Category: Films Christians Should Watch

Films Christians Should Watch: Sense and Sensibility (1995)

~ Joseph McBee ~ Leave a comment 
Is love a fancy, or a feeling? No.
It is immortal as immaculate Truth... - Hartley Coleridge

Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, Kate Winslet and Hugh Grant star in this captivating romantic story based on Jane Austen’s classic novel, Sense and Sensibility. It tells of the Dashwood sisters, sensible Elinor (Thompson) and passionate Marianne (Winslet), whose chances at marriage in a society where women are not allowed to earn their own living seem doomed by their family’s sudden loss of fortune.

***WARNING! This review contains spoilers.***

I shed tears every time I watch this film. It’s beautifully shot and masterfully performed and there are scenes of such incredible depth and power you cannot help but be moved by it all.

I am always impressed by the opening scenes. Thompson, who not only stared in the movie, but also wrote the screenplay, does a wonderful job of showing us the true nature of every character within seconds of their first appearance on the screen. It is a master class in writing.

The characters produce such strong feelings as you watch their actions and interactions. Fear, anger, disgust, love, pity, and contempt are all experienced. I love it when that happens and I think it’s important when that happens to ask ourselves why we are experiencing those feelings. The actors’ performances and the writing and directing and everything that goes into crafting the scene speaks to us on a deep level. It touches something in our souls and that is worthy of consideration.

To me, this movie is about love and suffering and how often those two coincide. And it begins with the very first scene as the rich Mister Dashwood lays dying in his bed, worrying about his second wife and daughters, making his son promise to help them. His love for them fills him with fear for their future and compels him to try and secure it through his son, who is too easily manipulated by his greedy wife, Fanny.

There is too much going on in this movie to do any kind of a “scene-by-scene” review, but there are some highlights that always stand out to me and that carry the strongest messages.

Highlight 1

When Fanny’s brother, Edward (Hugh Grant) visits the estate he is the exact opposite of his awful sister. He is kind and funny and gentle. This is one of those brilliant scenes I mentioned that tells you everything you need to know about a character in just moments.

Fanny has asked that the youngest Dashwood girl, Margaret, give up her room for her brother Edward during his visit because her views overlook the lake. When Edward arrives, Marianne, in a not-so-subtle jab asks Edward how he likes his view.

Edward says he likes it very much and then comments to Mrs. Dashwood that her stables are beautiful and handsomely kept. When Fanny is surprised and says that his room overlooks the lake. Edward replies, “An oversight, Fanny. I was mistakenly led to one of the family rooms. But you will be gratified to know that I have corrected the situation and am now happily installed in the guest quarters.”

Kindness and honor. And it is immediately evident in the choices he made. A choice, I would add, that he had no intention of even mentioning had he not been directly asked. Edward’s is a quiet dignity.

Highlight 2

The Dashwood’s are forced to move to the country where they take up residence in a cottage owned by a cousin, Sir John Middleton (delightfully played by Robert Hardy). It is in the country that they meet Colonel Brandon (Alan Rickman).

For me, Brandon is a Cinematic Saint. He is a character that displays so many beautiful characteristics of Christlikeness. He is immediately taken with Marianne, who has no interest in him because he seems to old and reserved.

Brandon continually moves toward Marianne with love but without agenda or demands. He loves in the face of her rejection, her contempt, and her rudeness.

Marianne has no interest in the good man. She is looking for someone who matches her passion, which she assumes the Colonel does not have because he keeps his emotions in check so, as she does with her sister Elinor, Marianne assumes Brandon’s emotions to be shallow.

On a walk through the countryside, Marianne is caught in a rainstorm and twists her ankle. A dashing young man, John Willoughby (Greg Wise) comes to her rescue and appears to Marianne like one of the great heroes from the romantic stories and poetry she devours. Willoughby carries her back to the cottage and promises to visit her.

Willoughby is everything Marianne wants and nothing that she truly needs. As their romance develops, he exposes Marianne to rumor in the small village with the liberties he takes with her and acts as a bad influence on her. He consumes her affection and attention, while giving nothing in return. He makes no commitments, no true expressions of love, but always leaves it assumed.

Colonel Brandon watches the romance with deep pain and yet wants Marianne to be happy believing that she is completely innocent and that any rumors that may be flying about are untrue.

Highlight 3

Marianne is eventually rejected by Willoughby because it is discovered that he has impregnated a woman and then left her alone to deal with the pregnancy. He was cut off by his rich relatives when they found out, and therefore had to find a rich woman to marry. That would not be Marianne.

The woman happens to be the daughter of a woman Brandon loved as younger man, but whom he was torn away from because the woman was poor and Brandon was forbidden to marry her. Brandon discovers what Willoughby has done, but does not mention it at all until AFTER Marianne is rejected and left heart broken.

He then tells Elinor the news in the sincere hope that it will ease Marianne’s suffering. He also tells Elinor that he believed Willoughby did love Marianne but could not marry her because of his financial situation.

