Former state senator shares and bares his soul in 'Heaven's Rain'

Douglass said the worst part of making the film was filming the murder scene, particularly since he portrayed his father, Richard.

He said worst of all was filming the final part of the scene and realizing that he was re-enacting his father's last, tragic moments on Earth.

"It really turned out to be an emotional moment," Douglass said.

"This was the one time in my life that something was much harder than what I thought it would be."

Douglass said he heard the term "closure" often in the days after production wrapped for "Heaven's Rain."

People wondered whether he had found it or if it had found him during the making of the film.

Douglass said he's unsure about finding closure, but he does know that his faith, the faith so carefully nurtured by his parents, has helped guide him to what he feels is a sense of justice and peace.

"I don't know if you ever get over something like this," he said.

"I doubt that there's a day that goes by that I don't think about it, but I also think I've tried to deal with it in a way that my faith has taught me, in a way that my parents taught me."

And he hopes moviegoers will find helpful and hopeful messages throughout the film.

"Too often, I think, there's a tendency to hold onto what happens, to hold a grudge that hurts us more than other person (can)," Douglass said.

"Ultimately, we have to move on — not forgetting our loved ones or forgetting what happened — and live our lives to the fullest. This is what I had to do."