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prodigal son

The Story of Us – Ep. 3: Love Never Fails

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Turning on the television, reading the newspaper, or even browsing a news website these days is enough to fill a person with dread. Tensions between countries are escalating.  People are increasingly accusing others of things publicly (for better or worse).  Making a wrong move these days can result in viral videos and being hunted by a digital mob that has more presence by the hour. In a world filled with darkness and fear, what power does love have, if any?  In the third episode of The Story of Us (National Geographic, 9PM/8CT or on demand), Morgan Freeman explored some unique answers to the question that are worthy to be considered.

The episode began with Freeman recreating the Beatles’ famous walk across Abbey Road in England.  It made perfect sense, as the Beatles sang their famous tune “All You Need Is Love” to a worldwide audience around the time of Woodstock.  But were McCartney and the band correct? Freeman offered a number of vignettes providing challenging perspectives on what love truly is.  On a trip to Ethiopia, for example, he watched a tribe’s manhood ritual, one that involved women attempting to acquire the attention of boys by waving thin tree branches at them.  When a boy found the woman he wanted, he took the branch from her and hit her, causing potential scars on her back and side.  It was brutal to watch, but the reason for it involved love in the form of protection and unity.

Another segment of the episode found Freeman interviewing a Pakistani-born attorney living in England.  She thought she found Mr. Right on her own, but ended up divorcing him after a year.  Meanwhile, her parents back home attempted to play the role of Yente in Fiddler on the Roof, arranging a suitor and marriage for her with a man she met for thirty minutes while visiting the family in Pakistan. She married him; fifteen years and two kids later, they’re still happily together.

Love does not always have to involve romance, however.  The story of Major William Swenson’s determination and sacrifice to save a fellow member of his team in harm’s way during an ambush was powerful.  The point here was simple: the bond between members of a group (military or otherwise) can become so strong that the group loves each other enough to stand beside each other in both good times and bad.

Love can even hope to bring dignity to a person’s life who hasn’t seen it in a while.  One gentleman in London put his beliefs into action by taking his backpack and a stool into the streets in an attempt to provide homeless individuals haircuts and shaves.  Watching the transformation of a haggardly older man was visually eye-opening.

Of course, it’s easy to look at these examples and immediately think of the Apostle Paul’s famous commentary on love in 1 Corinthians 13: love doesn’t boast; it isn’t self-serving; it always protects; it never fails regardless of country or the people involved.  However, my biggest takeaway from the third episode came from the initial interview Freeman had with a gentleman in a quiet playground.   A few decades ago, Romania had an overglut of kids thanks to laws enacted by former dictator Nikolae Ceausescu requiring all families to have at least five offspring.  As a result, orphanges across the country were filled beyond the breaking point, both in number of kids and lack of workers. Conditions were beyond deplorable, with kids never seeing green grass or even the outside of the building. The gentleman being interviewed was able to get out of the orphanage to America through adoption, but when shown true love by his new parents, he simply couldn’t handle it; it was a foreign concept to him. He rebelled and ran away from his family, but later learned that one of his new sisters had been in a bad car accident.  And just like the prodigal son in Luke 15, he returned home to find his father with open arms, ready to receive him back with no conditions.

So, does love have power in this day and age? Absolutely!  We just have to be willing to slow down and look around a little bit. What we see may amaze us and perhaps transform our lives to be more loving and caring for those we hold dear—or even those we don’t know.

Disney Parables – Finding Nemo: The Pursuit of the Father

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Usually, when it comes to a film’s protagonist, we consider the person who exhibits the most growth, or at least demonstrates the most action on behalf of the individual or others. Since 2003, Finding Nemo has been lauded for its artful tale of the titular little fish, netting box office splash, critical accolades, and the top spot in DVD sales … ever. But on further review, the film bears even deeper attention: this isn’t Nemo’s story at all, anymore than “The Parable of the Prodigal Son” is about the “lost” or younger son.

