 | Changing
Lanes (2002)
 | Changing Lanes contains themes of revenge, the evil
inside each of us, the need for forgiveness &
conversion. It tells the tale of 2 ordinary men
(Ben Affleck, a Wall Street lawyer & Samuel L.
Jackson, a recovering alcoholic struggling to keep
his family together) who enter a vortex of
retaliation because of a car accident between the 2 of
them. It is an exceptionally complex & interesting
portrayal of how any of us might be tempted into extreme
measures. Conversion only takes place when each of the men
sees the other as a person, moving from extreme
self-centeredness into the reality of the other. The movie
is replete with symbolism (Christian & other..light & dark,
lots of rain & water) and has William Hurt as S. Jackson's
AA sponsor as the voice of his conscience. He tells Gibson
(Jackson's character) that he has violated the human
covenant & later, tells him that chaos (not alcohol) is his
drug of choice. (Deborah G. Seles) |
|
| The Widow of Saint-Pierre
(2000)
| As Neel Auguste, who has been convicted of murder is
awaiting execution, helps people around the community and take part in a
dramatic rescue, he is accepted as a part of the community to the point
that no one there will help in anyway the efforts to execute him.
(Darrel Manson, Artesia Christian Church, Artesia, CA) |
|
| Pay It
Forward (2000)
| In "Pay it Forward", the Helen Hunt character goes to her
estranged Mother to "pay it forward" with her. In a very powerful scene,
Helen Hunt says "Mom, I forgive you." (Chris Fry,
Lexington, KY) |
|
| O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
| The 3 escaped convicts come across the
surreal sight of a group of people dressed in white, singing as they
move mysteriously through the woods towards the river. They follow, to
find the people lining up to be baptized. 2 of the
friends rush into the water to be baptized. The first exclaims as
he emerges from the water that the minister had told him that
all his sins have been washed away. Even, he says, when he stole
that pig for which he'd been convicted. "But you said you
were innocent of that." "I lied.... and that's been washed
away too!!" The character shows a reformed character
afterwards, including when he leaves money for the apple pie that his
friends steal from a windowsill. (Susie Sanders) |
|
| Fantasia
2000 (1999)
| A story of love lost and refound with Donald and Daisy
Duck is told as Donald is Noah's assistant to build the ark and survive the
great flood in the segment for Pomp and Circumstance. (Kirk
VanGilder, Campus Minister,
Gallaudet University) |
|
| Magnolia (1999) |
| The Green Mile
(1999)
| John Coffey (J.C.) forgives his
executioners before his death. |
|
| The Sixth Sense (1999)
| The scene between Cole and his mother. His mother is
reconciled not only to Cole but to her own mother. |
|
| The Confession (1999)
| Bleakie tells Sarah that she is not responsible for the
death of her child. |
|
| Angela's Ashes (1999)
| Frankie's confession of his life and sins to Saint
Francis. Priest: "God forgives you, and you must forgive yourself.
God loves you, and you must love yourself. For only when you love God
and yourself can you love all of God's creatures." (DVD ch 27) |
|
| The Straight Story (1999)
| it's a film about aging, what's important, how we
change, the power and need for reconciliation, wisdom, the heroic
within. it's all shot as thru the eyes of an older person as well
so the pace is slow and contemplative. (submitted by Sandi) |
| Alvin Straight's slow, arduous journey on his lawn
tractor to bring reconciliation with his brother is a powerful witness
to the patience and tenacity that is required if we are to make things
right; if we are to tear down walls that separate. Alvin's serendipitous
encounters on his journey with ordinary, caring folk underscore the Good
News that even though the journey to reconciliation may be painful, we
will be surprised by joy in doing what it right in the sight of God.
