“Last time I asked for God’s help, He put me here,” 16-year-old Apple Bailey angrily tells the priest visiting her in the hospital following a car accident.
“Perhaps you're exactly where you’re meant to be,” the priest responds.
That exchange in the new movie Gimme Shelter leads to an epiphany of sorts for Apple (Vanessa Hudgens), who is homeless, pregnant, and struggling to escape from the grip of her abusive, drug-addicted mother (Rosario Dawson). When a street thug threatens Apple, she steals a car and gets into the aforementioned accident. And though she can’t see it at the time, that seemingly-tragic event is what sets her on a course to find love and family in ways she's never before experienced at a shelter run by Kathy DiFiore (Ann Dowd).
The idea of being “where you're meant to be” could also apply to the story behind the making of the film. One day, someone asked filmmaker Ronald Krauss the fateful question, “Have you heard about this shelter that's helping young women get off the streets?” The shelter in question was created by DiFiore, who is a real-life person, not just a movie character. Her 30-plus year ministry provides shelter and support to homeless, pregnant teenagers in New Jersey, and has saved the lives of thousands of babies.
Krauss visited the shelter and explained to me during a Christopher Closeup interview, “I didn't have any intention of doing anything. . . . Then I got so touched by some of these young girls’ lives, I approached Kathy and said, ‘I think more people need to find out about this place because this [story] could spread kindness and compassion.’ I never expected it to be this film, but it just blossomed.”
Krauss came to see the shelter as “holy ground,” so he moved in for an entire year to make sure the script he wrote got everything right. He even shot part of the movie there. His approach worked because Gimme Shelter’s greatest strength is that it shows instead of tells. This isn't a preachy movie, but one in which we walk through Apple’s troubles with her, experiencing betrayal and hopelessness – followed by trust, healing and love.
As DiFiore explained to me during the joint interview with Krauss, this storytelling approach is grounded in reality: “If a young lady seems like she has a dark side to her, it’s usually because she was physically abused or mentally tormented. So we have professional staff that work with them. Over the course of time, through God’s love and an understanding of the Holy Scriptures, they heal.” DiFiore also helps the children born under her care until they’re 18 years old. She said, “We’re your family. We’re not gonna desert you. We love you.”
Krauss is heartened by the reaction Gimme Shelter has received. He said, “People have been brought to tears – tears of joy, hope, compassion, and love.”
DiFiore hopes Gimme Shelter inspires people to start shelters of their own, so she offers a free “How to Open a Shelter Kit,” on her website, SeveralSourcesFD.org. Her other wish for people who see the movie: “I want people to get closer to God. And through the power of prayer, I want people to be inspired to do something, whether it’s for one individual that they personally know that needs help or for something greater than that. God will direct them.”
Krauss added, “My hope as the filmmaker is that this film will give people hope. If you think God’s not there for you, He is. If you just reach out, He’ll be there for you.”
(This essay is a recent “Light One Candle” column, written by Jerry Costello, of The Christophers; it is one of a series of weekly columns that deal with a variety of topics and current events.)
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