When Elinor tells Marianne she assures her that Willoughby did in fact love her. Marianne says, “But not enough.” Her romantic notions of passionate love are dashed.

Highlight 4

Brandon also offers Edward, again through Elinor, a parish at his estate. Edward had a secret engagement and when his mother finds out, she cuts him off without a penny.

When Edward finds out about the offer, he is astonished that Brandon, a man he doesn’t know, would do something like that for him. He says that Brandon “must be a man of great worth and respectability.” But this description does not do the the Colonel justice so Elinor replies, “He is the kindest and best of men.”

What a powerful comparison. The world sees Brandon as rich and respectable. Those who know him, see him as kind and good.

Highlight 5

Later, when Marianne becomes horribly ill and nearly dies, it is the Colonel who comes to her rescue. Instead of carrying her back like a dashing hero, he carries her and falls to his knees with her in his arms. His strength is spent for the one he loves.

As Marianne suffers in her illness, Brandon suffers outside her room, pacing and grieving. When he asks Elinor what he can do to help, she at first tells him there is nothing to be done. He says, “Give me an occupation or I shall run mad.” When she tells him that Marianne would rest easier if her mother were with her. Brandon is ignited with a sense of purpose and leaves at once to bring Mrs. Dashwood to her daughter.

Highlight 6

In the end, there is joy.

Those who have suffered leave their suffering and enter a season of joy in their lives and that joy is shared with others. There is a beautiful scene when Brandon is reading to Marianne as she recovers from her illness and she does not want him to leave her.

There is another beautiful scene when Edward is finally free to confess his love for Elinor and ask her to marry him and she is freed to confess her love for him.

It is only Willoughby, the one who was interested in only himself, the one who gave into every indulgence, who avoided all sacrifice, who was unwilling to suffer, who would cause the suffering of others if it meant shielding himself from it, only him who ends up alone and without love.

Why I Recommend It

There is so much to enjoy in this film and to think about. As I mentioned, it inspires some powerful emotions and those are worth exploring. But it is also just a truly excellent movie and it can be enjoyed as a work of art.

The messages in this film are powerful and varied, but there are the constant themes of love, sacrifice, suffering, dignity, and honor that will cause you to question how you love the people in your life.

There is a call to selflessness and kindness in this film. There is a call to sacrifice your own comfort for the sake of others.

In short, this film inspires us to be our best selves in the way we connect and relate to others. It inspires us to love without agenda and without selfishness and even in the face of rejection and suffering. It calls us to love even when the object of our love may never know or return it.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  • What is good, true, and beautiful in this film?
  • As Christians, what can we Receive in this film? What can be Redeemed? What must we Reject?
  • Read 1 Corinthians 13. What examples of this kind of love do you see in this film?
  • How do suffering and love often go hand-in-hand?
  • What emotions does this film stir in you? What do you think those feelings are telling you?
  • What inspires you in this film? What calls to you? How will you respond?
  • Where do you see echoes and shadows of God’s love for us in this film?

Next Time: Pan’s Labyrinth

Films Christians Should Watch: Hector and the Search for Happiness

~ Joseph McBee ~ Leave a comment

Disillusioned and depressed with the tedium of his existence, psychiatrist Hector (Simon Pegg) spends his days dispensing advice to patients who never seem to get any happier. He feels like a luxury item for the wealthy who should be happy but aren’t and he feels like a fraud because he’s telling people how to be happy when he isn’t happy himself. He tells his girlfriend (Rosamund Pike) that he needs to get away and research what makes people happy. He embarks on an adventure in search for happiness and as the viewers, we get to go along with him. But does he discover the magic formula that makes people happy?

***WARNING: This review contains spoilers!***

This film opens with a strange dream. Hector is flying in an open cockpit plane with a dog in the seat behind him. As he loops the plane, the dog falls out and Hector doesn’t realize it at first. The dog, which will appear throughout the film along with Hector’s younger self, is symbolic of something Hector lost and cannot seem to recover. A loss than needs to be healed, though he does not know how to heal it.

When he awakes from his nightmare, it’s his girlfriend, Clara who is waking him to start his day. She’s more like a mother than a lover, really. She manages his clothes, she makes his breakfast, she packs his lunch, and you get the impression that she enjoys the ritual and that Hector takes it for granted.

Hector is a wealthy psychiatrist who half-listens to people complain all day about banal problems. He has a sincere desire to help but he doesn’t know how to guide people to happiness. And that’s mostly because he is unhappy himself.

It’s clear from the images we see around his office, that Hector has always dreamed of adventure and travel but it’s also clear that these dreams went dormant sometime in his childhood.

One day, he finally snaps at one of his clients. And the interaction leads him to an impulsive decision to go on a journey in search of what makes people happy. He announces his intentions to Clara who is surprised and a little worried, but chooses to be fully supportive. The truth is, Clara is a lovely person and you get the idea that Hector really doesn’t deserve her. Eventually, Hector will come to realize that as well.

