A smarmy used-car dealer decides his life (and his business) could use an overhaul. So he turns both over to God. Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul is a resonant, sincere remake of Alex Kendrick’s original 2003 film, this time set in Brazil. And it comes with nary a content issue to worry about.
Noah Silva knows cars.
Correction: Noah Silva knows how to sell cars, and he sells a bunch from his Rio de Janeiro-based car lot. He could sell a Smart Car to a 6-foot-10 rugby player, a Ferrari to an 80-year-old grandmother, a Buick to a guy who hasn’t had a driver’s license since 2003. He’ll sell you a car for thousands more than it’s worth and smile as he takes your rent money. He’ll lie and cheat and pretend he’s your best friend. Why, he’ll even bilk money out of his own pastor and make the good reverend feel grateful.
“You’re smoother than mud on a rainy day,” marvels Douglas, one of Noah’s impressionable employees.
Yep, Noah Silva knows how to sell cars. Too bad he doesn’t know how to do anything else.
He yells at his wife. He ignores his son. And even though Noah can rake in the green, his used-car dealership is deep in the red. Those cars he hocks? He knows how to sell them, but he doesn’t know how they run—or how to fix them.
Take the vintage Ford Mustang in his garage right now. It’s a beaut to look at, but it doesn’t actually run. Jason, Noah’s sage mechanic, tells him that there’s probably something wrong with the flywheel.
“Without the flywheel, you have no ignition,” Jason explains. “You’re going nowhere.”
Perhaps Noah has something in common with his cherry-red Mustang: On the outside, he’s a picture of smooth, slick confidence. But inside, there’s something broken. Something missing.
For Noah to address his brokenness, he’ll need to take himself apart, bit by bit. He’ll need to confess. Change. Make amends. And, most especially, he’ll need to turn over his life’s keys to Someone who can drive it far better.
Noah knows how to sell cars. But God? He knows Noah. And He knows how to fix the guy—step by painful step.
[Note: The following sections contain spoilers.]
Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul is predicated on a life-changing turn to faith. We’ll get to that faith in the section below, but here, let’s take a look at how that turn manifests in less spiritual, more pragmatic ways.
Noah’s first step toward redemption involves confession—most especially to his wife. “I’ve been living only for myself,” he tells her. “I haven’t been the father I need to be; I haven’t been the husband I need to be.” But Noah’s determined to make amends, and we see him turn those critical relationships around.
Noah quickly makes changes in his business dealings, too. “We’re going to start selling cars at honest prices,” Noah tells his two employees. Douglas hates the sound of that because he knows that “honest prices” means less commission. “I have to support my family,” he yells at Noah, “and you’re taking food off my table!” But Noah refuses to compromise, even though he knows that this new strategy puts his business at even greater peril of going under.
And Noah goes even farther. Not only does he vow to treat customers fairly in the future, he’s determined to make amends to the customers he cheated in the past. Noah begins visiting clients—clients who, by the way, still have no idea that they’d been swindled—and writes them checks by way of apology.
Who does that sort of thing? Someone whose life has been changed by God, that’s who.
Noah Silva and his family—wife Ana and son David—go to church … when Noah feels like it. He sits dourly in service and pretends to put money in the offering plate. And when it comes to business, Noah treats his pastor just like he treats everyone else: terribly. Noah charges the pastor $2,000 too much for a car. And the reverend, thrilled with the supposed deal that Noah gave him, offers to pray for his business.
“I pray that you treat Noah the same way that he treated me today,” the pastor prays, turning a supposed blessing into a bit of an unintended curse.
But Noah knows that he’s a louse. And after watching a televangelist preach on TV, Noah feels convicted.
“Until you repent of your sins, until you surrender your life, [Jesus] can’t be or won’t be your Savior,” the pastor says. “He cannot be your Lord.”
The next day, Noah talks with his mechanic, Jason, about the Mustang’s flywheel. Jason can see that Noah’s wrestling with some weighty matters, and he suggests that Noah should pray.
“I don’t think God will listen to me,” Noah says. “He knows, Jason. He knows I’m not honest. He knows I’m a terrible husband and a bad father … to tell you the truth, I don’t even like myself very much.”
But Jason reassures him, telling Noah that he (Jason) used to laugh at people who followed Christ before he started doing so himself. They kneel before an office couch, and Noah prays the Sinner’s Prayer. “Help me to return to Your will,” Noah says. “I want to be a good man. Father, I surrender my life to you. You’re in control. You’re the boss. Forgive me, Jesus.”
