![]() ![]() Joel Houston, son of Hillsong Church patriarch Brian Houston, is the group’s most polished orator. They also talk, naturally, about their faith. (At one point, going over a melodic phrase, two players debate whether it is or isn’t a Katy Perry riff.) I really, really wish someone had asked them which mainstream artists most inspire or challenge them. The film’s structure, building toward a big concert at The Forum in the Los Angeles area, is a bit of a red herring, though it does lead to some humorous moments as band members struggle to polish off unfinished songs in the hours and minutes before the big show.ĭisarmingly, they talk about feeling goaded to try to compete with secular acts while admitting that they don’t think they’re all that good. The young mother singing in a dilapidated kitchen in Manila, the dudes in the car, and the African-American trio singing girl-group harmonies may never meet in this world - but they will probably all see this movie, and they will see each other not as fellow fans, but as sisters and brothers in Jesus.įor what it’s worth, I come to Hillsong – Let Hope Rise as something of an expatriate of this world, which I left a quarter century ago when I converted from Evangelicalism to Catholicism.īlending talking-head interviews, concert video, behind-the-scenes footage, and a bit of archival imagery, director Michael John Warren takes us from the humble beginnings of Hillsong Church, founded by senior pastor Brian Houston in a modest conference-room sized space outside Sydney over 30 years ago, to the vast Pentecostal empire it is today, with satellite churches in multiple countries on four continents. In the second place, what unites fans of Hillsong United’s music is more than music. “My neighbors know I’m a Christian they know I work for a church - but they have no idea what I just did last night.” “We’re the biggest band you’ve never heard of,” jokes guitarist Jad Gilles. Their impact greatly exceeds their relatively under-the-radar celebrity. On the other hand, Hillsong United’s music is sung every week by tens of millions of people gathered by hundreds and even thousands, singing in scores of languages. You could shoot a similar international montage, of course, with the music of the Beatles, John Denver, Mariah Carey, or many lesser known acts. Some of the footage appears to have been contributed by the subjects: A woman playing a ukulele on a Hawaiian beach seems to have been filmed with a mobile phone a biker singing (also not in English) while riding is captured with a selfie stick a dash-cam records four dudes singing on the road.
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