Hector begins his journey, which is really a pilgrimage, in China. On the plane he meets a business man, Edward (Stellan Skarsgard) and shares his quest to find what makes people happy. Edward scoffs at the idea and decides he wants to show Hector what real happiness is. For Edward, happiness is having the money to do whatever you want whenever you want, especially indulging in whatever pleasures you desire.

He puts Hector up in a lavish hotel, takes him out for a delicious meal, takes him on a limo ride to a fancy club and there Hector meets a beautiful woman named Ying (Ming Zhao). All the while, Hector is jotting down ideas about happiness in a journal given to him as a gift from Clara. When he meets Ying and she returns with him to his hotel room, he writes that maybe happiness is loving two women at the same time. As the viewer, we see again and again how immature Hector is. We admire his quest, but it is difficult to admire him sometimes.

WARNING: There is some mild nudity and sexual content in this film and this is one of the places where that occurs. Nothing physical takes place between Hector and Ying, but she is nude in this scene and you do see part of her body. The film is Rated R, mostly for foul language.

Hector and Ying agree to meet the next day for lunch. When they do, it is revealed that Ying is a prostitute hired by Edward for Hector. Hector feels tricked by Ying and interestingly, Ying feels tricked by Hector.

From the lights and sounds of the city, Hector visits a Buddhist monastery, which seems to be a dead end without any satisfying answers to what makes people happy.

He decides to go to Africa, where one of his oldest friends is serving as a doctor. Meanwhile, things with Clara are not great. Hector’s search for happiness has given her room to think now that she is not having to take care of his every need and she’s beginning to ask some questions about him and their relationship. We see Hector’s immaturity on display again as he gets angry with Clara because she is going out for the evening instead of staying on a Skype call with him.

In Africa, Hector reconnects with an old friend who is running a clinic for the poor of the area. He also encounters a drug dealer named Diego (Jean Reno), whom he helps by recommending better medication for his depressed wife. Later, after drinking too much at a party, he is passed out in a taxi that gets stolen by two men. When they realize he is in the car, they take him to their boss, a local drug lord who is prepared to kill him. Hector’s life is spared when he shows the drug lord the pen of Diego which he had used to write the prescription for his wife. After being liberated, he runs through the darkness feeling fully alive for the first time in many years.

From Africa, he travels to Los Angeles to reconnect with an old flame, Agnes (Toni Collette) who is now married with two children and one on the way. There is a powerful scene between them in which Agnes confronts Hector with his immaturity and how he lives in a world of fantasy. It is that constant pursuit to make his life conform with his fantasy that keep him unhappy.

Agnes puts Hector in contact with a Professor Coreman (Christopher Plummer) who is studying the science of happiness. Hector is connected to a machine that measures emotional responses and he is asked to think about something happy, something sad, and something scary. As Coreman views the screen displaying the centers of the brain that “light up” when triggered by Hector’s memories, he reveals to Agnes that the responses show that Hector does not have the emotional responses of a full-grown man. They are shallow. Something is blocking him.

Clara calls Hector while he is connected to the machine and their conversation is one that is heartfelt and raw and emotional and in that conversation, Hector is able to break the fear of loss that has kept him bound for so long. He is able to accept the reality of his life and see that there is happiness in it. He no longer needs or wants the fantasy. And in doing so, he experiences the full range of human emotion all at once, which is what life is really like after all.

Why I Recommend It

I recommend this film as much for what it lacks as what it contains.

It is interesting that in Hector’s search for happiness he never once seeks God. It is assumed that happiness can only be found within yourself and in how you manage the circumstances of your life and indeed that is the ultimate conclusion and in that sense, it is an unsatisfying one for any Christian watching this movie.

Hector’s search for happiness leads him to encounter many kinds of people from all walks of life, each of whom are on the same search and have different ways of trying to find it. That may be money and comfort or family and friends or service to others. Some of them are truly happy and some of them only pretend to be. But in the end, one cannot help but think like Solomon, “Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

There are some funny moments in this film and some beautiful ones. It will definitely make you question your own search for happiness and where it might be found and that is good. But, as a Christian, it should also help you to think more deeply about your walk with Christ and where true JOY is found because happiness is a poor substitute for joy.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  • As Christians, what can we Receive from this film? What can we Redeem? What must we Reject?
  • What is good, true, and beautiful in this film?
  • What do you think is the underlying philosophy of this film? What conclusions do you think they are trying to “prove”?
  • How does the way this film defines happiness compare with what the Scripture says about happiness and joy?
  • How would you describe the difference between happiness and joy?
  • Where has your search for happiness taken you in your life?

Next week: Sense and Sensibility.

Moon: A Film Christians Should Watch

~ Joseph McBee ~ Leave a comment

Where are we now?

