Writer-director Jimmy Jenkins moves Mary and Joseph’s story to a present-day Maryland neighborhood. The film premieres Saturday at his father’s church ahead of its Nov. 13 theatrical release.
By EEW Magazine Online News Editors
From left: key art for “God With Us,” and stars Aspen Kennedy (“The Forge”) and Ashley Olivia Fisher (“Average Joe”), who play Joseph “Junie” Love and Mary Anne Thomas. Illustration: EEW Magazine Online; key art courtesy of God With Us Movie, LLC; headshots via IMDb
Jimmy Jenkins’ new film sets the story of Mary and Joseph in a present-day Black neighborhood in Maryland, where a young woman’s impossible pregnancy upends her life, her relationship and her community. “God With Us,” which Jenkins wrote and directed, premieres Saturday, Oct. 24, at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, where his father, Pastor John K. Jenkins Sr., is senior pastor. The film opens in select theaters nationwide Nov. 13.
Ashley Olivia Fisher (“Average Joe”) and Aspen Kennedy (“The Forge”) star as Mary Anne Thomas and Joseph “Junie” Love, childhood sweethearts whose lives turn upside down when Mary Anne learns she is pregnant despite never having been with a man. The story unfolds in a modern world where the promised Savior has yet to come, according to the film’s official description, and the young couple must face disbelief, danger and the judgment of people around them.
Left, Ashley Olivia Fisher and Aspen Kennedy as Mary Anne Thomas and Joseph “Junie” Love; right, Lil Rel Howery as Gabe in “God With Us.” Images: Courtesy of God With Us Movie, LLC
The title comes from Matthew 1:23, where the Gospel writer, citing Isaiah’s prophecy, says the child will be called Emmanuel, “which being interpreted is, God with us.” The film draws on the Nativity accounts in Matthew 1 and Luke 1, including Joseph’s plan to end the betrothal quietly before an angel appeared to him in a dream (Matthew 1:19-20) and Mary’s answer to the angel Gabriel: “be it unto me according to thy word” (Luke 1:38).
The filmmakers bill the movie as a modern-day parable. When the project was announced last October, Jenkins told Deadline that few faith-based films “authentically speak to urban America,” and said he hoped the story would feel real and relatable to audiences.
“God With Us” is a family and congregational effort. Jenkins developed it with his brother, Joshua Jenkins, and their father, who serves as an executive producer. Members of First Baptist Church of Glenarden’s drama ministry also appear in the film. Based in Prince George’s County, the church reports more than 11,000 active members, making it one of the largest congregations in the Washington, D.C., area.
The film is Jenkins’ second feature. His first, “Sinners Wanted,” drew from the book of Hosea, in which God tells the prophet to love an unfaithful wife as a picture of His love for Israel. That film premiered at the church in 2019 before moving to a local theater.
The supporting cast includes Lil Rel Howery (“Get Out”) as Gabe, Rotimi (“Power”) as Walter Moon, Roger Guenveur Smith (“Do the Right Thing”) as Boozer, Gregory Alan Williams (“Remember the Titans”) as Dr. Amos, Clifton Powell as Willie Earl and Ashley Rios as Rosa Lee. Howery and Rotimi also serve as executive producers, along with Pastor Mike Jr. and others. Asante and Jasmine White produced the film under their faith-based banner, PBG Productions, and Variance Films is handling the theatrical release.
Saturday’s screening begins at 6 p.m. at the church’s Worship Center in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Tickets for the Nov. 13 theatrical release are available at godwithusmovie.com.
The film runs 1 hour, 45 minutes and is not rated. View the trailer below.