'Ordinary Angels': A Heartwarming Film Set in KY, Release Date

Ordinary Angels, a film inspired by a true story set in Kentucky, is set to release soon. The film, which is being distributed by Lionsgate and is directed by Joe Gunn (d. I Still Believe and American Underdog), stars two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank (Million Dollar Baby), and Alan Ritchson (Reacher and Fast X) and tells the story of a widowed father who, struggling with the recent death of his wife, and striving to provide for his daughter who needs a liver transplant, must dare the elements to save her life during the 1994 North American cold wave that sent almost two feet of snow to Louisville, Kentucky.

In the story, Swank, who plays a what-you-see-is-what-you-get hairdresser named Sharon Stevens, comes into the life of Ed Schmitt, played by Ritchson, at a time when Schmitt and his family are in desperate need of help. Motivated by compassion and driven to get things done, Stevens rallies the community together to help with financial support for the Schmitt family, but it's during the historic snowstorm that the community truly comes together, as they work to make a way for Schmitt's daughter, Michelle, to get from Kentucky to a children's hospital in Omaha, Nebraska as quick as possible. The story looks to show the compassion of others and seeks to give a message of hope with a reminder that angels can come to us in different ways, and that when people join in unison for a greater purpose, anything is possible.

To get a sense of just how dire the situation was for the area, here is archival footage of the historic storm: