A son of Phil and Kay Robertson says a new movie about the famous Duck Dynasty couple has led to reports of marriages rescued and souls saved, confirming to the family that making the film “was all worth it.”
The Blind (PG-13), now on home video, tells the story of how Phil and Kay fell in love but soon separated due to his alcoholism and bouts of rage. They reconciled after he became a Christian.
The movie was a box office hit, opening at No. 5 and staying in the Top 10 for four weeks.
Al Robertson, who starred in Duck Dynasty and whose character is portrayed in the film, says he has received multiple reports of the movie impacting viewers. Al’s character is the oldest child of Phil and Kay in the movie.
“It’s unbelievable,” Robertson told Christian Headlines, referencing the film’s impact. “… There have been stories of people that literally came to a conversion moment in the theater, where they just said, ‘I need to accept Christ.’”
Other people have told him “about literally marriages that were in divorce court, ready to end, being saved.”
“One particular story that I love is a woman who said her husband has been an alcoholic for … a long time, and literally wakes up and starts drinking in the morning.”
The woman encouraged her husband, a fan of Duck Dynasty, to watch the film.
“She said about halfway through the film, she kept seeing him tear up. And he finally reached over and grabbed her hand during the film. And she said, ‘He hasn’t touched me in probably two years.’ And then after the film was over, he said, ‘I think we need to talk about some of my issues.’”
Meanwhile, a young couple said they were going to stop their drinking and partying ways.
Those types of stories, he said, are “what makes it all worthwhile for doing it, for being willing to put yourself out there.”
The movie has “an evangelistic-like thrust,” Robertson said, with the goal of attracting fans of the television series or fans of hunting.
“And the idea was this is an opportunity to maybe get some folks to see the gospel in a different way,” he said. “Maybe they wouldn’t go to church with you. Maybe they wouldn’t go to your small group or your house church. But they might go to a theater and watch a movie.”
Al Robertson was nine years old when his father, then drunk, kicked the family out of the home. That moment is depicted in the movie.
“They really nailed the key moment scene when he kicked us out,” Robertson told Christian Headlines. “It was raining, we were in our pajamas, we were scared, and Mom was crying. And so it was just, you know, this huge emotional moment.
“The scenes that really impacted me more — and now especially that I’ve seen it a few times — were the scenes of grace, especially the church opening up for us [and] all the people that were there to provide a pathway for mom and dad. Those are the things now that made me cry because I realized that through all the difficulty, God had people there ready to help us when we needed to be helped.”
Related: Kay Robertson Recalls the Night a Drunk Phil Kicked Her Out: ‘Fight for Your Marriage,’ She Says
4 Things You Should Know about The Blind
Photo Courtesy: Fathom
Video Courtesy: The Blind via YouTube
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
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