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Comfort Films #6 – A Walk in the [STEEL MAGNOLIAS]

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When times are tough, what stories do you turn to? Our new series, Comfort Films, is designed to look at the stories that are important to us and why they help bring us up with everything feels down. This week, Amanda Jane Smith and Miriam Ibrahim return to chat about the catharsis and nostalgia in Steel Magnolias, the simple romance of A Walk in the Clouds and undeniable charm of My Date with Drew.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Called by the Water: 1on1 with Jordan and Aaron Kandell (ADRIFT)

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Written by twin brothers, Jordan and Aaron Kandell (Moana), Adrift tells the amazing true story of Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claifin), two young lovers who set out on a journey across the ocean in 1983 and sailed directly into a Category 4 hurricane. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. Stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with no communication or navigation tools, Tami must find a way to save them both. According to Jordan, as soon as they discovered Tami’s story, they knew that it was one that needed to be told onscreen.

“We were doing journalistic research for an original survival sea story that we were prepping to write,” begins Jordan. “We have journalistic background and so we always try to [bring a]… sense of reality and authenticity, even if it’s a fictional story. So, I think in the first hour we came upon Tami’s book because it’s incredibly well known as one of the all-time great survival stories. But when you look at these vast geographic and other magazines had lists of 10 best new incredible survival stories, Tami’s was the only one that featured a woman! To us, we just couldn’t believe that. It said everything we wanted to say in our meetup story, which was going to be about twin brothers and loss. I don’t know why we had that idea (laughs). But it was a true story, it was a woman [who] survived incredible odds and it had an incredible love story on top of it. So, it just has everything and we just knew we had to tell it as soon as we read it.”

Having spent a good deal of time with Tami as they were preparing the story, Aaron believes the most inspiring aspect about her was her incredible humility.

“The thing that’s most amazing to us about Tami is that she thinks anybody would have survived the same situation,” Aaron reflects. “She’s the kind of hero who doesn’t think she’s a hero and that’s what makes her more heroic. She just has this strength and this indomitable ability and this humility about her that makes her deeply inspiring [to us]. [It’s the kind of inspiration] where you go, ‘That’s the kind of person that, if I had to be stuck on a boat, I would hope I could be stuck with them’ because that’s the person that’s going to make it no matter what. I don’t think we could have survived that.”

While it’s always a challenge to bring reality to the big screen, it can be even more daunting to have those who lived through the story over-seeing the process. However, with Tami, the Kandells were amazed at her candidness and willingness to explore her past.

According to Jordan, “The most exciting part of the process was that, not only is Tami everything strong and fearless and humble that Aaron said, but she’s also incredibly warm, open, collaborative and willing to trust in us to tell her story. Then, she was willing to open up her polaroids and her ship’s blog and relive this harrowing journey in incredible, powerful detail in interviews with us over the five-year journey it took to make it. That’s just a blessing to have someone do that and, of course, it infuses us with even deeper desire to tell her story.”

Although Tami and Richard had only known each other a few months before their journey out to sea, there is little question of the impact and intensity of their romance. As she spoke to Jordan and Aaron about her experience, they too became convinced that their love provided her with a spiritual sense of strength.

“Tami has always described her relationship with Richard as true love, like a deep soul connection love,” Aaron responds. “To this day, I think she believes that, if he was still here, they would be together. In the movie, they got engaged and were planning to sail the world together and spend their lives together. She told us that she says in her book that she’s not sure exactly what got her through it. She went over the course of the 41-day harrowing journey in a lot of different questions and doubts. We have her ship’s blog where she’s writing things like, ‘Why did you do this to me?’ ‘Why me?’ ‘Am I being punished, God?’ It was a very Jobian thing that she would explore. She doesn’t know if it was a higher power, a guardian spirit or angel voice that spoke to her in her moment of dire need and kept her going and motivated her and kind of guided her but she what she ultimately arrived at—and believes—is that it was Richard’s love that got her through it… Her love for him was [the reason she survived and] what gave her the ultimate strength.”

One of the more compelling elements of the Kandells’ script is its interest in moving seamlessly between past and present. In doing so, the story juxtaposes love and survival in a fascinating ebb and flow. With this in mind, Jordan believes that the interplay between timelines stems from Tami’s book and gives the film an almost musical element.

