Lucy Shimmers and the Prince of Peace Christian Movie Review (2020)

Guidance: Talk Together

Surface content is gentle, but the film carries weighty themes involving sickness, death, heaven, and explicit Christian conversations about Jesus, mercy, and second chances. Families may appreciate its redemptive focus while still wanting to talk through its portrayal of spiritual perception and the afterlife.

Why This Guidance Level

This lands in a discussion-advised range because the surface content is mild, but the story deals directly with death, serious illness, heaven, forgiveness, and a child’s apparent contact with the dead. The film’s strongest impact for Christian families is not harsh content but the spiritual and theological conversation it invites.

Faith & Worldview Perspective

The film strongly values mercy, repentance, family love, and hope, and it speaks plainly about Jesus Christ as the source of forgiveness. That is a meaningful strength. The main tension is its treatment of a child seeing her deceased grandfather and the use of “old soul” and “magic in their soul” language, which can blur biblical categories about death and spiritual reality. Parents may want to discuss how Christian hope rests in Jesus Christ and His promises, not in private spiritual experiences.

Truths Reflected

• The story treats forgiveness and second chances as deeply important and connects that hope to Jesus Christ.
• It honors family love, compassion for the suffering, and the dignity of people who feel beyond redemption.

Tensions to Discuss

• The child’s ongoing sight of her deceased grandfather may confuse children about whether the dead remain present and visible to us.
• The “old soul” and “magic in their soul” language leans into spiritual ideas that are not grounded in biblical teaching.

Content & Discernment Markers

Occult & Spiritual Content

• A central thread involves Lucy saying, “Grandpa Jackson, I can see him,” even after her mother reminds her, “He died last summer. He’s in heaven.” The film treats this as tender and meaningful, not frightening, but Christian families may want to discuss the difference between comfort in grief and biblical teaching about the dead.
• The opening narration describes certain people as having “that magic in their soul” and says some may call Lucy “an old soul.” This language gives the story a mystical tone that may need clarification for children, especially alongside the film’s otherwise explicit Christian message.

Sexuality & Relationships

• Relationship content is limited to affectionate family interactions between married parents and their child, including bedtime “I love you” exchanges. Sexual content does not stand out here.

Identity Themes

• Lucy is presented as a uniquely gifted child with unusual spiritual perception and a special purpose. That can open a helpful conversation about identity being rooted first in being loved by God rather than in having extraordinary experiences.

Violence & Intensity

• There is no notable action violence. The main threat is medical and emotional, with a prisoner told, “His kidneys are failing” and that he needs dialysis and a transplant or “he won’t make it.”

Language & Humour

• Language is very mild. The most notable line is a blunt reference to “A dead man,” used in a serious context rather than as coarse humor. Profanity and crude jokes are not a feature of the film.

Other Content Notes

• A child is diagnosed with pneumonia after fever and breathing trouble, and several scenes revolve around doctors, x-rays, antibiotics, and parental worry. These moments are not graphic, but they may be sad for younger or medically sensitive viewers.
• Death and grief are woven through the story. Lucy talks about her grandfather being in heaven, and the film repeatedly frames illness in life-or-death terms. Parents may want to prepare children for conversations about loss and Christian hope.
• The film includes direct Christian dialogue such as “You really should read the Bible” and “Jesus is telling us that his forgiveness and his mercy are available to all who want it.” This is central to the story and may lead naturally into gospel conversation.

Notable Moments

• Lucy sees Grandpa: Lucy tells her mother that she can see her deceased grandfather, and the scene frames it as sincere and emotionally comforting.

  “Grandpa Jackson, I can see him.”

• Prince of Peace: Lucy draws Jesus in her book, and her father explains the title “Prince of Peace.”

  “You know they also call him the Prince of Peace?”

• Pastor urges repentance: A pastor speaks directly to a dying prisoner about reading the Bible and receiving forgiveness through Jesus.

  “Jesus is telling us that his forgiveness and his mercy are available to all who want it.”

• Medical crisis: A doctor explains that a prisoner’s kidneys are failing and that he needs urgent dialysis and a transplant.

  “He needs to be transferred to another hospital and get on dialysis right away.”

Discussion Prompts

• Hope in grief: When the movie talks about death and heaven, what gave the characters comfort? What gives Christians real hope when someone dies?
  • Biblical guidance: Christians grieve with hope because Jesus Christ conquered death and promises resurrection to those who trust Him.
  • Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, John 11:25-26
• Forgiveness and second chances: Why do you think the prisoner felt he deserved punishment? How is Jesus’ forgiveness different from pretending sin does not matter?
  • Biblical guidance: The gospel holds both truth and mercy together: sin is real, and forgiveness is offered through Christ to the repentant.
  • Scripture: 1 John 1:9, Ephesians 1:7
• Spiritual experiences and truth: How should we think about Lucy seeing her grandfather? Should Christians build their beliefs on experiences or on what God has said?
  • Biblical guidance: Scripture, not private spiritual experience, is the Christian’s guide for understanding death, comfort, and the unseen world.
  • Scripture: Luke 16:19-31, 2 Timothy 3:16-17
• Peace in Christ: The movie calls Jesus the Prince of Peace. What kind of peace does Jesus give, and how is it different from just feeling calm?
  • Biblical guidance: Jesus gives peace with God and peace for troubled hearts through His presence and saving work.
  • Scripture: Isaiah 9:6, John 14:27