Crash

This afternoon I watched the movie Crash for the second time. It's an extremely powerful movie, and usually produces strong emotions in those who watch it. The first time I watched it I was quite torn on how I felt about it. It's a very real, honest, and powerful demonstration of how we are affected by prejudice, fear, anger, power struggles, injustice and a whole lot of other stuff we like to pretend doesn't exist. One of the things that hit me the most when I first saw it was that it completely blurred or destroyed the images of "good characters" and "bad characters" in the story. I like to see people as mostly good or mostly bad, but that's mostly delusional thinking. Instead you see both sides of the characters and are left without a "hero" to pull you through the movie. It offers no warm fuzzies, no peaceful comfortable atmosphere. Instead it left me a little disturbed but very moved by the honest look at the corrupt world we live in and the messed up people in it, of which I am a part. It is amazing to see how different people's prejudices played on one other, fueling anger and fear which often got displaced, and brought out more prejudice. It is a violent spiral. This is definitely a movie that everyone should watch at least once in their lifetime. It has forced me to think about what my prejudices are and what brings them out. There were so many things said that rang so true to me and also seem so wrong. But it's healthy to confront the reality of the world and ourselves.

The truth

I just finished watching Good Night and Good Luck, which is an excellent movie. On the companion piece on the DVD is a quote by Edward R. Murrow that I loved. In the spirit of this quote, I will refrain from embellishing with my own thoughts, and just let it stand on it's own.

"Most truths are so naked that people feel sorry for them and cover them up, at least a little bit."

The Family Stone

A few weeks ago I watched The Family Stone for the first time. It's a really great movie that I would recommend to anyone. The recommendations I had received were so great that I bought it without even seeing it. There were many things in that movie that stood out to me, but there was one line towards the beginning that really jumped out at me. The parents are talking about Meredith, the girlfriend their son Everett has brought home for Christmas. The dad makes the assessment: "She doesn't seem to know herself very well. Which means, I'm afraid, our Everett doesn't know himself very much either." It made me pause the movie and rewind to catch it again. It is something I had never thought about before, but really is true. When we don't know ourselves and are very insecure with who we are, we tend to seek out those same types of people. Otherwise we may have to face the reality that is ourselves, and that is something we are trying to avoid. I definitely saw this in my first marriage as I did not know myself at all. That's one of the inherent dangers of marrying young.

The families' problem with Meredith was not in who she was, it was that she didn't know herself and was very fake. As Ben (one of Everett's brothers) put it, "You have a freak flag; you just refuse to fly it." I love that line! We all have freak flags, aspects of who we are that are unique and strange. Rather than trying to hide them, we need to accept and embrace them as a part of who we are. This doesn't mean we don't grow and change certain aspects. But before any of that can happen, we must acknowledge and accept those things as a part of who we are.

Crazy

I just finished watching the movie A Beautiful Mind for probably the third time. It is such an incredible movie. The first time I watched it I was struck by the vivid way it portrays Schizophrenia and the way it makes you understand a little of what it must be like. But over and over again I am impressed by the love story. Seeing the difference and triumph that can be made by the dedication of a loving spouse. Maybe it's just the sentimental romantic in me, but that story always inspires and challenges me. It gives new meaning to the phrase "for better or for worse". And it's an unequivocal example of the impact of that kind of love.

There was someone else kind of watching the movie with me, and he couldn't understand it. After we explained it, he just kept saying, "he's crazy, he's crazy." He couldn't understand how someone who was "crazy" could make such an impact.

But I think the reality is that we are all crazy. Some are more so than others, obviously. But the reality is that we have parts of us that are a little neurotic and irrational. Because of past experiences, or whatever reason, we do things that do not make sense and are not logical. The real challenge is to acknowledge our craziness and deal with it as best we can. I love the parts in this movie where John can joke and mess with people about his illness. That shows strength of character and self-acceptance. And while he does everything he can to treat it, the problem does not go away. But he is able to deal with it, and continue to live his life in a meaningful way. I'm not saying we're all schizophrenic, nor am I trying to diminish the seriousness of that illness. I'm saying we may be a little more like John Nash than we want to admit. But it was only after accepting and acknowledging his problems (and through the love and support of his wonderful wife) that he was able to take control of his life and regain a sense of meaning and purpose. And it's a challenge to me to accept my own craziness and deal with it as best as possible.

God in Movies

Sometimes it's easy to see pictures of God in movies that I watch. Sometimes it's not so easy. A few weeks ago in CPE, we watched the movie Anger Management, and we talked about it today. One of the questions we had to answer was where is God in this film? Is God embodied or is God's presence implied? I had seen this movie several times, and had never thought about this question. But as I thought about it, I did begin to see a picture of God.

I can see the character of Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson) as embodying some aspects of God. This was illustrated most in the way that Dave (Adam Sandler) didn’t understand Buddy’s methods or ways, and yet it for his learning and growth, and ended up giving him everything he wanted. It reminded me of how I do not always understand why God does things a certain way, and how it seems crazy at times, but in the end, it all makes sense. However, Buddy was manipulative in his approach, whereas God allows us freedom to choose to follow His plans. Buddy set-up the entire court process, and then used the threat of jail to force Dave to follow his methods. God lets us choose if we want to trust His methods.

As we talked about it today, several people were surprised at the thought of Buddy as God. If you've seen the movie, you can understand why. But the reality is that God can be seen in every human relationship. And sometimes we have to look to see it. He can be found in the most unlikely places, or the most unlikely movies.