Redemption - Only for Christian Movies?
Karla Faye Tucker was the first woman in Texas to be executed since the Civil War. She was a drug-crazed prostitute and a murderer who used a pick-axe to commit her crime of violence. But just before her death from lethal injection in 1998, some of her last words were, “I am going to be face to face with Jesus now.” After a dramatic conversion, she married prison minister Dana Brown, and spent the rest of her days reaching out from her prison. Some say she became the “poster girl for Christian restoration,” and that her story is a divine love story.
At her death, celebrities, politicians and church leaders were clamoring for her release, while outside the prison walls, crowds screamed for the sentence to be carried out. Forevermore, the docudrama by filmmaker Helen Gibson, has gotten great customer reviews for so vividly portraying the amazing love of God.
Dead Man Walking, based on the true-life experiences of Sister Helen Prejean has not fared so well. We’ve received several complaints about its presence on our website. Is it the language? Is it the graphic imagery of crimes? Is it the nature of the crime? Or is it because it’s a Hollywood movie?
According to a review by Cinema in Focus, though not an easy film to watch, Dead Man Walking gives a powerful image of the effectiveness of the love of Jesus Christ working through a willing person’s life. “The genius of his [Director Tim Robbins] film is in his depth of exploring the humanity of each person affected by the crime, and the healing that each receives when affirmed with the love of God.”
It’s hard for me to watch films with graphic violence and language, but the 2 years I spent working in a local Rescue Mission taught me that the real world is a lot rougher than I want it to be. At the same time, I learned that the glory of God shines even brighter against the darkness of the world. Do I expect to watch a Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins’ movie and see a portrait of Jesus? No. Do I expect Sean Penn to show me some of the ugliness in my own life, and convince me of my need for a Savior? No way. Maybe that’s the discomfort we feel - people who don’t claim Christianity creating a compelling story about God’s love.
That’s the beauty of redemption. It shows up in unexpected places and surprises us with its brightness.
What are other films that have shocked you with their portrayal of redemption or grace or forgiveness? And who are some people that have surprised you by making those films?
