FAITH, MEANING, AND MOVIES

          I am a fan of the movies, as some of you know. Although our monthly "Sunday Afternoon at the Movies" plan hasn't caught fire yet, I'm going to keep trying. The perspectives of filmmakers can give us a lot to think about as we consider life's joys, struggles, and relationships. Even though they may rarely be explicitly "religious," when we watch and think about them from the standpoint of our faith we can discover vibrant illustrations of the workings of God and humanity. Our own outlook on life can be challenged, and grow.

          Don't misunderstand-I go to movies to be entertained, too, and I enjoy some of Hollywood's big commercial flicks. But this time of year, when "the buzz" is mostly about Oscar nominations, I like to share thoughts about some "smaller" movies that are truly worthy of seeing, enjoying, and reflecting on. Here are three I've seen in recent months:

          "Winged Migration" is an awesome movie in the most basic sense of the word. Its makers, using amazing photographic techniques, follow many different species of birds on their annual migration flight paths-north in spring, south in autumn, in some cases for many thousands of miles. But this is not a "nature documentary," and there is little narration. It is a movie for the spirit, in which you feel yourself soaring along with the birds, and being astounded at the beauty and power of creation. It should be seen on the big screen, but even on DVD (which is how I watched it) it is magnificent.

          "Whale Rider" is set in the life of a small Maori tribal village in contemporary New Zealand, but it is a fable with a universal message. It focuses on the relationship of an eleven-year-old girl, Pai (played beautifully by a young actress in her first featured role) and her grandfather, the aging tribal chief. In his search for his successor, he grieves for Pai's twin brother, who died at birth, and begins a fruitless search among the village boys for one who has the right qualities-all along ignoring Pai, who displays the wisdom and courage, and sense of calling, for the role. Their mutual love is real, but deeply strained by his refusal to consider a girl for the traditional position. It has drama, humor, good characters, an ending of near-mythic proportion and lots of relevant messages-especially about recognizing the gifts and callings of others that sometimes challenge traditional boundaries. This movie is also available in video and DVD.

          "In America" follows a young family from Ireland in its first year of life in a seedy tenement home in modern-day Manhattan. They have left Ireland as much to put behind them the death of a little son as to seek their fortune in America. Sounds grim, but the movie is anything but. The characters are warm and real, especially two young sisters (who are played by two young sisters!) through whose fresh eyes much of the story is seen. Their experiences, and especially relationship with an African tenant who has AIDS, carry a message about finding grace even in the most unlikely places and people. This is still in theaters, and not yet in video/DVD.

          I hope I've lured you into checking out one or more of these. As a personal rule of thumb, I like to watch movies with a question in mind: Where, if at all, is grace portrayed-not religiously, maybe, but in a form which we might see as evidence of God's working in the world? You might be surprised at how often it is there!

Peace,

Rod