In Finding Nemo, the young clown fish of the same name finds himself captured by human divers, against the wishes, urging, and commands of his father. In an act similar to the son who claims half of his father’s possessions in the story that Jesus tells in Luke 15:11-32, Nemo touches the hull of the ship and tells his father, quite clearly in fact, “I hate you.” Whisked away by the divers and sold to a dentist, Nemo at first fights the situation he finds himself in with a new group of aquarium fish, and finally, consigns himself to his fate.

Meanwhile, Marlin takes his fatherly efforts up a notch or two. Putting his anxiety and fears about life off the reef aside, he departs his home to pursue his son. He first encounters a regal blue tang named Dory, and then an Australian shark named Bruce, a sea turtle named Crush, and the pelican named Nigel. He dodges an Anglerfish, escapes a blue whale, and finally arrives in Sydney, Australia, to collect his son. Through a series of strange and fantastic events, they are reunited. Happy ever after…

But the truth of the story is that it all swings on a moment when Nemo hears – by way of Nigel, by way of seagulls, by way of swordfish, by way of turtles, etc. – that his father is coming to get him. It’s not until he hears the empowering good news, the truth of his father’s love, that he summons the courage (and a few others are inspired) for him to break out. [Sidebar: What can we learn about the power of the gospel? The fact that people need to hear that they’re loved, that God loves them? Sometimes, our lives feel like they’re in glass houses… or aquariums… with no way out.]

Back in the words of Jesus’ story of the son, we can see that while we have contextualized “prodigal” to refer to a son who squanders his father’s wealth – or any black sheep of the family who has wandered off (and may or may not return) – the truly scandalous, powerful, unending, undeserved, uncontainable love of the father is what is truly “prodigal.” In fact, Jesus’ parable is not that of the “lost” or “prodigal” son, but that of the seeking father.

For a moment, consider what the father must have been doing in Jesus’ story to see the son “while he was a long way off.” Of course, he had to have been actively looking or seeking for him, but what if the father was in fact always aware of where his cutthroat, out-of-bounds boy had gone? What if the father had allowed – like most parents have at some point – for his child to experience failure, to suffer, to misstep so that he could learn who he was? In the process, the father teaches the son grace.

And in the end, the fathers are the heroes of these stories.

Ultimately, it is about the grace to forgive (and maybe to forget, right Dory?) that allows both fathers to love extravagantly. With apologies to Marvin Gaye, there ain’t no ocean wide enough, no disobedience or shame deep enough, to keep either of these fathers from getting to their sons. This is the testimony of the story – the heart of the gospel – that nothing we do can separate us from the love of the Father, that God’s love is immeasurably deep and wide.

Genius Ep. 6 – Hitting Rock Bottom

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(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

One of the key points of conflict thus far on Genius, National Geographic Channel’s 10-part series on Albert Einstein (Tuesdays, 9 PM/ 8 CT), involves his marriage.  It’s obvious that Albert married Mileva mainly for her scientific mind and little more. As a result, the relationship has been spiraling downhill for a few episodes; in the meantime, Albert’s scientific career has been on an upward trajectory. When his cousin Elsa enters the picture as more than just a family relation, it’s only a matter of time before the powder keg of emotions explode.

Director James Hooks (the fourth different director of the series thus far) brings a heavily dialogue-driven perspective to the proceedings.  He begins the sixth episode by setting up Einstein’s plan to confirm that light waves bend as a result of gravity.  Albert (Johnny Flynn) has teamed up with an astronomer who will photograph the upcoming eclipse and gather data to further strengthen his theory of relativity. Problem one: the nearest location to see the full eclipse is Crimea, Russia. Now that he’s moved to Berlin and is a part of the Prussian Academy, Albert has to convince a bunch of skeptical scientists to provide funding for the trip—scientists who are ruffled by his brazen attempts to challenge their previous work. Albert gets some of the money, but Elsa (Gwendolyn Ellis) uses her clout to get the rest.

Problem two: After the trip has departed, German declares war on—you guessed it—Russia. With a load of photographic equipment in tow behind enemy lines, things aren’t going to go well for the members of the team on the train (see below).