“Honestly, the inspiration for that comes right out of adapting the book, which is Tami recounting her survival while also processing her emotions through memory of the cinematic lush romance with Richard…,” he muses. “There’s something really beautifully sonic about having these two different melodies that we interweave and create a more intricate harmony when brought together. That structurally and creatively was a challenge and an inspiration. It was also a way to honor what she told us [about how] love is what she believed got her through it. Then, the love story is as important and essential to understanding the survival story. Those two have to be communicating with each other.”

Of course, the Kandells’ are perhaps best known for their role in writing the script for Disney’s Moana. As their first major writing credit, it’s interesting that both stories centre around two adventurous women that strike out onto the ocean. In this case, however, Aaron contends that, while the comparisons are natural, they are not intentional.

“It’s one of those, ‘How did they happen? Is it a coincidence?’ As Tami says, ‘what it steers your path’. We actually found her story before Moana,” he explains. “We started writing the opening scenes of Adrift the day we got called and hired for Moana. We had to put Adrift on hold while we worked on Moana and then came back and started writing Adrift the day after we finished. So, the fact that they happen to be both stories about young women who kind of find their inner strength and power by sailing out to sea and getting into a storm and being mentored by older male mariners is a coincidence or something of the highest order.”

Interestingly, the open water is featured so predominantly in both films that it almost becomes a character unto itself, breathing life into the narrative. In light of this, the Kendalls believe that their interest in the ocean stems primarily from their upbringing on Hawaii, offering them a place of spiritual inspiration.

“I think for us, personally, nature and the ocean are respectful communion has always been our church and our spirituality,” Jordan insists. “It’s where we feel most comfortable. We are more comfortable on water than we are on land. It’s where we go to recharge and cleanse ourselves and find inspiration and creativity. Yeah. This is our fifth screenplay involving the ocean that we’ve actually written. I guess we feel a calling back towards it.”

“Is that the nature in you or is it nurture?,” offers Aaron. “We have salt water in our veins. Our parents threw us the ocean when we were six months old and that was every day for us. So, it’s certainly a function of both of those things. Being born and raised in Hawaii and living here still, there’s a value system to when you live on an island, (in Hawaii certainly, but I think about all island cultures around the world). There’s a respect for and a communion with the ocean because it surrounds you and has you in a blue embrace at all times. So, [you go] to that as your source for joy, for sports, or food. It’s something that a category five hurricane (for story plundering) is something that you can’t escape. We’re surrounded on all sides by it and it failed. Yeah. We ended up blending and diving into it as often as we can, as deeply as we can.”

Adrift is in theatres now.

Forever My Girl: Healing through Forgiveness

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Produced by LD Entertainment (Risen, Jackie), Forever My Girl tells the story of Liam Page (Alex Roe), a superstar country singer who can’t shake the hurts of his past. When the death of a high school friend brings him back to his home town, he encounters Josie (Jessica Rothe), his ex-fiance for the first time since he left her at the altar. Though she isn’t interested in reconnecting with Liam, Josie does tell him that he has a daughter, Billie (Abby Ryder Fortson), from their previous relationship. As a result, Liam decides to stay longer in his home town to get to know his child and, potentially, rediscover himself as well.

For a studio that’s known for such gritty films as 2011’s survival film The Grey and the Oscar-nominated Jackie Onassis biopic, Jackie, this film is certainly a departure for them. Infused with an energetic dose of country music, Forever My Girl has a much lighter tone than the above titles, carrying itself as a fun, romantic drama. Relative newcomer Alex Roe (The 5th Wave) handles himself with southern charm as star Liam Page (remarkable considering he had little musical training prior to the film) but it is Jessica Rothe’s performance as Josie that often proves most up to the challenge. Rather than settle for the ‘disgruntled ex-girlfriend’ role, Rothe portrays Josie as a confident and assertive young mother who has created a healthy life for both herself and her daughter.

Interestingly, the film is also very concerned with exploring the nature of forgiveness in its story, placing each character in various degrees of brokenness. Josie, while established in her new life, has never truly forgiven Liam for abandoning her. In addition, Liam has never been able to forgive himself for not being able to help his mother. Finally, Liam’s father—and town

pastor—Brian Page (John Benjamin Hickey) has never forgiven his son for abandoning both his family and his personal values. As each character finds themselves on a different emotional journey, they begin to recognize the healing power of forgiving one another. In doing so, they each experience a renewed sense of community by recognizing their own imperfections and releasing their past hurts. (Incidentally, it’s also worth noting as well that, while the film would hardly be considered of the ‘faith-based’ genre, Forever My Girl certainly uses a Biblical understanding of grace and forgiveness as a template from which to build their character arcs.)

