A Distant Thunder Dvd Short Film Review

When successful pro-choice prosecutor Ann Brown (Deborah Flora) is asked to take on a complex case involving partial-birth abortion, she reluctantly accepts after being threatened by attorney Tom Condan (Ned Vaughn). As the case unfolds, the film becomes a powerful thriller that forces you to examine the evidence for yourself. This haunting, fast-paced shocker contains scenes that may be too graphic for younger viewers.

Comments from Netflix Customers - I was quite surprised to the well produced and well acted short drama surrounding an abortion case dealing with Partial Birth Abortion Amazingly it contains no stereotypes , and both sides of the case appear as people Has a surprise ending that actually surprises you I would classify this drama as promoting the pro life belief while using modern production and special effects Rate it four stars. - WOW, that’s all I could think after watching this one! Its a really good story line that shows the pain on both sides. Its honest and puts everything out there without really taking a side. And the ending is just WOW! I mean after that you get it all, everything between the mother & daughter is explained and its heartbreaking! Its a really a good movie, and a must-see for everyone! - This movie should be seen by everyone, especially anyone who advocates partial birth abortion. I highly recommend viewing the "extras," commentaries by the director and actors to understand what was going on in their effort to show the truth about killing babies while still in their mother's wombs. If this movie would be allowed to be shown on TV, I am sure there would quite an outcry from those who have closed their minds and hearts to the reality of abortion (partial and otherwise!) Lord, have mercy on this country, because we certainly do not deserve His mercy.

Jonathan Flora has over fifteen years’ experience in the entertainment industry. He is a producer for worldwide DVD releases by The Walt Disney Company including Disney Pictures, Pixar, Touchstone, Miramax, and Hollywood Pictures, winning numerous Key Art and Promax Awards. In addition, he directs commercials and music videos for Disney with artists such as Kenny Loggins, Michael Crawford and more. Jonathan is also the writer and director of A Distant Thunder, the critically acclaimed film that is touching hearts and changing lives across the nation.

The film was honored at the International Christian Visual Media Association with the Gold Crown Award For Best Screenplay, Gold Crown Award For Best Drama and the Silver Crown Award For Best Picture. It has aired on cable, in schools, universities and youth groups; and after screening the film on Capitol Hill, the Floras received a letter from President Bush thanking them. Steve McEveety, one of the producers of The Passion of The Christ, also has praised the film. As a writer, Jonathan’s articles and columns have been appeared in numerous publications and websites, including Renew America and The Conservative Voice. Previously, he worked in marketing and public relations with the Los Angeles and Vero Beach Dodgers, as well as serving as Director of Marketing and Corporate Sponsorships with the World Wrestling Federation. During his tenure at the WWF, Jonathan produced and directed various television segments and promotional commercials for ESPN

SPECIAL EDITION DVD CONTAINS: -Original Version (parental discretion advised for pre-teens) & Edited Version -Spanish Language Version -"A Conversation with the Filmmakers" featurette -"A Conversation with the Experts" featurette -Commentary with Writer/Director Jonathan Flora -Commentary with cast: Deborah Flora, Peter Renaday and Selah Victor -"Behind the Thunder" -- The Making of A DISTANT THUNDER -Trailer

http://www.adistantthunder.com “A Distant Thunder' is a powerful thriller and a gripping legal drama. It's engrossing, terrifying, and convincing. It will move you; it will change you!" - Chris Weinkopf, Los Angeles Daily News “I’d call ‘A Distant Thunder’ a nightmare of a movie but, nightmares are not normally representative of reality. This nightmare is happening every minute of every day... The extra bonus here is that these filmmakers know how to shoot!” - Steve McEveety, Producer The Passion Of The Christ, Braveheart, We Were Soldiers "A haunting master piece that gets into your heart and stays there. Filled with visually stunning images and an emotional story, 'A Distant Thunder' is simply one of the most powerful and thought-provoking movies in years!" – Jill Stanek, WorldNetDaily “Chilling and provocative, with a great twist at the end! Packs a powerful emotional punch! Creepy and surprising!” – Ted Baehr, Movieguide “A genuine haunting masterpiece. Intelligently written and acted... A ‘must see’ for every thinking American! - Mike Westfall, The American Worker “If Hitchcock would have made a film on partial-birth abortion, this would be it!” - Steve Ramsey - Gospel Communications International “Seeks to do to unrestricted abortion what ‘Uncle Tom’s Cabin’ did to slavery!” – Cheryl Rhoads, National Review Online