(National Geographic/Dusan Martincek)

But there’s another issue—a Serbian scientist has been able to come up with proof that Einstein’s theory doesn’t work as it currently exists. If Einstein publishes the paper with the eclipse data, he’ll likely be discredited.

This is where Einstein’s marriage enters the discussion.  He moved the family to Berlin because he wants to be with Elsa instead—he even tells her, “With you, it’s sunshine.  At home, [it’s always] a cloud of anger.”  But she realizes how scandalous the situation can become unless Mileva (Samantha Colley) is out of the picture.  Mileva finds out, and Albert has to make a decision—one that will have consequences for the rest of his life.

He chooses Elsa, telling Mileva he wants a divorce.  But Mileva refuses to grant it to him.

At this point, Albert becomes even more of a jerk than one can possibly imagine, giving Mileva a written list of demands in order to keep the marriage intact.  They amount to a completely platonic, non-physical relationship—cook, clean, take care of the two kids, and leave him completely alone with his studies.  Surprisingly, she agrees to this.  When she learns of the Serbian’s negation of Einstein’s proof, she tries to tell him, but he cites the written list he wrote her and dismisses her out of hand.

Eventually, the strain is too much, and after she has a one-night stand with the Serbian scientist, Mileva agrees to separate (not divorce—this may play a role in future episodes).  Albert is elated—now he can return to Elsa.  But when he returns home, he finds it empty.  Mileva takes the children to Zurich, leaving Albert—for the first time in the series—completely broken.

Nobody wants to ever hit rock bottom in life.  But there comes a period for most people where just that occurs. What once was is not any more.  Friends have abandoned in a time when they’re needed the most. There’s really nothing left to do but surrender to God and strive to make life changes that last.  It doesn’t mean there won’t be scars, but the end will be better than the alternative.  Jesus talked about this situation in a story about a young guy who took his inheritance, blew it all on the frivolities of life, then found himself in a place where he had to resort to eating pig slop to survive.  Only then did he come to his senses and point his life in the right direction (see Luke 15:11-31).

We’ll have to see if anything arises from the final scene of the episode—Albert Einstein crying, alone, at a train station. Is this really rock bottom, or will things get even worse?

Where Hope Grows: Hope Springs Anew

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Veggieball - Where Hope Grows

This weekend at your local theater, there are two major films that will generate considerable interest from both casual and devoted moviegoers. There’s Pitch Perfect 2, a musical comedy certain to attract a younger audience. There’s also some film about a guy named Mad Max (you might have heard about it here on ScreenFish) that takes place in a bleak desert landscape evocative of a Midnight Oil music video. There’s also a much quieter film called Where Hope Grows that features a baseball player and a grocery store worker with Down Syndrome.  If your cinema is showing the latter, I highly recommend you give it a try before saying hello to either Anna Kendrick or Charlize Theron. You’ll walk out of the building a better person for it.

Where Hope Grows tells the story of Calvin Campbell (Kris Polaha, Backstrom), a baseball player who couldn’t quite make it at the big league level due to a case of the yips. As a result, he finds himself in a daze, simply trying to make it through each day while dealing with the responsibilities of singlehandedly raising his teenage daughter Katie (McKaley Miller, Hart of Dixie).  To a large degree, Calvin fails at this task as he slowly spirals out of control, leaving Katie to take care of him instead.

There is a glimmer of hope in all of this, however. While at the grocery store one day, Calvin meets a guy from the produce department who is actually named Produce (David DeSanctis). Produce has Down Syndrome, yet somehow knows the department like the back of his hand, rattling off identification code after identification code to Calvin before giving him a bear hug. Calvin takes a liking to Produce and develops a friendship with him, even teaching him how to play baseball by having him hit fruits and vegetables in the alley. The challenge comes in the form of Colt (Michael Grant), a co-worker of Produce with an affinity for skirting the rules as he dates Katie (providing a relationship her father cannot). Calvin isn’t happy about this situation—and rightly so—but is powerless to do anything about it because he can’t break out of his tailspin. This leads to some significant drinking that his good friend Milt (Billy Zabka, The Karate Kid) only serves to exacerbate.