While admittedly the film breaks very little new ground for the genre, it does entertain and delivers what it promises. Bolstered by a strong pop country soundtrack—”Water Down My Whiskey” in particular was stuck in my head for several days—and charming characters, Forever My Girl will likely appeal to fans of the romantic drama but is not likely to attract many new ones.

 

Forever My Girl is currently available on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital HD.

TIFF17: The Mountain Between Us

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The Mountain Between Us tells the story of Alex (Kate Winslet) and Ben (Idris Elba), two strangers who both find themselves stuck in an airport when their respective flights are suddenly cancelled.  Anxious to get to their destination, the two strangers decide to charter a flight together to beat the system.  However, when their pilot (Beau Bridges!) takes ill mid-flight, the plane crashes in the mountains, leaving the two to fend for themselves against all odds in the harshest of conditions.

Shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Mountain features stunning visual photography and, according to the cast, no CGI wizardry.  The film’s emphasis on practical visuals lend credibility to the perils of the wilderness.  While ‘survivalist’ films are nothing new (remember, it was only two years ago that we witnessed DiCaprio make a similar trek in The Revenant), Mountain somehow feels almost fresh due to the strength of its leads.  While no one would doubt their talent, Elba and Winslet work surprisingly well together, creating genuine sexual tension between the two strangers.

At its heart, Mountain is less about surviving the elements and more about what draws us together.  As such, the ‘mountain between them’ becomes more metaphoric than literal as the strangers must navigate the challenges of trusting another person with whom you have no prior relationship.  While other films show sacrifice as the greatest act of love, Mountain recognizes that mutual sacrifice is also a key part of the community.  Winslet’s nosy journalist is a solid foil for Elba’s emotionally stunted Ben as they are forced to decide whether or not they are better off together or alone in their fight to survive.  This strain is further emphasized by the cinematography between the two subjects, as director Abu-Assad consistently places Winslet and Elba in either extreme closeness or distant separation onscreen.  The result is a visual push/pull that emotionally unites the actors in the midst of dire circumstances.

In the end, The Mountain Between Us is a surprisingly engaging piece about what connected us.  By focusing the story on the tension between the two leads, the script allows them to drive the narrative emotionally, which is their strength.  Through solid performances and writing, the film reminds us that the greatest mountains between us are often what we create ourselves.

Special features include “Love and Survival: Creating Chemistry,” “Mountain Between Them: Shooting in Isolation,” “The Wilds: Surviving Stunts,” a director’s commentary by Hany Abu-Assad, and deleted scenes. 

The Shape of Water – Fable with Biblical Commentary

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“Decency is an export. We sell it because we don’t use it.”

Guillermo del Toro’s films are sometimes referred to as fairy tales, fables, or parables, but always much darker than we usually think of such things. Those characterizations are not just because of fantastic, mythical beings in the stories. It is also because these stories have a strong moral center that uses a fantasy world to challenge our understanding of our own world. All this is true of his newest film, The Shape of Water.

Sally Hawkins in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. Photo by Kerry Hayes. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

The film is set in the Cold War, a time that some saw as a great battle of good versus evil. (Of course, which side you were on would affect which side you viewed as good.) In a secret government facility, Elisa (Sally Hawkins), a mute janitor, discovers a strange creature (Doug Jones) being held captive. It is amphibian and resembles the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The creature is being held there by Richard Strickland (Michael Shannon), who brought the creature back from the Amazon because it might hold secrets to give the US an advantage over the Soviets in the space race. In time, Elisa secretly forms a relationship with the creature and enlists the help of a co-worker Zelda (Octavia Spencer) and neighbor Giles (Richard Jenkins) to free the creature from the lab to save its life.

Because of the setting, the film allows reflection on those “good old days” and how they may fall short of our golden memories of them. There are clear distinctions between classes, races, and men and women. But the story revolves around the differences between the marginalized and the entitled.

Michael Shannon in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. Photo by Kerry Hayes. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

Del Toro employs an interesting device to illuminate the issues: biblical stories. Strickland has a worldview that is informed by a particular understanding of scripture. That understanding revolves around power. He believes he can treat the creature as he does because humans are created in God’s image—and he sees himself more in God’s image than other people. When he learns Zelda’s middle name is Delilah, he brings up the story of Samson, which he also reads as a story about power and being the conduit of that power. As we watch we see that even though he knows scripture, he has a distorted view of its meaning.

