DENVER — A movie trailer played to a theater full of people in Baton Rouge, Louisiana back in January changed a woman’s life for the second time.
But to get to the beginning of her story, you have to rewind to the Aurora theater shooting, where one of the shooter’s bullets landed in her leg.
Two years ago, then 19-year old Bonnie Kate was on a cross-country road trip, driving from Seattle to Baton Rouge with a friend.
The two decided to make a pit stop at an Aurora movie theater to watch the screening of the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises.
It was a decision that changed Bonnie Kate’s life, for better or worse.
Now 21-years old, Bonnie Kate memories of that July night are dark.
“When I was in the theater, in the middle of all that evil and darkness and horror, I felt this overwhelming sense of peace,” she told FOX31 Denver.
But it’s in the same place she was nearly killed she says, her story, takes a turn for the better.
“I was so overwhelmed. I was excited beyond belief slash is this really happening,” she said.
While sitting in a Louisiana movie theater in January, a trailer played on the big screen.
In the audience, Bonnie Kate watched, her reaction was recorded by hidden cameras.
It was Max Zoghbi, Bonnie Kate’s filmmaker boyfriend who had made the short story about a love stuck man and came up with the elaborate plan.
“In the midst of a really dark, dark thing that beauty can spill out of those, open the most brightly. So I just wanted to juxtapose the truth that this sucks, this is really hard, it still is really hard, she is in pain every day, but there’s glimmers of hope of goodness in there,” he told FOX31.
For Max it was a proposal of marriage, one Bonnie Kate happily accepted.
“It was really humbling to have everyone come together for the sake of love and help this goofball pull off all sorts of shenanigans,” he said of the time and effort their families, friends and coworkers put in to pulling off the stunt.
But for both it was also an act to take back the space they love.
“I think there was a small part of redeeming that space. I almost died in a theater and then also this adventure, this life also started in a theater. It’s just a beautiful little glimpse of redemption,” Bonnie Kate said.
Max made a short film about their love story thus far.
It documents Bonnie Kate’s work to recover from the shooing, the moment the trailer played, his proposal and their life together now.
The film is titled “Wildflower.”
Bonnie Kate says since the shooting she is still in pain every day. She’s had six operations to try to repair her leg. A plate was also inserted into her knee and secured with ten screws.
She also says she forgives James Holmes, the man police say is responsible.
“I pray for James Holmes all the time. I hope he knows that there will be forgiveness even for him. I grieve for him. I can’t imagine what a dark, lonely place he must be in. My heart is really broken for him,” she said.
She says she’s just glad she has someone to walk through this movie of life with her.
“I’m glad that God gave me Max too, to like walk through together. It’s so awesome to be hand in hand with someone else because pain is a very, very lonely thing.