“Without a doubt, this film will become one of the most powerful tools to make people think and wrestle with the abortion issue!” – Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life "This is a must see! The beauty of this masterful production is that it impacts the viewer both mentally and emotionally. It makes you think with tears." - Hubert Harriman, President - WGM “A Distant Thunder’ is not only thought-provoking, it reaches inside your spirit and wraps around your heart!” – Kevin Fobbs, WDTK-Radio, Detroit “A Distant Thunder’ has immaculate production value… Flora’s direction is very good, with atmosphere and engrossing nuance.” - FilmThreat.com "Intriguing, provocative and creepy!" - Patrick Lussier – Editor: Scream, Scream 2, Scream 3, Red-Eye – Director: Dracula 2000 "A Distant Thunder is an intense presentation that makes one search their inner-being. A thought provoking piece that is sure to make an impact with its creativity, stellar performers, and intellectual challenges. The accompanying comments of the filmmakers bring it all together!" - Jim Tressel, Head Football Coach, Ohio State University “With ‘A Distant Thunder’, Jonathan Flora has created a dramatic, emotional short film with a clear message -- partial birth abortion is taking a life, plain and simple. Using a Twilight-Zone twist, his film deals with one life cut short by this brutal and most controversial method of abortion. We should all remember one line from the film: ‘Whether we live 90 years or 90 seconds, there's a part of us that goes on forever.’ This timely film is a call to action to defend the lives of soon-to-be-born children who are inhumanely denied their right to life.” - Jeb Bush, Former Governor of Florida "As a strong pro-life member of Congress, I have worked to advocate many initiatives to protect innocent unborn babies. After viewing "A Distant Thunder," I believe it offers a unique and inspirational perspective that could help change minds and hearts. I would encourage everyone -- regardless of their position on abortion -- to watch this film." Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH) "A Distant Thunder’ is a thought-provoking, and, at times, startling look at partial-birth abortion. It goes beyond legal jargon to the harsh realities of the procedure, forcing the viewer to personally confront abortion's long-lasting physical and emotional scars." Zoe Sandvig, WORLD Magazine "If 'A Distant Thunder' doesn't open your eyes to some vital issues facing our Nation today, I don't know what will. Take a look at it!" - Bobby Bowden, Head Football Coach Florida State University "This is an absorbing and relevant drama. It's one of those rare shockers that leaves you wondering where you really stand on an important social issue." - Capt. Dale Dye USMC (Ret) - Actor/Director/Military film consultant - Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Band Of Brothers "Deborah Flora's performance is hypnotic and real, demonstrating a frailty and tenderness that is the emotional center of the film." – Jill Stanek, WorldNetDaily “Benjamin Flora may be the youngest person to ever earn a starring credit in a film!” –

Things are not always as they seem... especially when entering the halls of a desperate mind in this gripping supernatural thriller. Struggling to keep her fragile sanity from unraveling, Prosecutor Ann Brown is offered a murder case that will challenge everything she believes to be true. Uncertain at first whether to accept the assignment, a harrowing encounter with Defense Attorney Tom Condan, convinces her to meet the challenge. The deeper she investigates, reality and tormenting delusions collide as she encounters an evil force as unnerving as it is foreboding. Terrifying secrets are exposed and you'll discover the shocking twist which reveals the chilling and unforeseeable truth.