But the key biblical story alluded to in the film is Ruth. Del Toro doesn’t tell us the story (as with Samson). He just gives us an allusion to the story and lets us find how to use that tool to read the film. Elisa lives above a movie theater that is currently showing The Story of Ruth. That biblical account is also about the marginalized. Ruth was a foreign widow (two forms of marginalization). Elisa has been abused as a child and is now mute. The creature is a prisoner and totally out of his element.

Doug Jones and Sally Hawkins in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

In the story of Ruth, Ruth is rescued from her dire situation through finding a relationship with Boaz, a distant well-to-do relative. There is a bit of seduction in Ruth’s story, and in this one as well. But as l look at this story through the lens of the book of Ruth, I’m not sure which character is in the role of Ruth and which is in the role of Boaz. Certainly, Elisa rescues the creature from his imprisonment, but he also rescues her from her loneliness and pain. I have come to the conclusion that they each serve as Boaz to the other. They both bring a kind of salvation that give life to each other through their love.

It is good to remember that the biblical account of Ruth arose during a time of marginalizing those whose Jewish lineage was in question (even though the story is set much earlier). As we look at today’s world, we see many who are on the margins of society because of poverty, race, immigration status, sexual identity, and many other reasons. The Shape of Water provides a fable that calls us to act with decency (something that the powerful in this story see as unimportant) towards those around us. Today’s world still needs to live out that story of Boaz and Ruth.

Sally Hawkins and Octavia Spencer in the film THE SHAPE OF WATER. Photo Courtesy of Fox Searchlight Pictures. © 2017 Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation All Rights Reserved

I Do… Until I Don’t: Is Marriage Dead?

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I Do… Until I Don’t follows a filmmaker named Vivian (played by Dolly Wells), as she’s making a documentary about marriage and its challenges.  She focuses her film on three dysfunctional couples – Lake Bell and Ed Helms, who are trying to have a baby, Amber Heard and Wyatt Cenac, who have more of an open relationship, and Paul Reiser and Mary Steenburgen, who have been married for a while, determined to prove that the concept of marriage is outdated. However, as their family struggles rise to the surface, each couple is forced to re-examine their relationships and challenge Vivian’s assumptions about the nature of marriage itself.

Written and directed by Lake Bell, the film has a solid cast (Where have you been, Paul Reiser?) and a unique tone.  By blending comedy and drama with documentary elements, the film seems to defy many of the normal conventions associated with any specific genre. What’s more, it also proves to be an interesting exploration of the nature of relationships.  Though the comedy and drama are obviously heightened circumstances (as they often are in such films), the dialogue between the couples still somehow feels authentic. In a credit to Bell’s writing, the arguments, mistrust, and even moments of grace that break in between couples manage to feel grounded in reality. In doing so, the film is able to effectively explore the complexities of relationships in a way that actually demonstrates the value of spending your life with another person.

While countless other films have looked at the ‘ups and downs’ of relationships, I Do… set itself apart by intentionally looks at marriage as a concept. Through Vivian, Bell focuses her lens on the question of whether or not marriage is an outdated idea or a remnant of an oppressive culture.  (After all, as Vivian would argue, shouldn’t all contracts have an expiry time?) As a pastor, I found it refreshing to see a film that reminds us the importance of honoring our commitments to one another, even when things get hard. While views on marriage have changed in recent decades, I Do… reminds us that there remains value in the concept itself, allowing for vulnerability and support between partners.

Without any spoilers, it was also interesting to see how Bell shows the value of marriage without pushing against those who choose to remain single.  Too often, rom-coms give the impression that ‘finding your soul mate’ is the only important thing in the world but Bell manages to avoid this trap by admitting that it isn’t for everyone as well. (Incidentally, this argument again points back to the seriousness of marriage itself.)

While the story for I Do… Until I Don’t can struggle at times, solid performances from the key cast and its unique structure help the film to remain entertaining. However, in the end, the real value of the film lies in its deliberate exploration relationships at a time when our culture takes it for granted.

I Do… Until I Don’t is in theaters now.

Thursday (the final day) at NBFF

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I’ve reached the final day of the Newport Beach Film Festival. I’ve managed to take in a load of films, but there are a whole lot more I could get to. I finished off the week with a romantic thriller hybrid, a story of a police investigation that goes very wrong and the injustice a young woman and her family endure, and a very interesting program of shorts.

