Earlier this year,Unsung Herowas released in cinemas and was a remarkable success. Thefaith-based musical biopictells the inspiring story of the early lives of the inspirational pop bandFor King + Countryand their family. The film centers around the Smallbone family, with a particular focus on their mother,Helen Smallbone. Helen leads the family through struggles and eventual triumphs as they journey from Australia to the United States, with the family eventually becoming one of the most successful families in contemporary Christian music. To mark the film’s success, Collider is delighted to bring our viewers a peek behind the curtain.
The movie is directed byJoel Smallbone, one of the For King + Country brothers, and he has contributed to the movie along with his brotherLuke Smallbonein terms of the musical element. Songs from the Grammy-winning band are interwoven into the narrative, while Helen Smallbone’s story is at the heart of the film. The movie has a 99% audience score onRotten Tomatoesand has just debuted on Starz.
The film starsDaisy Betts,Joel Smallbone, Kirrilee Berger, Jonathan Jackson,Lucas Black,Candace Cameron Bure,andTerry O’Quinn. It was directed and written by Joel Smallbone andRichard L. Ramsey; and produced byJoshua Walsh, Justin Tolley, Joel Smallbone, and Luke Smallbone.
An Exclusive Q&A With For King + Country
When asked about the motivation to bringtheir family’s story to the big screen, Joel Smallbone told Collider’sSamantha Coleyhow the story has been close to their hearts for years:
“It’s a story that we’ve told as part of our show since the inception of the band. A child advocacy moment and have had so many people mention that we should write a book, tell a story… So not only was the journey of migrating from Australia to America a family affair, but between every member being a cameo, our parents being part of breaking the story, Luke producing, and me playing my dad it has continued to be a family affair.”
This film also marks Joel Smallbone’s directorial debut. So, does he plan on making more films? The answer is a resounding yes, as he teased his upcoming project with screenwriter Richard Ramsey. He explained:
“The short answer is, yes, in fact I’m answering these questions in Los Angeles after sitting with my co-director and screen writer Richard Ramsey, putting pen to paper on our next project. We can’t specifically announce, butwe’ll go into principal photography in the fall of 2025,and it will certainly have music as a key component in the story. And this mysterious next project will haveeven more music involved than Unsung Hero did. And whether it’s the audience on the other side of a song or a screen the fact is the beginning, middle, and end of art is the people and the fact that the people have spoken, even down to it becoming the number one highest rated film of 2024 with the verified audience on Rotten Tomatoes indicates to us thatwe’re serving a need and inspiring people, so the short answer is yes, we’ll absolutely be working on another film. And the gratitude we feel for the audience (in this case in front of a screen) is magnificent.”
InUnsung Hero, Joel plays his own father, a role he found both surreal and challenging. “I thought it would be natural and novel to play our own dad,” he said. “It was only when the camera light turned red and I was literally dressed in his jacket from 30 years ago did I A) start counting the costs and B) start realizing what a magnificent and slightly preposterous to reenact some of the most tumultuous moments of your father’s life on camera.”
As music is an integral part of For King + Country’s identity, Joel went on to reflect on how their music enhancesemotional moments on screen:
“There’s something mysterious and magical about pictures being tied to music and music being tied to pictures. From our stage performance to music videos and now to feature-length films, it feels like a real cumulative moment. And the most heightened version of art in the modern context that we can take theatrical scores and music and melodies and stories and marry them together to each other in this great sonic and site symphony. Our hope is that in that symphony that people will feel more seen, more connected to each other, and more connected to God through the guttural and visceral telling of stories and hearing of melodies.”
