'Unsung Hero' tells the life story of For King & Country's Joel and Luke Smallbone

Helen Smallbone had an idyllic life in her native Australia.

She had a happy family with six children and another on the way, a successful husband and a beautiful home.

That was right up until the day her husband David came home and declared the family was moving to America so he could pursue a dream.

A dream would shatter within days of the family's arrival on U.S. soil. Smallbone accepted a job in the music industry so exciting it was worth moving his family halfway around the world. His first day in America, however, he learned the job had been given to someone else. And he was out of work.

The story is a dynamic one that Helen and David's sons Joel and Luke Smallbone, the brothers from the Grammy-award-winning Christian music duo, For King & Country, decided they wanted to tell cinematically. The result of what Luke Smallbone referred to as a "crazy idea" is "Unsung Hero," a full-length feature film distributed by Lionsgate which will make its theatrical debut in screens across the country on April 26.

And what a story it is. There are so many unbelievable moments in the film, the phrase, "You can't make this stuff up," comes to mind. Maybe the best part about this story is they didn't have to.

The highs were high and the lows were low

Luke Smallbone, executive producer of the film along with actress Candace Cameron Bure, says his mantra is if you are going to make a biographical film, the story needs to be good enough as it is or just don't make the film at all.

"If you have to add to it... If you have to change it too much, then it's probably the wrong story to tell," he told The Tennessean. "What I always say about filmmaking is you make the highs higher and the lows lower, though in our story, the highs can be pretty high, the lows can be pretty low. We didn't have to do a ton of accentuating even as it is. We wanted to try and tell a real story."

It's a real story about family. And overcoming adversity. And faith. Pursuing dreams and an epic comeback from insurmountable hardships. There's a little something for everyone in their story.

But opening their lives and exposing their weaknesses, their missteps and failures wasn't always easy. Helen Smallbone was fearful early on in the process of losing control of her story.

"I wondered where this was going to take the family? David and I? Me? But I also feel very strongly that God led us on this journey to change us," she said. "I think there are principles in the movie that can impact a lot of people. We are all part of a family and life’s tough. We all face hard times. I hope the movie will give encouragement to others."

Joel Smallbone gets to be his dad, David

In addition to co-writing and co-directing the film, Joel Smallbone is the lead actor very convincingly in the role of his father, David. But this is not the first time he's acted out some interesting father/son dynamics. In 2014's "Like a Country Song" he played the son of Billy Ray Cyrus and in 2023's "Journey to Bethlehem" he played the son of Antonio Banderas' character.

For this role, though, he'd been researching it his entire life.

"It wasn't a long bridge to cross to get to the emotion of what was happening in that time," Joel Smallbone said. "I remember the first day Josh Walsh, who is the other producer with Luke, he walked up to us and he literally was like 'We're not gonna die! You can act!'

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And how did David Smallbone think his son did portraying him in this role?

"It’s hard to be objective about yourself, but I think he portrayed me pretty well as far as putting on my human side," he said. "I do feel the movie gave him a better understanding of me."

But Joel wasn't the only Smallbone to appear in the movie. Each of the seven Smallbone siblings and Mom and Dad have cameo roles in the film.

What Luke and Joel Smallbone remember is a testament to the real 'Unsung Hero'

Despite having no money (except for a small stash of cash kept in a jelly jar), no furniture, no car and no work for their dad in America, the brothers, who were roughly 5 and 7 years old at this time, have some very inspiring takeaways from their childhood.

They remember going to food pantries, eating stale, 5-day-old stale doughnuts and people dropping groceries on their doorstep.

"I remember being very financially strapped," Luke Smallbone said. "I remember learning how to mow lawns at five (years old) and giving the money back to Mom and Dad. Giving the money, not ever thinking that we were owed anything. They were fun days. It sounds strange to say, but they were fun and exciting. We were in a whole new world. And I think that it would be very different if we didn't feel the love and support of Mom and Dad, but we did."

Helen Smallbone remembers they had no nest egg in America and nothing to go back to in Australia. They had sold their house and all their furniture, leaving them no choice but to stick it out.

"At one point, all the kids were sleeping on the floor," she said. "There were so many elements that were extreme, but people can look at it and say 'my life’s not as bad as that. If they got through that, I can get through this.' Sometimes life is hard and you have to go forward."

Before For King & Country, there was big sis, Rebecca St. James

The movie delves into the heartache that often accompanies attempts to break into the music business. After David Smallbone's disappointments, his eldest daughter Rebecca expresses interest in a solo career as a singer and songwriter. With no means to hire a manager or promoter, David jumps into those roles.

Long before Luke and Joel would dominate the Christian music industry, their big sister did it first.

Rebecca, who changed her last name at the advice of her record label, chose St. James as a nod to her grandfather.

St. James, gifted with a beautiful singing voice and a desire to pursue a career in music, was met with rejection, disappointment and was told "nobody cares what a teenage girl has to say." But with David at the helm of her career, the two didn't give up and in an odd (but true) turn of events, ended up getting in front of musician and head of ForeFront Records, Eddie DeGarmo — who very much cared what she had to say.

That relationship led her into a very successful career in the Christian music industry decorated with Dove Awards and a Grammy long before her brothers would do the same.

"When I heard her sing, I definitely sensed a charisma that is somewhat indescribable," DeGarmo said. "She had an innate charisma about the way she carried herself and a vulnerability that I thought was magnetic. I had been looking for a young woman willing to sing to her peer group. She was 14 or 15 at the time. I wanted to make an album of songs by a young girl for that age group."

Although St. James was minimally involved in the making of the movie outside of her very fun cameo appearance, she said she is happy with the end result, saying her family's story a powerful and an important one.

"Watching the movie is highly emotional for me," she said. "My favorite part is the ending because it’s just so redemptive. We’re kind of on the other side of the most challenging times of our lives. It’s a feeling of triumph. The moment where my character says to my mom, 'I want to live my life like you. You’re my hero.' That’s such a true moment."

Melonee Hurt covers music and music business at The Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee. Reach Melonee at [email protected], on X @HurtMelonee or Instagram at @MelHurtWrites.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: For King & Country's life story told in 'Unsung Hero' film