That’s the question that begins this film and it not only sets the tone for the movie, it runs throughout the story without ever being stated again. As you watch, there is that question in the background…Where are we now?

Astronaut Sam Bell’s (Sam Rockwell) three-year contract at a lunar mine, where his only companion is a robot named Gerty, is finally coming to an end and he’s longing for his reunion with his wife (Dominique McElligott) and their young daughter Eve. Strangely, Sam’s health takes a sudden downturn. He suffers painful headaches and hallucinations, and as a result, has a near fatal accident. When he is rescued by what looks like a slightly younger version of himself, it raises questions neither Sam has answers for. Can they solve the mystery before time runs out?

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. – Philippians 2:3-4 (ESV)

Sam Bell is having a crisis. His circumstances are unique, but his crisis really isn’t. It’s one we all face over and over again in our short lives…

Where are we now?

And, WHO are we?

Sam thinks he’s the husband of a lovely woman and the father of a little girl. He thinks he’s a dedicated employee of a company that mines lunar rock they convert into energy back on earth that has helped create a kind of utopia.

But Sam is really a clone.

He just doesn’t know it yet.

The original Sam Bell has been back on earth for nearly fifteen years, his wife is dead, his daughter is a teenager, and he is living comfortably while his clones complete a continuous run of three year contracts at the end of which they get to “go home.” That means they are vaporized and a new clone is awakened thinking they have only just arrived and it’s time to begin their three year contract.

Why three years? Because that’s the lifespan of a clone. The genetic sequencing begins to break down and the clone gets sick, begins to fall apart and die.

This has been going on for years and only the AI robot Gerty and the company owners know the truth until the current Sam is rescued by his replacement.

Part of the breakdown of the clones is having hallucinations. When Sam has one in a rover as he is approaching a mining vehicle, he crashes and is knocked unconscious and the mining vehicle becomes inoperative. Gerty activates his replacement and notifies the company officials, who dispatch a rescue team.

The new Sam, ever the dedicated employee, wants to fix the mining equipment. That’s when he finds and rescues…himself.

There’s a wonderful scene when New Sam is looking at Old Sam as he lies in the sickbay recovering from his accident. New Sam is suspicious and angry and Old Sam, who thinks he’s hallucinating again, asks Gerty, “Is there someone else in this room with us?”

At first, the pair of Sam’s ignore one another. There is a sense of denial. If I don’t acknowledge this other me, then I don’t have to deal with the questions that inevitably follow. SO MANY QUESTIONS.

But there is something that overcomes Old Sam’s reluctance to engage…loneliness. Three years is a long time with no contact with another human being and only recorded messages from your wife back home. And loneliness changes people.

New Sam is brash, angry, focused, and disconnected. Old Sam has been tempered by time and loneliness. He’s gentler, kinder, and longs for connection, which New Sam will not provide. He won’t even shake Old Sam’s hand.

When they finally do begin speaking to each other, New Sam has already worked out that that they are both clones while Old Sam insists he is the original. When he discovers that New Sam is correct about who and what they are it is Gerty that confirms it.

In a beautiful performance by Rockwell, you see Old Sam’s entire sense of self come crashing down and the only one there to “comfort” him is Gerty, the machine. The sense of loneliness and now despair is intensified.

As the truth of their situation is realized and accepted, the Sam’s question everything, especially the live communications blackout the company keeps claiming they will fix. They go on the hunt and discover jamming towers. Old Sam drives a rover out past the jammers and uses a communication device to contact Original Sam’s home, where he sees his now 15-year old girl and learns of his wife’s death.

He shuts down the call, looks toward heaven and in lament says, or is it that he prays, “That’s enough. That’s enough. I just want to go home.”

Both Sam’s realize time is short because the rescue team sent by the company is really a kill squad. If they find two clones active at the same time, they both die. But there is something else besides loneliness and isolation that can temper and change a person and that is companionship and walking through pain and loss with another. New Sam is no longer the selfish and angry man he was when he was activated and he has a plan to send Old Sam home.

They activate a new clone, which they will kill and place in the crashed rover. Then Old Sam will make the three-day journey back to earth. He’s fulfilled his contract. It’s time to go home. Of course, they both realize there is no “home” not for them. That goes unspoken, though. It doesn’t seem to matter. The fact that they are clones does not diminish their feelings of significance and meaning.

As New Sam reminds Gerty when the robot says that he and the next clone will resume their “programming”, “We’re not programming. We’re people. Do you understand?” Gerty does not understand. But we do.

As New Sam lays out the strategy for sending Old Sam home, there are a couple of problems. First, Old Sam is dying. He cannot make the trip. Secondly, neither one of them are killers. For the plan to work, the newly activated clone must be killed and placed in the rover. That is not going to be possible for either of them to do. The only solution is for Old Sam to go back into the crashed rover and die alone and for New Sam to make the journey back to earth.