Yet Produce remains a significant figure for Calvin, even inviting him to church (which Calvin shrugs off immediately).  He’s always made it a goal to be Employee of the Month at the grocery store, but is always overlooked due to his condition. This leads to a rather tense discussion between Calvin and the manager over fairness and not discriminating against someone because they’re different. The end result is exactly what you’d expect: Produce is passed over for the honor yet again.

Oh, you didn’t expect that? Then the latter half of the film will certainly provide you with some more surprises.

Calvin and Katie - Where Hope Grows
Calvin eventually has a prodigal son moment (see Luke 15:11-32) when, in a drunken stupor, Produce takes his car keys and runs away.  He attempts to show up for an interview to be the manager of the local baseball team but arrives so late that the stadium is completely locked up. Dejected, he traipses through the evening to another baseball diamond and, in the pouring rain, discovers something about himself while attempting to hit balls.  At this point, he begins his comeback by going to church—for an AA meeting where he meets Amy (Brooke Burns, Baywatch)

The climax of the film comes at a family fun center when Milt notices that his wife Susan (Danica McKellar, The Wonder Years) has, thanks to Milt’s lifestyle choices, plants a kiss on a friend whom the two have taken in at their house.  Meanwhile, Cole decides to make his move on Katie in a scene that has scarred me forever from playing Laser Tag. This leads to a denouement that is somewhat predictable but nonetheless jarring.  Can hope come out of all these messed-up lives?  The answer is not an easy one.

Of course, one of the unique things about Where Hope Grows is DeSanctis himself. He plays the role of Produce with a freshness, vitality, and childlike exuberance often missing in Hollywood films these days. Yes, he has Down Syndrome, but a lesson to be learned here is that stereotypes are meant to be shattered—and I think some significant shattering will occur from this film.  Polaha does a nice job as Calvin and has an extremely natural chemistry with DeSanctis (one he described as “instantaneous and organic”) that is evident in their scenes together. This is also the case with the father-daughter relationship he plays with Miller.

A second unique aspect of the film is the nature of how faith-based it is. Where Hope Grows does not attempt to bludgeon people with God, but allows the faith discussion to happen in a semi-organic manner. Produce reads his Bible and sings in the church choir. Susan reads a short passage from Matthew 6 at a critical juncture of the film. There is a scene where Calvin and Katie discuss prayer in a manner that is gripping and challenging all at once. Director Chris Dowling (The Remaining) said that “Faith films tend to write their world as they want to see it rather than what it is . . . [it’s supposed to be] a conversation starter.”  To that end, I think he does a great job of making that happen.

Produce, Calvin, and Amy -- Where Hope Grows
This brings me to the third aspect of Where Hope Grows. Even though it could technically be considered a faith-based flick, I beg to differ. So did Miller, who in an interview I recently had with her, described it as the opposite of a “Hey, look at us; we’re a Christian film.” Although the overarching themes of respecting others, redemption, and making the most of every day are on full display, there’s a grittiness to the picture that will make people sit up and take notice. Calvin’s struggles with drinking are on full display, showcased by numerous bottles of liquor that he downs quite often. There’s an attempted rape scene and some violence. Does this sound like something that churches would probably endorse? However, if you go to the movie’s Facebook page, you’ll see that over 478,000 people have placed a like on it.  That’s not a misprint. Instead, I see it as a fantastic step in the right direction where Christians and those not of faith can dialogue about issues common to both.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that the film is perfect (very few are).  Some of the relationships aren’t explained as thoroughly as they could’ve been (as an example, Calvin and Katie never discuss the missing part of their family—Calvin’s inferred wife). The pacing was a tad slow in places and there’s a confrontation between Calvin and Milt that looks a bit hokey on screen. However, there are a lot of good things that will come out as a result of Where Hope Grows—thanks to a fellow named Produce and an insatiable desire to be a friend who sticks closer than a brother.  It’s a film that will make you walk out of the theater with a renewed zest for life and a challenge to make every day a little bit better than the last.