“Broken Mary”: Solid Film!
By Julia Rose
Sometimes when spiritual brokenness and physical brokenness coincide, something spectacular happens. That’s the amazing true story of radio personality Kevin Matthews, told in a new film, “Broken Mary: The Kevin Matthews Story.”
Produced by OBD Films and Family Theater Productions, this inspiring film is being shown for one day only in cinemas on Tuesday, Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, presented by Fathom Entertainment.
Radio icon
In the ‘80s and ‘90s, Matthews was an icon of the airwaves based in Chicago, Illinois. A self-professed “Zombie Catholic,” his faith took a back seat to his work as a radio “weekend warrior” with 10 million fans called “Kev-Heads” listening daily. It’s easy to see how his career, rooted in secular culture, became all-consuming.
His high-flying world came crashing down when Matthews was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and his style of broadcasting clashed with changes in taste and station ownership.
Enter a dumpster and, beside it, a broken statue of the Blessed Mother.
After persuading the owner to part with the pieces, he brings it to a repair shop. But Kevin stops in his tracks, saying, “No, I don’t want her fixed. She reminds me of me.”
“If you had asked me 30 years ago if I’d be carrying around a broken statue of the Virgin Mary, talking about God, I’d say, ‘Are you high?’” Matthews says.
I guess you could say … high on Jesus!
Rise, fall, rise
As directed by Jonathan Cipiti (“PRAY: The Story of Patrick Peyton”), “Broken Mary” is a compelling and inspiring story of one man’s rise, and fall, and rise again. Matthews’ journey is filled with thrills and success, but also intense grief and sorrow revolving around his family, career, health, and faith.
“People are looking for a spectacle, but sometimes God doesn’t use a spectacle,” says Matthews’ friend, Fr. Joshua Caswell. “What God is doing through the story of Kevin Matthews and ‘Broken Mary’ is something much more ordinary, but it’s something much deeper — a healing of the heart.”
“Broken Mary” is a timely reminder to look for God’s voice in our everyday lives, as He —and his saintly Mother — might just be leading us, like Kevin Matthews, to the healing we are searching for.
For more information and tickets, visit www.BrokenMaryFilm.com.
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