In I Hate the Man in My Basement, Claude is still grieving for his wife, but when he meets Kyra, he may have found someone who will help him move on in his life. The only thing holding him back is that he’s keeping the man who murdered his wife chained up in his basement, torturing him. Although Claude is generally a kind person, his anger towards his prisoner is excessive and violent. But as he begins to return to life and love with Kyra, he begins to soften toward his prisoner. But as long as he has this secret, he will never be able to fully move on with his life with Kyra. It made for an interesting blend of psychological thriller and romance.

You may know that I like to take in some shorts when I go to festivals. More than once I’ve seen Oscar nominated shorts at NBFF (including at least one that I know took home the prize). The festival creates thematic programs for the various shorts it chooses. The program I watched was called “Short Notes on Life.” The nine films from four countries had a bit of a philosophical bent with an eye towards the meaning and challenges of life. The films, which ranged from 5 to 17 minutes, were:

  • Smile, an Italian film that shows us four people, each in bed, as they worry or escape worry during their sleep or sleeplessness.
  • Breath (Respiro), also from Italy. A Syrian refugee seeking to cross the border, is instructed that the key to it all is breathing.
  • Anatomy, from Sweden. A humorous animated look at one man’s body and why he has become the way he is.
  • Dear Kid (Alskade Unge) also from Sweden. A woman is suspicious of a swimming coach’s relationship with one of the kids. Is there reason? Should she do something?
  • Dreamkeeper, from the US. A man who goes around through dreams, making sure everything is working properly, discovers a little girl who was managed to wander out of her dream. Before he can get her back, she gives him new insight into what he should be doing.
  • Glimpse, from the US. A young couple get a glimpse into their future. Would we really want to know what lies ahead?
  • Bathrooms, from Australia. What secrets are there in a family’s bathroom? The whole film is set in the bathroom, as we discover the hidden part of each family member’s life.
  • Ernie, from the US. A man who believes his life unimportant attempts suicide, but in the process discovers how his life can be meaningful. It’s humorous and inventive. The entire set is made out of paper and cardboard.

My favorites of the shorts were Glimpse and Dreamcatcher. To be honest, I would love to have Glimpse find its way to Oscar consideration. It was very special.

The final film for me this year was an Irish film, Out of Innocence¸ based on true events. When a newborn infant washes ashore, it is discovered that the baby was stabbed before being thrown in the ocean. As the police begin their investigation, a woman fifty miles away miscarries the baby she has been secretly carrying. In time, the police come to believe that the child she lost is the one found at the shore. They develop an elaborate scenario that involves the woman’s whole family. The police proceed in a very abusive manner to get confessions from each member. In time the tables turn and the police are being investigated for their actions. But in that investigation, the woman becomes the main focus – the victim as defendant. She becomes a cause célèbre for Irish women. The cry for justice had an important impact on Ireland. But it also had an impact on the young woman’s life. Police errors and abuse are not limited to any one country. I found it interesting that driving home after this film I heard a story from one of the West Memphis Three, who spent 18 years on death row for a murder he had nothing to do with. His story had many similarities to this film.

 

TFIOS: Seeking Love – Apply Within #TBT

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the-fault-in-our-stars

“Maybe she wasn’t loved widely but she was loved deeply… and isn’t that more than most of us get?” – Augustus Waters (The Fault in Our Stars)

It’s hard to find love at the movies.

Well, to be fair, it’s not hard to find what they think love is. Most films seem to have some kind of romance in the story, usually because someone feels like their life is meaningless without it. Then, as the movie goes on, that person finally finds that special someone to meet their needs and they realize what it means to be happy.

But then there’s a film like The Fault in Our Stars.

The Fault in our Stars tells us the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 17-year-old girl who is suffering from life-threatening cancer in her lungs. While her family loves and cares for her, she feels very much alone and lost, feeling that life is something that happens to other people. Eventually, she decides to join a support group for cancer patients (in the ‘literal heart of Jesus’) and it’s here that she meets Augustus Waters, a charismatic young cancer patient who quickly becomes enamoured with her. As their relationship grows, the young couple quickly learns the realities of genuine love in the face of life and death.

This image released by 20th Century Fox shows Ansel Elgort, left, and Shailene Woodley appear in a scene from "The Fault In Our Stars." (AP Photo/20th Century Fox, James Bridges)

Now, on the surface, the story sounds like a lot of other romance flicks.

