Before diving into the technicalities of subtitles, one must understand the weight of the narrative. Based on a true story by Leroy Aarons, Prayers for Bobby follows the Griffith family in the 1980s. Mary Griffith, a devout Christian mother, believes that homosexuality is a sin that can be "cured" through prayer and psychiatric therapy.

The second half of the film focuses on Mary Griffith’s journey. After Bobby’s death, Mary is forced to confront the reality that her prayers to "change" her son went unanswered because, perhaps, there was nothing to change. She begins to meet with other parents of gay children and eventually becomes a crusader for LGBTQ+ rights.