The Revival is a 2017 American romantic drama film directed by Jennifer Gerber, written by Samuel Brett Williams and starring Zachary Booth, David Rysdahl, Stephen Ellis, and Lucy Faust.

The plot follows a secret love affair between a southern Baptist preacher and a young drifter that challenges the equilibrium of a growing church.

Emmanuel Baptist, the competing church in Hot Springs, boasts high congregation numbers and the minister, “Brother Aaron”, even has his sermons broadcast on the local radio.

The next day, Daniel throws away the meth he cooked after Eli implored him to stop, Jimmy watches Missy at her job, and Trevor struggles with his sobriety, while parenting his daughter, who he recently gained custody over.

In his next sermon, Eli begins to utilize more flamboyant, evangelical preaching methods and is finally able to excite his congregation until Daniel shows up and confesses his homosexuality in front of them.

He hits a deer but eventually arrives at the cabin finding the brutalized, barely conscious Daniel and tells Jimmy to leave.

As church choir music swells, he watches the cabin burn from his car, Trevor drinks from a whisky bottle and sobs at home, looking over his daughter, and Jimmy finally has sex with Missy.

[4] In a positive review Gary Goldstein of Los Angeles Times wrote, "The often difficult squaring of religious fervor and sexual longing receives poignant, powerful treatment in the film.

"[2] writing for The Hollywood Reporter Jon Frosch said, "With an attention-grabbing hook and two riveting central performances, Jennifer Gerber's feature directorial debut The Revival holds you in its grip even when it stumbles.

"[5] Craig Mathieson of The Sydney Morning Herald said, "[It] doesn't just capture the community dynamics of a southern church and the contradictory pressures, he allows Eli to be seen not as a hypocrite but someone who has genuinely tried to serve their faith and not their heart.