There is a touching scene as the two of them sit in the rover and reminisce about meeting their wife and falling in love. They know the memories are implanted. They did not experience those things themselves, but again, there is no sense that this diminishes the memories of it for them or the power it had to shape their lives.

As the corporate kill squad arrives, New Sam is blasting off toward earth cheering and Old Sam watches his shuttle streak across the sky. He closes his eyes for the last time, they are both free.

Why I Recommend This Film

Artistically speaking, the film is powerful and beautiful in its simplicity. Sam Rockwell is one of the most underrated actors in show business, and, as always, he gives a wonderful performance. Not to mention the technical achievements of watching him interact with himself as another character.

But there are deeper things to consider here.

In Moon, we see the value and significance of people. We are not programs or employees or assets or tools. We are human beings and as Christians, we see ourselves and others as image bearers of our glorious and loving creator. There is dignity in that. This film connects us to the humanity of the two Sam’s and in that empathy we feel for them, we can question our own vision of others. Do we see the people in our lives as means to an end? Do we see them as servants to our agendas? Are they obstacles or tools in the accomplishment of our goals?

Where are we now?

There is also the question of how we respond to truths revealed about ourselves and our world. What happens when closely held truths turn out to be lies? What happens when our sense of self is shattered? How do we respond to it all? Who do we become after that? And what is it that changes us? Is it the event itself, or is something greater at work?

Where are we now?

This film also leads us to question the age-old refrain of the oppressors who justify their oppression with, “It’s for the greater good.” As Moon begins we see humans destroying the planet and the company’s clean energy solution from lunar rock mining providing clean and sustainable energy for 70% of the globe. Isn’t it noble? Isn’t it grand? We no longer treat the earth as a disposable product, we created disposable people instead. But it’s for the greater good.

Where are we now?

For Reflection and Discussion

  • What is true, good, and beautiful in this film?
  • As Christians, what can we Receive from this film? What can we Redeem? What must we Reject?
  • What does Moon tell us about what it means to be human? How does this compare or contrast to what Scripture teaches us it means to be human?
  • If you woke up tomorrow and discovered you were a clone, one of many, what do you think this would do to your sense of self? Does that tell you anything about where your sense of self is located?
  • As Christians, we believe that our sense of significance and value comes from Christ. How do you live out that belief in the way you treat yourself and others?
  • Are there any relationships in your life you view as “disposable”? What needs to change in your view and treatment of those people?

Next Week: HECTOR AND THE SEARCH FOR HAPPINESS.

Perfect Days: A Film Christians Should Watch

~ Joseph McBee ~ 2 Comments

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God. (Ecclesiastes 2:24)

I’m not sure how to begin writing about PERFECT DAYS. It is currently my favorite movie and I honestly think about it almost daily.

Maybe it landed in my life at a time when I was most open to its message.

Maybe it represents something I long for.

Maybe it’s the simplicity and beauty of the film itself.

I don’t know. I just know I love it and I recommend it to everyone I can.

***WARNING: This Review Contains Spoilers***

Hirayama’s Perfect Days

Hirayama (played masterfully by Koji Yakusho) feels content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. He has a cherished and structured routine to his life, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, he reads books and snaps photos of a specific tree near a shrine where he takes his lunch everyday. Through unexpected encounters with the people in his life, he reflects on beauty and relationships and the stress of change.

Each of his days begin with the sound of a woman sweeping the streets in the early morning just outside his small apartment. As soon as he awakes, he folds up his bed, goes downstairs to brush his teeth, trim his moustache, and wash his face. He brings a spray bottle of water back upstairs to water his collection of trees he is growing in a small room. Once he sprays each one, he sits back to admire them for a moment. It is clear they make him happy.

We see him get dressed in his work uniform. “The Tokyo Toilet” is on his coveralls. He walks out the front door, looks up at the sky, smiles, and takes a breath that he lets out in a contended sigh. He is greeting the new day.

He gets a cold can of coffee from a vending machine, climbs into his van, selects a cassette to listen to, and starts off on his way to work, while the sun is just barely up.

Hirayama spends his days cleaning public toilets. And he does his work with care and excellence. We see him picking up trash and wiping down mirrors and counters. We see him scrubbing toilet bowls and even taking a small mirror so he can see underneath the bowl and clean any spots he may have missed.

We are ten minutes into the film before we hear one line of dialogue and that doesn’t come from Hirayama, it is from his young assistant, Takashi (Tokio Emoto), who spends most of his time complaining and whining. A complete opposite to Hirayama who’s sense of peace becomes even more apparent in contrast to Takashi’s frantic nature. Takashi is not a “bad” person, he’s just dissatisfied with work, his love life, his finances, and just life in general.

We follow Hirayama throughout his entire day as he cleans bathrooms, bathes, has his evening meal, returns to his home and reads and then falls contentedly asleep and dreams simply of the things he saw and did that day and all the while the only sound track is the wind and the noise of the city, which is a constant presence throughout the film.