Noah’s life takes a hard right turn in that moment. That evening, he confesses his selfishness to Ana, telling her that he’s also not been “the spiritual leader I need to be.” He asks a grateful Ana to pray for him, too—and learns that Ana’s pregnant with their second child. “I’m going to love our baby,” Noah promises. “With the Lord’s help, I will.”
Noah begins reading his Bible, taking home special conviction from Psalm 1 and how “the way of the wicked will perish.” He changes his business practices (as Douglas protests that it “isn’t a church”), and soon his loved ones take note. Even Noah’s long-estranged father stops by to tell Noah how long he and his mother have prayed for Noah to come to Christ. (Noah’s dad prays with him on the spot.)
But Noah’s not the only one who makes some overdue confessions. Ana apologies for “all the times I offended you and spoke so negatively.” She pushes Noah to take the remarkable step of reimbursing the dealership’s cheated customers—noting that the profits they’ve made line up exactly with the extra money they’ve taken in over the last several months.
“Noah Silva,” Ana says, “you gave this car lot to God, and He’s going to run it the right way.”
We hear other people pray and tell Noah that his kindness is an answer to prayer. God rewards Noah and Ana’s faithfulness.
Noah and Ana’s marriage is pretty shaky as the movie begins. But as Ignition of the Soul progresses, their relationship gets stronger. We see the two of them grow both emotionally and, at times, physically closer. But we don’t see anything much more than an occasional hug.
Noah unleashes a frightening display of temper at dinner one night, slamming his open hand on the table. “Shut your mouth, Ana,” he snaps, “and don’t open it again unless it’s to eat.”
We hear that some of the cars Noah has sold have been in accidents. A woman comically thwacks Noah with a wallet.
Nothing worse than an occasional “dang” or “heck.”
None.
Noah is far from a great role model as Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul opens. He lies and cheats his customers. When his son, David, tries to show Noah a picture he drew, Noah barely pays attention—and later, without thinking, Noah throws the picture in the trash. (David sees the discarded art and is crushed.) But all of Noah’s bad behavior is critical to showing his God-driven turnaround.
When Noah does start changing his ways, his salesman Douglas quits and storms out. But before Douglas can leave the lot, the mechanic Jason wires the horn to the brakes on Douglas’ car, leading to a very noisy exit.
Noah hires a temporary worker to fill this newfound vacancy. But the guy he hires comes into the job with another agenda—one that is only revealed to Noah several weeks later.
In 2003, brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick wanted to make a movie that would draw viewers closer to Christ. They pitched the concept to Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia, which ponied up $20,000 to make it happen. The brothers wrote the script, while Alex directed and starred in the thing. They called it Flywheel.
Making a Christian film wasn’t a new idea, of course: Christians have been making movies since movies themselves were a thing. But something special happened with this little movie that could. While Flywheel made just $37,000 in theaters, it took off on DVD, with more than 300,000 copies sold. The movie’s success paved the way for Alex and Stephen to make more Christian flicks, from Facing the Giants to Fireproof, War Room and The Forge. And in so doing, the Kendrick Brothers created a template for a wave of new faith-based filmmakers to follow.
I’d argue that the Christian movie industry has never been stronger. And I think that the Kendricks are a big reason why.
This is not to say that the brothers’ movies are critical darlings. Their films eschew nuance for clear storylines with unmistakable takeaways. Though their movies are skillfully built and can be both funny and poignant, moviegoers will never, ever miss the point of a Kendrick Brothers film. And that point is almost always a variation of this: Jesus can change your life if you just let Him.
Flywheel: Ignition of the Soul is a great example of what a Kendrick Brothers film looks and feels like—even though it comes with some notable differences, too.
This Flywheel remake takes place in Brazil, for one thing, with dialogue all in Portuguese. (Even Alex Kendrick, who fills a supporting role here, speaks Portuguese—repeating lines that he was fed off camera.) Alessandro Barros, not Alex, serves as the movie’s director. Even as Ignition of the Soul serves as a remake—incorporating more than two decades of movie-making lessons—it’s also a cross-cultural experiment.
But the film still comes with all the straightforward earnestness that we expect: Lives are changed. God intercedes in miraculous ways. The story is wrapped and packaged with a nice, tidy bow.
For non-Christians, the approach can feel unconvincing. Even for some Christians in the audience, the plot may strike them as unrealistic, devoid of the tension and disappointments that we often feel in our own spiritual walks.
And yet, the Kendrick Brothers could well point to the original Flywheel to say that God actually does meet us in these beautiful, unexpected ways. That sometimes, when you pursue your faith with clarity and sincerity, your efforts may be blessed in ways you’d never imagine.
Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.
