ScreenFish

where faith and film are intertwined

Lessons

Paddington 2: Lessons From A Bear

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We all know life can be difficult and challenging—sometimes before 8:30 in the morning. Drivers treat the commute like a game of Pole Position. Co-workers spray mean-spirited comments around the office like they’re watering a garden.  Social media serves as a hub for negativity to fester among friends both real and virtual.  Hectic schedules cause unrelenting stress. Homework is a horror for kids and a never-ending nightmare for adults. And then there’s the news . . .

Though life does not consist solely of de-thorned roses, we can still make the most of whatever situation we find ourselves in. That is one of the main messages of Paddington 2, the latest movie by Studio Canal and director Paul King. Following on the footsteps of the highly successful first film, the second iteration continues the adventures of the charming bear with the red hat and bright blue peacoat. Touching in some areas, laugh-out loud funny in others, it’s an irresistibly charming addition to the series.

Paddington (voiced by Ben Whishaw) has settled down with the Brown family in Windsor Gardens but wants to get Aunt Lucy a present for her 100th birthday. Passing by an antique shop one day, he spots a pop-up book of London that would be perfect. However, the book is quite expensive so he decides to get a job to pay for it.  His role as a barber doesn’t quite go as intended, so he reverts to a window washer—a task he’s uniquely made for.  Before he can get his paws on the book though, it’s stolen by a burglar. Paddington sees the break-in and attempts to catch the culprit, only to be arrested erroneously by the police and sentenced to twelve years in prison.

Life in jail is quite different for Paddington, but the bear, with his usual hopefulness and positivity taught to him by his Aunt Lucy, attempts to make the most of his situation.  However, Paddington learns a lesson anyone who’s ever washed clothes will attest to: a red sock in a bunch of white prison outfits equals a bunch of unhappy prisoners.  Maybe he can make it up to everyone by getting Knuckles the cook (Brendan Gleeson) to serve something remotely appetizing . . .

Meanwhile, the Browns realize Paddington is innocent and start an investigation into who stole the pop-up book.  They put up flyers, snoop around houses, and scour the community for clues while doing their best to let Paddington know.  When they forget to show up one day, Paddington begins to think they’ve moved on without him.

But there is a break in the case when Mrs. Brown discovers the culprit is a neighbor and former actor—Phoenix Buchanan (Hugh Grant).  But why does he want the pop-up book?  Is there something special about it?  Will Paddington serve the entire prison sentence, or will his motto of “If we’re kind and polite, the world will be right” live up to its billing?  It’s worth finding out.

As in the first film, the acting is top notch, with Grant enjoyably smarmy yet flamboyant as the former actor turned thief.  Mr. and Mrs. Brown (Hugh Bonneville and Sally Hawkins) provide just the right amount of levity in a family where everyone has big ambitions (it’s ironic that Hawkins, recently honored with a Golden Globe nomination for the film The Shape of Water, plays a character whose goal is to swim the English Channel). Of course, Paddington is just as you’d expect—a lovable bear who sometimes makes mistakes but always follows the mantra of his Aunt Lucy: “If you look for the good in people, you’ll find it.” To that end, he’s the hero we need right now.

What do we do when times get tough?  Do we run away or are we brave, jumping headlong into the fray?  I think about Joshua in the Old Testament as he prepared to lead an entire nation into a new land—one they were promised by God.  It must have felt like a daunting task he was incapable of accomplishing—after all, he was a slave while in Egypt. God gave Joshua a healthy shot of courage when he told him to “be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9 NLT). He took that advice, just like Paddington did with Aunt Lucy’s words, and moved forward to make things better for others.

What can happen in our world if we just attempt to look for the best in others and simply be nice?  Perhaps we should strive to find out.  I think Paddington and Aunt Lucy would agree.

The Long Road Home: Lessons Learned

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(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

When we last left the eighteen trapped soldiers in The Long Road Home (National Geographic), they were surrounded on all sides by enemy insurgents carrying human shields.  Lt. Shane Aguero (EJ Bonilla) gave the command to open fire while the screen went to black.  It was an effective way to end an episode, that’s for sure.

The final three episodes chronicled the continued search and rescue of not only Aguero’s team, but a second platoon led by Staff Sgt. Robert Miltenberger (Jeremy Sisto) who had a broken down vehicle, limited protection, no method of communication, and a bunch of soldiers who had never fired a gun in combat before.  Sadly, the result was exactly what you might expect.  Insurgents saw the weakness and attacked it mercilessly, leading to a number of significant injuries and deaths.

Aguero’s team was also in significant danger after the shots rang out in Episode 5.  They still had a house of refuge, but insurgents were still swarming.  The main problem was a lack of ammunition, dwindling by the second. Their interpreter  Jassim al-Lani (Darius Homayoun) was still around, but even he was in trouble if the ammo ran out.

As you might expect, there was some good news. A tank finally found them, but only after Aguero put himself in the crosshairs of death for the third time, chasing the tank down with a flashlight. Miltenberger makes a dash to keep an insurgent from bringing friends, but finds himself looking down the barrel of a gun—just as he predicted.  Thankfully, the person wanted to help him.  In the end, the soldiers in both platoons were rescued and taken to the base, where their injuries were treated.

But not everyone was able to successfully recover.  Pfc. Tomas Young (Noel Fisher) was left paralyzed thanks to a bullet that hit him before he ever fired a shot.  Specialist Israel Garza (Jorge Diaz), always the jokester, didn’t survive his wounds.  The scene where members of the Army inform his unprepared wife Lupita (Karina Ortiz) was difficult to watch.

I thought the ending was well done as Lt. Col. Volesky (Michael Kelly), in a gathering of the soldiers, called out the names of the eight soldiers who died, giving them the honor they deserved.  The role of the surviving soldiers was reinforced when they had a meeting the next day and told about their upcoming mission.  It wasn’t a ‘one battle and you get to go home’ deployment; it was ‘stay until the mission is complete, then go home.’ In the end, the ambush cost eight lives, injured over 60, and left soldiers with physical, emotional, and spiritual scars.  War isn’t fun; that’s for sure.

(Photo: National Geographic/Van Redin)

So what can we learn from all of this?

* As just noted, life doesn’t stop just because an attack occurs. We sometimes have days when it seems everything goes wrong.  We’d like to crawl into the bed and hide until the sun shines again.  But that’s not the way life works.  Instead, we have to draw on our reserves of courage and determination (or just ask God for some wisdom – see James 1:5) and go out again into the world.

* Sometimes bad things happen, as with Pfc. Young. We have to choose how to handle the adversity—can it be used for good in some way, shape, or form? If so, we can make a positive difference in the lives of those we come into contact with (see Romans 8:28).  Or we can choose to wallow in negativity, passing that on to people who don’t deserve it.

* I was struck by the role hope played in The Long Road Home. It would’ve been extremely easy for Aguero to give up as the odds were definitely against his squadron. But deep inside, he continued to hold out hope of being rescued even when the world around him was burning. That didn’t mean he was able to sit idly by; he had to lead his troops, play the role of counselor, and go after the tank after it drove by them numerous times.  Hebrews mentions faith “is the confidence that what we hope will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see” (11:1 NLT).  That hope turned into faith, which eventually saw his troops rescued with only Chen dying.

The Long Road Home brought the realities of the Iraq War into homes across the country. It wasn’t easy to watch at times, but was a necessary reminder of the sacrifice and bravery our soldiers make on a daily basis. Thank you, men and women of the Armed Forces, for all you do!