One of the regular features of his perfect days is eating his lunch beneath the same tree. He looks up at the tree and smiles and watches the dappled light shining through the crown and branches. The Japanese term for this effect is komorebi. He pulls out an old film camera and snaps a picture in black and white of the light dancing in the trees.

We see this theme throughout the film, the moments of beauty that are completely unique and ephemeral. They are things we tend to miss because we are too busy with other things, but Hirayama does not miss them. He is present and aware. Wherever he is, THAT is where he is.

On his day off his routine changes, but it is still routine. And that is not even the right word. His life is not routine, it is ritual. There is a deeper meaning to his habits.

He takes his clothes from the week to a local laundromat. He drops off a roll of film to be developed, picks up a new roll, and picks up the pictures from his last one. He sorts through the photographs and stores them. He goes to a small bookstore and purchases a new book, always from the $1 per book section. And he ends the day at a small restaurant where he is a beloved regular by the owner, a woman his age, who clearly enjoys his company.

One evening, when he returns to his home, he finds his young niece Niko (Arisa Nakano) waiting for him. It is clear to us that he has not seen her in quite some time. She stays with him overnight and goes to work with him the next morning. There is a tender scene Nakano plays with beautiful depth, where she is watching him clean a toilet and you can see that she feels shame for her beloved uncle. A young girl, probably not much older than Niko, shows up at the bathroom door and sees the man cleaning it and looks disgusted. Hirayama immediately leaves so the young woman can use the facilities and stands patiently outside.

As Niko looks at her uncle, feeling embarrassed for him, he looks at her and smiles. There is no shame on his face. He is not concerned with how other’s view him or the work he does. And then the shame on the face of his niece melts into a smile of admiration.

Later, as they ride bikes together through the city Niko speaks of her mother, Hirayama’s sister, and wonders why she and her uncle do not get along. “The world is made up of many worlds.” Her uncle explains. “Some are connected. Some are not.”

“Which world am I in?” Niko asks him. But he does not answer. That is her journey, not his.

As they stare out at the river, which runs to the ocean, Niko asks if they can follow it to the ocean. “Next time.” Her Uncle says. “When is next time?” Asks Niko. “Next time is next time. Now is now.” Is Hirayama’s answer. And Niko understands what we see over and over again. Be present. Be here. Right now. Be where you are. As they ride away, they sing it together, “Next time is next time. Now is now.”

Hirayama’s Not-So-Perfect Days

When they return to his home, Niko’s mother is there waiting for her daughter. She has arrived in a chauffer driven car and is smartly dressed. This scene is the only information we ever get about his history and it is obviously one filled with suffering.

As Niko goes inside to collect her things. Hirayama’s sister asks him to visit their father in the nursing home. She explains that he does not remember anything now so maybe he will be different. Hirayama refuses. His sister leans in and in a whisper asks, “Are you really cleaning toilets?” There is a pained expression on her face. Shame. Hirayama smiles and nods. Again, without shame.

When it is time for them to leave, his sister stands paralyzed. It is Hirayama that moves toward her for an embrace. And as they drive away, he weeps. But you get the impression that he weeps for his family more than for himself.

The next day, things seem to come unraveled. His assistant quits suddenly, blowing up Hirayama’s ritualistic day. Then, on his day off, he arrives at the restaurant to see the owner in an embrace with a man. He flees the scene and we see him purchasing beer and smokes, which he takes down to the river.

The man from the restaurant appears beside him and there is a beautiful conversation between them. The man is the ex-husband of the woman who owns the restaurant and he is dying of cancer. He just wanted to see her again before the end.

As they look together out at the shadows and light on the water the man wonders out loud if shadows get darker when they overlap. Hirayama does not know, but is delighted by the question.

“So many things I still don’t know.” The man says. “That’s how life ends I guess.”

Hirayama invites the man to figure it out with him. They stand together trying to see if their overlapping shadows get darker. Hirayama insists that they must get darker, but the man says he sees no difference. Hirayama comes to a realization. “So nothing is changing after all. It is all just nonsense.”

I don’t think he means life is nonsense. It’s that when the shadows begin to fall on our lives and they pile up, life does not become darker. To think it does is nonsense. Rather than trying to figure it out, the two men start to play shadow tag.

The final scene in this film is one of the best I have ever seen. Our hero drives off into the sunrise, not the sunset, and as Nina Simone’s soulful rendition of “Feeling Good” plays, we are treated to a two minute view of Hirayama as all of the pain and joy and sorrow and happiness of his life plays across his face. Each moment an ephemeral beauty. Like komorebi of the heart.

Why I Recommend It

There is something beautiful and peaceful about Hirayama’s life. It may seem a little dull. It’s certainly simple. It’s routine. And yet, when you watch him go about his days, you feel like taking a deep breath. Or maybe, it’s that you feel like you CAN take a deep breath because the pace of his life gives you room to breathe. And in that, you feel an ache in your heart for room to breathe in your own life.

