Marine veteran draws upon military training in making of biblical film His Only Son
Heather Hamilton
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EXCLUSIVE — Marine veteran and filmmaker David Helling is drawing upon his military training to bring cultural quality to his new biblical feature film His Only Son.
His Only Son depicts the biblical account of Abraham and his son Isaac and has made history as the first nationwide theatrical release to be crowdfunded.
NEW BIBLICAL FILM HIS ONLY SON BLOWS FILMMAKER DAVID HELLING’S MIND WITH RESPONSE
Helling served in the Marine Corps from 2005 through 2010 and was deployed in Iraq in 2009.
“I was a Korean cryptologic linguist and did signals intelligence,” Helling told the Washington Examiner, explaining that the Marine Corps. then sent him to Iraq to help the Iraqi linguists.
During his training, Helling said he spent time with native language speakers and learned about their culture, native foods, and customs.
He credits his enlistment with cultivating a deep cultural appreciation that has translated over to his storytelling as a filmmaker.
“It was priming the pump, so to speak,” Helling said. “I’ve always been fascinated with history, and I’ve always loved history.”
Helling noted that his deployment in Iraq was in the Al Anbar Province, near the edge of ancient Babylon, which sparked a desire to dive into a greater understanding of biblical narratives.
“Daniel, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and Nebuchadnezzar,” Helling listed off biblical characters that have been historically placed where he was located. “Like, that was all happening right by where I was at, and so that definitely triggers an even deeper interest.”
“Since, I’ve traveled to Israel and Greece and Turkey and gone to many of the biblical sites and shot different stuff for filming,” he added.
Helling said those experiences have stirred a desire to make authentic biblical films that are “a true and inspired account of history” and point to “all the promises of God.”
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
His Only Son hits theaters on March 31.
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“With this film, I endeavor to answer the critics as well as the confused by exploring the meaning and purpose of God’s testing of Abraham, when He asked him to do the unthinkable 4,000 years ago,” Helling said about the biblical idea of sacrificing Isaac. “I look to shine a light on the plan the Lord had in place from the beginning, His promise of redemption and the part Abraham’s walk of faith so boldly played.”