''Anything Is Possible'' is a 2013 American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by

Demetrius Navarro Demetrius Navarro is an actor, writer and director as well as the CEO of D Street Films. Career Actor His first professional acting job was for Luis Valdez’s theater company, El Teatro Campesino. Navarro made his film debut in ''Friday''. He ...

and starring

Ethan Bortnick Ethan Jordan Bortnick (born December 24, 2000) is an American pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, musician and actor. He has been featured on ''The Tonight Show'', ''Oprah Winfrey Network'', ''Good Morning America'', Disney Channel, Ni ...

Fatima Ptacek Fāṭima bint Muḥammad ( ar, فَاطِمَة ٱبْنَت مُحَمَّد}, 605/15–632 CE), commonly known as Fāṭima al-Zahrāʾ (), was the daughter of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and his wife Khadija. Fatima's husband was Ali, th ...

, Johnathan Bennett and

Lacey Chabert Lacey Nicole Chabert ( ; born September 30, 1982) is an American actress. One of her first roles was playing Erica Kane's daughter on ''All My Children''. She was the third actress to play Bianca Montgomery, playing the part from 1992 until 1993. ...

. It is Bortnick's only film and although he finished filming it in September 2011, it was only released in the United States on September 24, 2013. Bortnick plays the leading role as Nathan, a young boy who's separated from his mother when she goes missing during a trip to Japan to help after the

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...

. The movie explores issues like homelessness, military family life and adoption. Bortnick co-wrote the music with

Grammy award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

winning songwriter and producer, Gary Baker, and his team Matthew Craig and Rob Collier. He recorded the album in

Muscle Shoals, Alabama Muscle Shoals is the largest city in Colbert County, Alabama, Colbert County, Alabama, United States. It is located along the Tennessee River in the northern part of the state and, as of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the populati ...

. Bortnick also scored the entire film. Bortnick is the youngest actor to co-write the soundtrack and play the leading role in a feature film.

Plot

Army lieutenant Margaret Peters goes missing during a rescue mission in Japan. Back in Detroit, her son Nathan had difficulty accepting the shocking news. To make matters worse, he discovers that his father George isn't his biological father. Due to this and his mother's long absence, Child Care Services came knocking at their door. Afraid of being taken away, Nathan splits before his father can explain. While George goes looking for him, Nathan takes to the streets of Detroit. There, he encounters Captain Miles, a homeless Iraq war veteran. It was at first unclear what Captain Miles' intention is with Nathan, but the veteran ultimately tricks him into seeking shelter at the home of Evelyn Strasser. This wealthy philanthropist founds out that her daughter Jesse has been hiding Nathan in the basement. Evelyn reunites Nathan with George, but not before discovering that Nathan is musically gifted. Unfortunately, the reunion is short-lived until Child Care Services can sort out the mess. In the meantime, the State will take custody of Nathan. This means that Nathan still has to go to the orphanage. The orphanage has its own set of problems as it is going to be closed soon due to lack of funds. When the children learned about this, they decide to do some fundraising via a concert. They go all out to market their newly-found musical prodigy via flyers that promise a sterling performance and indeed, on the big day, Nathan raised both the roof and enough funds to support the orphanage. The icing on the cake was when Nathan's mother turned out to be alive after all and was reunited with her family.

Cast

Reception

One critic gave the film three stars, which according to their ratings mean that it is just fine and solid. The Dove Foundation gave the film five Doves, their highest rating as well as their Family Approved For All Ages seal, which means that it is an entertaining story that is suitable for the entire family. They also stated that Young Ethan Bortnick is incredible as Nathan. One of the cast,

earned a nomination for the category Best Child Actor in a Film in the 2014

Nollywood and African Film Critics Awards Nollywood is a sobriquet that originally referred to the Nigerian film industry. The origin of the term dates back to the early 2000s, traced to an article in ''The New York Times''. Due to the history of evolving meanings and contexts, there ...

Plot

Cast

Reception

References

Further reading