Hirayama is not a hero on a journey. He is a hero who has arrived at his destination and can now enjoy that peace. He is satisfied and happy in life. It is not stagnant. Like the river that runs through his city, the changes and impacts of the world run through his life and he enjoys them or suffers as they come.

The movie is filled with moments of beauty and joy and I seem to see a new one every time I watch it. How like the life we all live. It is filled with moments of unique and ephemeral beauty, they will never come again, but we are all so busy and hurried and harassed that we fail to notice them. This movie will encourage you to slow down and remember that “next time is next time. Now is now.”

Perfect Days also reminds us that there is no such thing as ONLY perfect days. There are always shadows that fall in our lives but let us not get caught up in the darkness. Let us remember that “weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.” (Psalm 30:5)

For Reflection and Discussion

  • What is good, true, and beautiful in this film?
  • As Christians what can we receive from this film? What can we redeem? What must we reject?
  • Take a day and try to notice the moments of komorebi, both literal and figurative. Write about the moments of unique beauty. How do they point to a loving and sovereign Creator?
  • Reflect/Discuss the ritual of routine. How do rituals in even small, every day things, enrich your life and worship?
  • Reflect/Discuss “Next time is next time. Now is now.” How does this help you live with awareness of God’s sovereignty and love and care for you?
  • What shadows have fallen in your life right now? How can you play in the darkness?
  • Where do you experience shame in your work and life? What is the source of that shame? How does our relationship with God through Christ deliver us from shame?

Next time: MOON

Cold Souls: A Film Christians Should Watch

~ Joseph McBee ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to my first post in a new series, FILMS CHRISTIANS SHOULD WATCH.

I was going to begin with the 1992 movie, THE POWER OF ONE, but when I went back to watch it again I discovered that the streaming version does not have English subtitles. I have extreme hearing loss and even with hearing aids in both ears, I must have subtitles on everything I watch. So, I decided to start with what would have been the second film in this series, COLD SOULS starring a personal favorite actor, Paul Giamatti.

***WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. – 1 Peter 1:8-9

In this film, Giamatti plays a fictionalized version of himself. He is an actor having trouble preparing for the title role in Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya.” He feels like the role is taking him over. A magazine article recommended by his agent puts him in touch with Dr. Flintstein, who specializes in the extraction and exchange of souls. He decides to have his soul extracted and stored because he cannot carry the burden of it anymore.

This dark comedy is surprising in so many ways. The premise is absurd and yet the implications are profound.

When Paul first visits Dr. Flinstein (played by David Strahairn) he is struggling with the idea of removing his soul and what it might do to him. The doctor promises that Paul will be happy if he has his soul extracted and Paul responds, “I don’t need to be happy! I just don’t want to suffer.” And that’s really what it comes down to, to have a soul is to suffer. Or, perhaps it’s more accurate to say that we store suffering in our soul.

The whole exchange between Paul and Flinstein is funny, with several laugh-out-loud moments, including one where the doctor offers Paul a cheaper option by storing his soul in New Jersey. “No! I do not want my soul shipped to New Jersey.” Paul says. “I don’t blame you.” The doctor replies.

Before the procedure, Flinstein offers him the opportunity to put on a pair of goggles that will allow him to “take a look inside” his own soul. Paul is adamantly opposed to the idea. You can see the fear on his face (Giamatti is a master at nonverbal expressions of incredible depth) but the fear is not around the procedure itself, there is something deeper going on.

This is confirmed when his soul is extracted into a jar and he is afraid to see what it looks like. When he finally looks at it, he is horrified to discover that it has the appearance of chickpea. This is a hilarious scene I won’t spoil for you but the doctor has explained to him that the appearance of our souls can take many different forms. Interestingly he notes that people assume souls would look bright and colorful and dynamic but that most of them are darker, especially gray. He points to one example, a black gelatinous blob, which he says is from a famous actor. “I believe he had a melanoma.” The doctor said. Not his body, his soul, we are led to believe.

The story shifts to another character, Nina (played by Dina Korzun) who is a soul mule for the Russian mafia. She carries people’s souls in her own body to the United States. These souls are from “anonymous donors”, which is a euphemism for poor people who are literally selling their souls for money and their souls are brought to the U.S. where they can be rented by rich people.

When Paul returns to his life with 95% of his soul missing–there is always a fragment left behind–he discovers that he feels nothing. He is not suffering, which was his goal, but he also cannot empathize, he cannot connect with his wife or anyone else, he also cannot act, or live in any meaningful way.

