PureFlix romcom 'Learning to Love' proves God's presence amid loss, celebrates family: actress
The new PureFlix romcom “Learning to Love” highlights the reality of God’s presence amid loss and pain and the power of faith and positivity, making it the perfect feel-good movie for viewers of all ages, according to lead actress Ina Barrón.
The film, now streaming on PureFlix, follows Steph (Barrón), a successful ad executive who has recently moved to Miami following a breakup with her boyfriend and fellow advertising colleague. She finds herself in an unexpected job interview with Harry, a work-from-home architect seeking a live-in teacher for his two young daughters. As Steph introduces prayer and Bible stories into the girls' homeschool curriculum, the situation takes a transformative turn, leading to a heartwarming and redemptive experience for everyone involved.
In an interview with The Christian Post, Barrón said that though the film is a romantic comedy on the surface, it also addresses deeper themes like loss, faith and maintaining a positive mindset in the face of adversity.
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“This film is fun, it’s dynamic, it’s a family movie, kids can watch it,” she said. “It has all these themes of relationships changing, trying to plan your life in certain ways, and letting go into what is and sort of allowing yourself to go along for the ride. There are matters of grief and loss, and trying to keep a positive frame of mind despite adversity. It’s a very hopeful and fun story.”
Through Steph's influence, faith in God is rekindled in a family that had been grappling with pain and loss. Love blossoms amid the growing bond between Steph and Harry, leading them toward a potential future together.
Yet, just as things appear to be falling into place, challenges arise when the young girls start to feel threatened by the possibility of Steph and their father's marriage. Amid the sabotage attempts, the family embarks on a journey of growth, healing and love.
The story, according to Barrón, is “buoyed” by faith: “Stephanie maintains a positive mindset; she’s steeped in her faith, and she gets through situations because of her faith. Her positivity rubs off on Harry over time, and then they start kind of eyeing each other a little differently, and it goes from there.”
The actress, who is actively involved in advocating for the Department of Peacebuilding, a bill in Congress that aims to create a cabinet-level department dedicated to promoting peace, expressed her pride in being part of movies that can be enjoyed by the whole family. She stressed that art, whether through music, film or television, “sits in your mind and affects the way that you think or see the world.”
“In order to create a compelling story, it requires some intense drama, but it’s possible to do that in a beneficent way,” she said.
“Learning to Love” also stars Philip Boyd, Caroline Skye, Zoe Willis, Brandi Huzzie, Debra Lee Lima, Joshua Smith, Tom Copland and Susan Kovi. It’s one of the latest offerings from PureFlix, which recently announced it has joined forces with Great American Media, helmed by Bill Abbott, the former CEO of Crown Media Family Networks, the parent company of the Hallmark Channel.
Abbott recently told CP that through GAM’s merger with Pure Flix, the media platform will stream content that honors "faith, family and country," rivals Netflix in quality and serves as a beacon of light in a world that is "very, very dark and people have strong agendas."
"We will be the leader in faith and family content, both in streaming and in linear," Abbott said. "When you think streaming, you think Netflix. When you think faith and family content, you'll think Great American Media, Great American Pure Flix; Great American as a brand that represents a high quality, that represents that focus on faith and family, that never disappoints."
Unlike other streaming services, Abbott said every project released through GAM undergoes rigorous scrutiny to ensure that it upholds the principles of family-friendliness and is respectful of viewers of all ages.
"As we look at every project that we air, [we look at it through the lens] of never presenting situations that are uncomfortable for the family, that are not appropriate for every member of the family, that are not supportive of faith and family, he said.
"We scrutinize every piece of content; we create every word, every sentence, every way in which a person either respects their family and their elders or interacts with them; those are very important elements for us that are supportive of an overall culture structure and belief system."
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: [email protected]
