
about these issues. The message this movie gives in the
end, is a positive one. We hope that everyone can
someday develop this same outlook and perspective on
the openness and acceptance of homosexuality and
unwed mothers. It made us realize just how important
sexual education is. It would have saved the character
a lot of hassle if she had been adequately informed
from the beginning. If only the characters had known
about the Sexuality Resource, AASECT.
Resources
1. www.tosavealifemovie.com 
2. www.religioustolerance.org/savmovie.htm