He returns to Flinstein and rents the soul of a Russian poet to help him with his performance in UNCLE VANYA and turns in an intense and wonderful performance the audience loves. But the soul of this poet is too much for him to manage. It turns out that souls carry memories and emotions. By carrying the soul of this poet, he feels what she felt and at the depth she felt it. He sees life through her eyes and he realizes, as he tells Flinstein that “this soul needs a much bigger life than mine…she has a beautiful soul. She should not have done it (given it up).” And in that he realizes that he should not have given up his either.

He decides that he wants his soul back but when he goes to retrieve it from the locker where it is stored, the locker is empty. It turns out that Nina stole Paul’s soul to take back to Russia because the wife of her boss wants the soul of an American actor to help with her acting career. Paul’s is the only one in the database so she takes it back to Russia and tells her mafia boss that it is the soul of Al Pacino.

When Paul finds out, he finally has to admit to his wife what he has done. It’s a beautifully acted scene in which Paul claims that he did a “silly, selfish thing” by giving up his soul and now he must go in search of it with Nina, who is committed to helping him because after carrying his soul to Russia and watching some of his movies feels guilty for stealing his soul and wants to help him get it back.

How interesting that giving up your own soul is a “selfish” thing. Could it be that our souls do not belong to us? That they are not ours to give away or to remove?

When Paul confronts the Russian gangster to get his soul back he discovers, to his horror, that the woman with his soul is in a soap opera. “You’re going to ruin my soul!” He says. And when he finally does, with Nina’s help, extract his soul from the actress, he finds that it is all dried out. The actress was indeed ruining his soul.

When they try to put his soul back into his body, Nina says that his soul is resisting the return and that he must reconnect with it by looking inside, which is what he has wanted to avoid from the start. When he does, it seems that his worst fears are realized. It looks like his soul is empty.

He soon discovers that it is actually filled with all of the events and people that have made him who he is. There is pain there to be sure. There is darkness and loneliness and suffering. And there is also love and connection and beauty and joy. To regain his soul, he must embrace all the burdens he started out trying to rid himself of.

Why I Recommend It

This film is strange in all the best ways. It asks questions about who we are as human beings without being heavy-handed or by preaching. It just tells an amusing story that is also tender and heavy without being sappy and burdensome.

I find it fascinating that writer/director Sophie Barthes suggests that we do in fact have souls, and that our souls are somehow influenced, changed, built, enriched, and corrupted, by the people, experiences, and choices of our lives. And that without the pain and suffering in our lives, we cannot know joy and happiness nor can we connect with and relate to others.

In one sense, the film suggests that we are the savior of our own souls but then, Paul is helped by Nina who carried his soul within herself for a while. This is a hint that maybe we need something or someone outside of ourselves to save our soul when it is lost.

Certainly, the film celebrates the ways in which our souls are enriched by the people we love and that love us and that connecting with people who have beautiful souls makes our souls more beautiful as well.

It also asks us to accept that suffering is not pointless and that the weight of our suffering is not a burden to rid ourselves of but something to embrace as a force that shapes us.

There is a lot of beauty in this film. And it’s funny and tragic in turns. Giamatti turns in a stellar performance and the script is well written and in many ways, profound. There are themes of faith, redemption, and a belief that our lives have meaning and significance. As a Christian, I see echoes of the faith in this movie.

Reflection and Discussion Questions

If you choose to watch COLD SOULS, here are some questions for reflection and/or discussion.

  • What is beautiful about this film? What is true? What is good?
  • As Christians, what can we receive in this film? What can we redeem? What must we reject?
  • What does this film say about the nature of human beings and how does that compare with what the Scriptures say?
  • If you could “take a look inside” your own soul, what do you think you would see? What would you be afraid to see?
  • In what ways has God used suffering to shape you? How does it help you connect with others? What can you be thankful for there?

Next week…PERFECT DAYS.

Films Christians Should Watch

~ Joseph McBee ~ Leave a comment

I’m starting a new regular feature on the blog called Films Christians Should Watch.

The idea came from a Letterboxd List I curate (if you are on that platform, please connect with me there). And the list is based on this quote from Alan Noble in his book DISRUPTIVE WITNESS:

Christians should choose aesthetically excellent stories, whether or not they are the most popular. These stories will tend to be darker or more depressing or heavy, which sounds unpleasant. But Christians should be known for their appreciation of tragedies, because in good tragedies we must reckon with our place in the world, the problem of evil, and the struggle of meaning…We do not need to only participate in dark or troubling stories, but we do need to give priority to stories that unsettle us, and expand us, whether through beauty and delight or tragedy.

Each Friday I will review one of the movies from my list and recommend some resources and discussion/reflection questions to help you think about the film in deeper and more meaningful ways as a follower of Christ.

I am beginning this new project because of Jeffrey Overstreet’s book THROUGH A SCREEN DARKLY, which I highly recommend.

Next week, I will begin with the first film on the list THE POWER OF ONE. I am looking forward to viewing it again and writing about it. I may not go down through the list in order, but this is a nice place to start.

I hope you will join the conversation by making comments and recommending movies you think Christians should see.