Sun-Gazette Correspondent
“Hosea” is a brief Old Testament book in which God shocks both his readers and his prophet by ordering him to marry a sexually promiscuous woman.
It’s also the name of a thoughtful and absorbing new movie that transfers this story to 21st-century Oklahoma where the smitten Henry relentlessly pursues the love of his life, even though she’s knee-deep in prostitution and narcotics.
It’s a simple plot, and in lesser hands, it might feel improbable as well. But “Hosea” released by the fledgling Small Group Films is utterly convincing; and it never drags for a minute. This debut feature from director Ryan Daniel Dobson achieves an almost mesmeric spell from its very first scenes, thanks partly to Dobson’s articulate, read-between-the-lines script and to a sensational lead performance by Camille Rowe.