Movies for the Cultural Anorexic
A cultural anorexic is someone who starves themselves from culture thinking it will benefit them by bringing about a permanent change. The problem is that anorexics are damaging only themselves and their families. In other words, if you’re starving yourself from culture to try to change it, the only ones you’re affecting are yourself and your own family. The culture will go on without you.
I listened to an interview this morning with Brian Godawa, screenwriter and director. He believes if you don’t watch films and interact with them, you’re cut out of the discussion about the current culture; that you are a cultural anorexic.
In both this interview and his book Hollywood Worldviews, he makes the point that even the most raucous comedy or bloody horror film communicates values, the way the writer and director think the world should be or the way it shouldn’t be. Everyone has a way of perceiving the world, and it’s embodied in the story structure.
The interviewer asked Brian for his top 5 Christian films (meaning films that have a Christian worldview, or are positive to the themes of Christianity). His very interesting list is below. If you’ve seen these, what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with his choices?
To End All Wars – Shows grace and forgiveness in the context of horrible evil. Invites us to consider what it means to love yourself, your neighbor, and your enemy. (One of my personal favorites)
Chariots of Fire – Brian credits this film with encouraging him to work in movies. When he saw it in 1981, he realized films can be made with a worldview of “muscular Christianity” that is real and not kooky or corny.
Braveheart – It’s a story of political freedom, which is a biblical perspective, and was written by a Christian. It’s also a metaphor of the Gospel: real freedom is only achieved by self-sacrifice and the shedding of blood.
The Addiction – This arthouse black and white vampire film uses vampires as metaphor for total depravity and the sinful nature of man. There is Christian redemption in the film but it’s definitely not for the weak of stomach.
Sense & Sensibility - Brian would put all Jane Austen novels and films up there. Her stories are always about what it means to love. This film compares two different women and their perspective on romance. The younger woman is seeking the romance of life, a dashing young man who gives the romantic experience. The older and more mature woman seeks romance in a very biblical way. It’s about giving, waiting, and sacrificing for the other.
Brian also made the comment that, while they may not enjoy them, men might want to watch “chick flicks” because they often depict love with a Christian worldview.
Braveheart is the only one in the list I’ve seen, but I wouldn’t call it a christian film. The film is not really about Christ or a ‘christian worldview’ in even a minor way, and I don’t think the liberation of the gospel of Jesus meant political rebellion.
My picks would be:
- The Mission
- A Man for All Seasons
- The Passion of Joan of Arc
- The Passion of the Christ
- The Decalogue (Dekalog)
God Bless,
August 27th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
I just watched “Braveheart” a couple of weeks ago (for the 3rd or 4th time) and I told my Mom “This is the best Christian film of all time.” She replied, “That’s got too much blood for me.” (That’s a valid point for a Mother to make). Now, I didn’t mean it completely literally, but I meant to say that it is one of the best. This is not an easy thing to say, because popular Christian culture considers Christian movies to be the ones that are marketed as such. However, Jesus Christ said “be in the world, but not of the world.” Are those films that are marketed for Christian audiences but are not at all inspiring to those not fluent in “Christianese” films “in the world?” Certainly they are not “of the world,” but that is just half of the calling.
Very interesting that Jane Austen should be such an influence in Brian’s eyes. Women tend to have a desire to be loved in a way that men can’t always understand. It makes perfect sense that a woman’s writings could provide a clear lens for men and women to see real love through. “The Addiction” also sounds like a good one, though again, it would be foreign for me to explain to many people in the church why I was excited to see this film. But then, that’s valid that I should have to explain as vampires do not exactly represent Christ’s redemption in of their own cliché nature.
I would just like to add one thing more, which would be to say that as dark as M. Night Shyamalan’s film “Unbreakable” is, it is almost a perfect metaphor for a Christian trying to witness to a non-Christian and discovering his own faith in the process.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:40 pm