Think about it.

A timid woman who’s inexperienced at love is drawn to the charisma of a bad boy with a heart of gold. On that level, you could insert pretty much any set of characters and churn out pretty much any film, ranging from The Spectacular Now to the Twilight series to (arguably) Fifty Shades of Grey. In movies like these, ‘love’ usually takes the form of making someone happy with either romance or sex.

Once you’ve got that, everything else is fine. Cue the music and fade to black.

Even though it falls into some of these traps along the way, Fault shows us that love is something else entirely. From the very beginning of the film, Hazel wants us to know that what we’ve been sold about love and pain simply isn’t true. “I believe we have a choice in this world about how we tell sad stories,” she says, “On the one hand, you can sugar coat it, like they do in romance novels or movies. Nothing is too mixed up that can’t be corrected with an apology or a Peter Gabriel song… It’s just not the truth.”

That cuts to the heart of it fairly quickly, doesn’t it?

Still, in this movie, ‘finding love’ isn’t the end goal. While most relationship flicks want us to believe that romance is the thing we’re missing, Fault wants us to understand that love is far more complicated than getting promises and flowers. In fact, the film shows that the mark of real love comes when we’re willing to stand by one another when we’re at our worst.

(By the way, here come the spoilers…)

best-quotes-from-fault-our-stars

The love between Hazel and Augustus is rooted in genuine commitment to one another, even in the face of death. As Augustus’ cancer slowly spreads and his health gets worse, Hazel doesn’t run away. She demonstrates real love by her commitment to him in his worst moments of anger, fear, and sickness. She doesn’t stay with Augustus because she feels guilty and she doesn’t run when things get hard. In fact, she’s even thankful that she’s had the experience. “Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity,” she says.

If that isn’t the best onscreen depiction of 1 Corinthians 13 you’ve ever seen, I don’t know what is.

Hazel’s love for Augustus isn’t some ‘teen crush’ (or vice versa). Instead, it’s rooted in a deep commitment to help the other person become the best version of themselves emotionally and spiritually. To quote the Bible, their love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things [and] endures all things.” While love is certainly a basic need, too often we’re told that it’s about us.

Our feelings.

Our wants.

In Fault though, love is shown to be more about what we can give to the other person than what we take ourselves. While the film doesn’t seem to fully draw the lines to Christian faith—even though much of it takes place in ‘the literal heart of Jesus’—it very clearly depicts what genuine Biblical love is all about.

So, let’s not settle for less.

some-infinities-are-bigger-than-other-infinities-the-fault-in-our-stars-tfios

Lost in Florence – Taking Control

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“You have to do what your heart tells you to do—if you even know what it is.”

Lost in Florence is the story of a young man who must find his future. Will he just be blown by the winds of life, or will he take control of his destiny?

While visiting his cousin in Florence, American football player (not quite good enough for the NFL) Eric Lombard (Brett Dalton) proposes to his girlfriend, Colleen (Emily Atack)—and is shocked and heartbroken when she turns him down. Rather than return home to law school, he stays in Italy where he discovers Calcio Storico, a brutally violent Italian game like rugby, only with no rules. He enjoys the beauty of the ancient city, and meets Stefania (Alessandra Mastronardi), the girlfriend of the team captain and Eric’s friend Paolo (Alessandro Preziosi).

In some ways Eric is stuck between looking back and looking forward. (It is of interest to note that, as he is studying Italian, he always seems to be working on verb tenses.) He isn’t ready to let go of his football dreams. The reason Colleen turned down his proposal was because he wasn’t willing to commit to law school and move on to a future together. When he is with Stefania, she pushes him to live in the moment.

The game Calcio plays into the idea of past and future as well. Dating back to the 17th Century, the game was played by Medicis and popes. It is said that Michelangelo designed the ball. It continues to have elaborate parades with traditionally costumed drummers and flag bearers leading up to a game. There is so much anachronistic about the game, yet for Eric it is the passion he finds to focus his energies.

But Eric’s real problem is that he has failed to take control of his life. When he was cut by the NFL team, they told him to go to Canada and improve, so he played in Canada. When Colleen rejects his proposal, he just mopes in bed for several days. When Paolo learns of Eric and Stefania and tells Eric he is off the team, he quickly acquiesces. At some point he needs to learn to choose what he wants his life to be and be an active agent in making that happen.

Photos by John O’Malley, courtesy of Orion Pictures