‘A Distant Thunder’ up close Published, September 2005 - By Lori Arnold “A Distant Thunder,” not to be confused with 1988’s “Distant Thunder,” a post-Vietnam melodrama starring John Lithgow, is intense and at times unsettling, although much of the uncertainty is nicely wrapped up in the suspenseful ending. The story, which features Flora’s wife Deborah in the lead, involves a murder case brought about by a partial-birth abortion gone tragically bad. By design, the graphic procedure is movingly detailed through a courtroom witness and is not shown on screen. Director Jonathan Flora, seeking to motivate the viewer, wanted them to develop their own mental image of the procedure. The plot was also carefully crafted to portray the irreversible, long-term repercussions of abortion. “I want to plant a seed that when you abort a baby, you are aborting a baby that would have had a life,” Flora said. “Who knows what could have been?” Flora is hoping that couples will view the movie with their teen-age children and at least one Catholic school has indicated it would include the film in its curriculum. Because of the subject matter and the intensity of the thriller, it is recommended that parents view the film before showing it to their children, to determine its suitability. Flora is hoping parents do use it as a tool in an effort to stop a practice he finds morally and ethically corrupt. “I really believe there is a storm coming and it’s going to be based on the decisions we make,” he said. “If we don’t make the right decisions, the storm is going to come and it’s going to be bad.”

Set as a courtroom drama and titled A Distant Thunder, the 35-minute film enters the desperate mind of pro-choice prosecutor Ann Brown (played by Flora's wife, Deborah) who takes on a partial-birth abortion case, which proves to challenge everything she believes to be true. The deeper she investigates the case the more she is tormented by evil delusions that are both unnerving and foreboding. Terrifying secrets are exposed that lead to a shocking twist in which the unforeseeable, yet provocative, truth is revealed. Viewers are likely to be left speechless as the credits roll causing them to reflect on the harsh reality of partial-birth abortion, also known by its medical term "dilation and extraction" or "D&X." As described by National Right to Life, D&X is an abortion procedure performed on women who are 20 to 32 weeks pregnant in which the unborn baby is grabbed by the legs with forceps and pulled into the birth canal leaving the head inside the womb. While the baby is still alive, scissors are forced into the back of the baby's skull and spread to enlarge the wound into which a suction catheter is then inserted. The brains of the baby are sucked out causing the head to collapse. The dead baby is then removed from the uterus. "The only difference between partial-birth abortion and homicide is three inches," Brown says in the film. Because education, wrapped in entertainment, is a driving force behind this motion picture, this procedure is described in similar detail through the characters' dialogue, although not depicted”

Review of 'A Distant Thunder' Film takes a provocative look at the moral implications of partial-birth abortion December 14, 2005 RenewAmerica staff Disney producer Jonathan Flora's new film, A Distant Thunder, is a must-see for anyone interested in the subject of partial-birth abortion. Reminiscent of supernatural thrillers by M. Night Shyamalan (The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Village) and reflecting the best in cinematic courtroom and horror dramas, A Distant Thunder takes viewers through a maze of disturbing hints, twists, symbols, and flashbacks until at the end they are stunned and surprised at what they've been watching. With first-rate acting by literally everyone in the film, along with first-class production values, the film is a thought-provoking look at the horrible, but legally-sanctioned, practice of partial-birth abortion. "Just three inches. . ." is how the film describes the legalities of the shocking abortion incident around which the film revolves. So powerful is the film's main thesis, once the pieces come together, that it can change lives, minds, and hearts. It was for this reason, Flora says, that he chose to confine the film to 35 minutes, so it can be widely viewed by lawmakers, political leaders, educators, school classes, and religious groups. A full-length follow-up version is contemplated by Flora and producer Kip Perry in the future. A highlight of the film is the sensational performance by the film's central character Ann Brown, played by Deborah Flora (wife of Jonathan Flora). The gifted actress takes the film far beyond predictable "message" vehicles and gives a stunning portrayal of the young lawyer caught between colliding realities. It helps that the script by husband Jonathan is insightful, believable, and compelling. Jonathan attributes this, in part, to a decision he made in college to support an abortion, a decision he regrets and is willing to risk censure among his Hollywood peers to persuade others against. The highly-charged movie is an independent project Flora undertook outside of Disney. The film features veteran actors Ned Vaughn, Peter Renaday, and Charlene Tilton, as well a list of lesser-known, but capable actors. Viewers will not easily forget the riveting testimony of the nurse who witnessed the disturbing events at the heart of the movie, played by Laura Richardson.

