Welcome to our second requested topic for the year! I am always excited when I get the chance to generate some ideas and discussion on topics submitted by the team. And this week, I am certain that everyone has plenty of thoughts on this practical subject. We know how useful and powerful media can be in our ministry. Movies, in particular, craft people’s lives in stories that evoke the strongest and wildest emotions and responses. We all possess scenes from movies that we will remember for a lifetime: whether it is sweeping scenes of roaring seas, the hum of a lightsaber that lights a darkened theatre with neon warmth, or that first momentous introduction of our favourite cinematic character. Great movies have the ability to express universal truth, and by doing so, express deeply the movement and love of God in profound ways, consciously or unconsciously.
Sorry, I am beginning to sound like the introduction to an award at the Oscars.
For this week, I wanted to share some of the movies that you might find useful in ministry settings. There are so many! Please contribute your own ideas as well, as we build a stockpile of blockbuster proportions. I am sure that we will need a few editions of this particular topic! I hope these are helpful!
Disney Films
Disney has always had a remarkable ability to produce films with universal and timeless appeal. While the materials are drawn from well-known and crafted narratives from various cultures and traditions, Disney movies usually highlight two particular themes that resonate across their movies: Identity and Transformation. There are three particular movies that speak to me, at the moment, that provide substantive materials on these themes.
Frozen 2 is an excellent exploration of the journey into transformational space. “Into the Unknown” is a confronting song of hesitation mixed with curiosity and courage, when one is on the cusp of change brought about a mysterious divine spirit. “The Next Best Thing” is a heart-song about grief and facing anxiety with small powerful steps.
Moana is a brilliant vocational story: a journey of self-discovery and encountering the divine with profound effects. The “Song of the Ancestors” is a vivid articulation of embracing one’s identity and vocational discernment at its finest. And, no spoilers, but I could spend hours talking about the spiritual insights of Moana’s encounter with the divine.
Inside Out is one of my favourite films, and its internal journey, coupled with the external narrative, is a healthy mix of these two themes of identity and transformation. It is another great example of the movement through liminal space in the universal experience of puberty.
Side note: check out some of the short-animated films from Disney. They are brilliant!
These titles available on Disney+
The Way
The Way is a 2010 American-Spanish drama film directed, produced and written by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen. The film honours the Camino de Santiago and promotes the traditional pilgrimage. Pilgrimage has a longstanding Christian connection, and as an area of spirituality, really speaks to people’s hearts and life experiences. The movie is an emotional journey that asks, and faces, some difficult questions of life, relationships and faith, just as all pilgrimages do. We are a pilgrim people.
The Way is available on Netflix
Mr Magorium’s Wonder Emporium
This movie is a hidden gem. It is a fantastical journey into the creative and absurd, and its heart is warm, profound and full of wisdom. Natalie Portman’s character’s (Molly Mahoney) journey of self-belief, her struggle and joy of faith and encountering the divine offers a rich resource for our ministry. One of my favourite scenes is one I call “37 seconds.” In the day where Molly and Mr Magorium spent a day of adventure and fun, they are in a clock shop, all for a bit of mischief. In anticipation of a little scheme that is about to unfold, Molly comments, “37 seconds…. Now we wait.” Mr Magorium replies, “No. We breathe. We pulse. We regenerate. Our hearts beat. Our minds create. Our souls ingest. 37 seconds, well used, is a lifetime.” I love it.
This film is available on all good online purchasing platforms