Just a year ago, in April of 2024, a movie honoring a heroic mother named Helen Smallbone came out. Can you imagine a woman moving to another continent with six children, while being pregnant with another?  This movie is the story of the family of seven children from which the well-known Christian musicians called For King & Country came. The movie is called Unsung Hero.

The depiction opens with the family traveling to the U.S. Then it flashes back to what happened in Australia to cause them to make the long journey to America. Just when Helen’s husband thought he was hitting it really big as a promoter of Christian musicians in the land “down under,” a recession hit Australia and caused him to lose really big.

It seemed to him that the only solution was to go to America to work for a while. David Smallbone, the husband and father, was going to go alone. But his wife Helen wouldn’t hear of splitting the family. She agreed they could all move to America “temporarily.” David hoped to extend their stay in the U.S. to two years, though they only had a six-month visa. There were some very tense moments at the border entry when David let it slip that he hoped they could stay for two years.  Had the customs agent not miraculously run across a note in Helen’s luggage from her mother saying “See you in six months,” they may not have been able to enter the U.S.

Being in America was a tough transition for the family, but Helen used her imagination to lead the children into thinking of their transition as an adventure. When the opportunity for David’s work in America fell through, she managed to get past her own stress and lead the children to pray about their situation in faith.

In the little church they began attending there were some kind people who made some very generous gestures to help out the Smallbone family. It was heart-warming to watch. However, as time went by David Smallbone’s pride made him react badly to all the generosity. Add to that the humbling jobs he had to do to make a little money and the disappointments he encountered. He fell victim to anger and depression. It became a huge family crisis. The story does not end there. He was devoted to his family and eventually repented of his wrong attitude.

I will not tell you of all the ups and downs of the rest of the story. It was a very tough journey, but it did eventually end with the successful launch of the singing career of one of the children, Rebecca. She chose to have her father promote her. I wasn’t even aware that singer Rebecca St. James (now also an author and actress) came from the Smallbone family. It isn’t too surprising that someone would recommend that she change her last  name. It was suggested that she take on the name Rebecca St. John, but she decided on Rebecca St. James. It was an opportunity to honor her beloved grandfather named James, who had passed away.

Surprisingly, the movie didn’t go into the details of the later formation of For King & Country. I guess it would be anticlimactic, since the focus of the movie seems to be overcoming obstacles and disappointments until you are at the place where you are able to do the thing you feel called to do. Perhaps God delays success for many of us who are Christians, to keep us humble and remind us we should be seeking His help. Helen’s dream was to have a big family, but it seems she was also called to support her husband’s calling with her determined faith.

Joel Smallbone of For King & Country plays the part of his father, David Smallbone. He does a great job in the role. The mother, Helen, is portrayed very well by Daisy Betts. You might also notice Candace Cameron Bure playing Kay Albright. Candace was involved in the production. The movie is just a few minutes short of two hours. Unsung Hero would be a very inspiring story to watch in honor of Mother’s Day. The Common Sense Media website, designed for parents and educators, recommends it for ages 8 and up. If you’d like to see a sample of the movie, click on the trailer below.