(The Dallas Examiner) – Ruth & Boaz is a modern take on one of the oldest love stories in the Bible from the book of Ruth. The reimagined book was written by Michael Elliot and Cory Tynan, which featured Ruth as a talented, up-and-coming hip-hop artist living in Atlanta. Jermaine Dupri, who appears as himself, is ready to sign her and her co-star – the duo known as 404 – to a contract.
Despite the fame, Ruth struggles to escape her celebrity life and unseemly stage presence. She finds an out after she is faced with tragedy that sets her in the same path as Naomi (Phylicia Rashad) – to Tennessee.
Devastated by the death of her husband and son, Naomi’s faith becomes shaky as her heart fills with anger and pain as she faces the life she once left behind. Though she initially disapproves of Ruth, her heart begins to soften toward her. As Naomi bond with Ruth grows, she begins to think of her as a daughter.
“Usually with a love story, the main character meets their love interest within the first 10 minutes of the film,” Director Alanna Brown explained in Netflix’s Tudum. “This script was crafted such that the person Ruth meets around minute 10 is actually Naomi. The Ruth and Naomi love story is set up to be just as important as the Ruth and Boaz love story. Ultimately, it’s Naomi who leads Ruth to Boaz, so those two pieces are woven together.”
When Ruth begins working as laborer in a vineyard, she meets Boaz Azra. Known as Bo, he is the attractive and brawny owner of Azra Vineyard and Winery. Naomi does what she can to push the two together. As Ruth struggles to let her heart love again, tragedy follows and threatens their relationship.
“Establishing the needed chemistry between Ruth and Boaz was a top priority for me from the casting process. We did rounds of chemistry reads and I knew Serayah and Tyler were the two leads we were looking for,” Brown revealed. “Their chemistry was easy. They are both such fantastic actors and so committed to their craft, I was really fortunate to work with them.”
Shortly after getting to know Boaz, he introduces Ruth Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who appears as himself. The two perform Goodness of God together.
Songs in the film listed by Netflix included:
- Goodness of God, produced by Babyface.
- Faithful, an original song by Babyface, performed by Serayah.
- Prayer for Your Journey, created by producer Franklin and music producer Brett Nolan, featuring Franklin’s spoken-word performance and vocals by K-Ci.
- Money Rules, performed by Serayah and Nijah Brenea.
- Wildflowers, performed by Serayah.
As Ruth adjusts to her new life, she struggles with the shadows of her past – with the most recent threatening her future.
Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin worked in partnership to produce the updated version of the story where faith meets purpose.
“Tyler and I have been great friends for over 15 years,” Franklin told Tudum, “So when he called me to team up on movies that can uplift the human spirit, I jumped at the chance and we couldn’t have a better partner than Netflix to help us inspire the world. Ruth & Boaz has been a true labor of love. This classic story has held such deep meaning for me and so many others for generations. I’m beyond excited for audiences to experience this film.”
Perry expressed his excitement about kicking-off the partnership with the film, as well as working on future projects with him, according to the online publication.
“I couldn’t be more excited for the world to get this look at such a powerful love story. I can’t wait for audiences everywhere to experience the film,” Perry said. “I think in this polarizing world, and at a time when the world seems to be growing colder every day, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good.”
This film is currently streaming on Netflix and is rated TV-14.