Exceptional on every level, the film can be ordered at www.adistantthunder.com . Be prepared to be challenged by the film's puzzling twists and turns, as well as graphic images. Unrated, the film targets teenagers and adults on both sides of the abortion debate. Source - http://www.renewamerica.com/article/051214

Comments from a IMDb User http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472072/usercomments

Thought-soliciting, powerful, purposeful and skillful ..., 12 October 2005 Author: bondgirl-8 from United States Creating a Hollywood-quality film from a potentially political and sticky subject is no easy task. I believe politics calls this diplomacy Following, this film has as one of its main strengths the ability to reveal the realities of both sides of an issue without provoking offense or anger. Instead, it very skillfully provokes thought as it unfolds the story and experiences of both sides of a heated issue that is at the very core of this film. This is what impressed me most. Secondly, I was impressed by the Hollywood quality of the film, the plot, the actors and filmography. This is no third-rate film. The writers and producers are obvious professionals. The film description mentions a surprise ending, but you still won't be prepared for it; it will leave you thinking about the ramifications of this issue long after the screen goes black. Thirdly, I was impressed by the fact that I don't believe a film of this type has ever been created or attempted. It is purpose-driven, and yet, it neither condemns nor judges anyone. The movie inspired me to sport some related bumper stickers on my car, and to tell others to see it and to make them think about this most important issue. Really, is just three inches the only difference between murder and legality?? We are all to be held accountable for our actions, yet, God can forgive anyone who sincerely asks. My only wish? I wish it were longer! I would like to know where the film will be available and will it available on the big screen soon, or only through stores? I hope that more thought-provocative yet diplomatic films like this one will be created in the future to cause humanity to think about its actions and how far it has gone with the right-to-this and the right-to-that to justify them. Some decisions are just beyond personal rights. The film, by nature, invites one to see it for themselves, analyze the subject content and draw their own conclusions. So see it for yourself, examine the current legal system and find your voice at the end of this moral journey. The Thunder may be closer than you think ..

Comments from Amzon.com Users Exceptional, February 1, 2006 By Mrs Koz (PA) A legal thriller that handles a politically divisive subject well. Better-funded than most "independent" "Christian" films, this is a must-see for all thinking Americans. If by end of the first act you aren't sure where you stand on partial-birth abortion, check yourself again during the end credits. You may be surprised to find you see the issue more clearly than before, and without the spin of politics. Where you find "right and left", there is also and always "right or wrong". Right or Wrong should be what inspires you in life. Incredibly moving and provocative!, Oct 21,2006 By Lynn Pine (MA) This is a short but powerful film about a legal case involving partial-birth abortion. Very well made and suberbly acted, this movie easily stands up to anything produced by mainstream Hollywood. Though genuinely apolitical, the film forces the viewer to consider their own views about the horror of partial-birth abortion in a very meaningful way. It may be helpful to view it more than once or to see it in a group and discuss it afterwards, as subtleties may be missed the first time around. It's no surprise that many people have never even heard, let alone seen this film. But I would bet that anyone who does, cannot help but be moved. I would not recommend to most children under the age of 15, as some scenes are intense and may be frightening, however, I would not hesitate to encourage any high school or college-age student to watch, especially as it is likely to spur discussion. Cast: Terry Brown, Deborah Flora, Peter Renaday, Diane Sellers, Charlene Tilton, Ned Vaughn “A clip” - Ann Brown the DA prosecutor is in court ready to argue a murder case. The judge asks if everyone is present. Ann replies, "No, your honor, but I'm afraid the matter is out of our hands." “Why?” Ann: "Sadly, your Honor, the one witness we unfortunately cannot have testify is the victim in this case." The defense then begins to argue with Ann that his client simply performed a legal abortion. Ann argues there's more to it than that – something went terribly wrong.