(The Rev. Bob Naylor) |
|
| October Sky
(1999)
| Reconciliation between Homer and his
father. |
| Start Cue: Homer asks his father to come and watch the
launching of his last rocket. End cue:Father puts arm around Homer's
shoulder as they watch rocket go up. (Larry Hustedt) |
|
| American
History X
(1998)
| Reconciliation between Derek and
Sweeney. |
|
| Smoke Signals (1998)
| This might fit in several categories -- quest is the
first idea that comes to me -- Smoke Signals -- the best movie I have
seen for a long time. It is set on the Coeur d'Alene reservation -- 2
young men go a trip of self discovery and reconnection with parents.
Great coming to terms with relationships with fathers. (Ann
Fontaine, Lander WY) |
|
| Deconstructing Harry
(1997)
| Harry goes to hell via an elevator, and meets Satan
(Billy Crystal). Harry realizes that he has consigned his father to
hell, and says that he didn't mean it that way. (DVD ch 16) |
|
| The Game (1997)
| Nicholas apologizes to Elizabeth. She says,
"there's nothing to forgive." Powerful reconciliation scene. |
|
| Eye
of God (1997)
| "Children. That's all we are, Lord,
if you're out there at all. Your children, boys and girls. Forgive
us." |
|
| Harvest of
Fire (1996)
| (A Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation for TV)
In this story of Amish barn burnings, the characters deal with
rebellion, repentance, forgiveness and a lot more. Excellent movie. We show
it to our confirmation class to help them understand the Office of the Keys.
(Rev. Trudy A. Peterson) |
|
| The Spitfire
Grill (1996)
| As is said at the Hollywood
Jesus site, this movie is excellent with the theme of forgivness/restitution.
(John Young-Powell, Florissant, MO) |
|
| Jerusalem (1996)
| This movie has the aura of an Ingmar Bergman
production, with a series of twists and turns in the plot and
thought-provoking motifs. It is based on the novel by Selma Lagerlof,
and portrays Swedish peasant life around the turn of the 20th Christian
viewers of this movie will likely be interested in the themes of:
mainline versus apocalyptic-sectarian faith, authority and power,
discerning the truth, suffering and sacrifice, love and forgiveness. I
highly recommend Jerusalem because of theological grist for the the mill
that it provides. (The Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson) |
|
| Mr.
Holland's Opus (1995)
| Cole in the audience at his father's final concert. |
|
| Priest (1994)
| "Priest" offers a very moving reconciliation
scene at the very end of the film, as the young girl who has been abused
by her father, comes forward to receive the Eucharist from the young
priest, himself shunned by the rest of the congregants because of
revelations about his sexuality. (Meg Queior, Richmond ME) |
|
| The War (1994)
| The scene where the Dad gives the two children (from
the family who beat up his son) some fairy floss he had intended to take
home because "they looked like they had never been given
anything". (The Scull Family) |
| Classic scenes of loving your enemies &
forgiveness. Kevin Costner plays a Viet Nam-vet father who tries to
instill non-violence in his kids and struggles to practice it himself.
His poor children and their friends are harassed and beat up by the
even-poorer Lipnickeys. In scene full of foolish hopes seemingly ripe to
be crushed, Costner and a son (Elijah Wood) go to the fair. Somehow the
son gets separated, surrounded by Lipnickeys and beaten badly. His
father rescues him and takes him to their car, but stops along the way
when he sees a couple of Lipnickey children (early elementary age). We
expect, as do the children, an angry or violent confrontation. Instead,
he presents them each with a cotton candy cone. His son is outraged, but
Costner explains, "They looked like nobody had given 'em anything
for a long time." (Scott Hill) |
|
| Quiz Show (1994)
| Although Charlie has disappointed his father and caused
disgrace to the family, Mark accompanies and supports Charlie at the
congressional hearings. Father stands by son as son confesses family
shame in public. (DVD chapter 26-27) |
|
| The Fisher King (1991)
| The reconciliation between Jack and
Parry. |
|
| City Slickers (1991)
| Another scene I used just this past week in conjunction
with the Lectionary passage was when "Phil" goes into the tent
after confronting the drunk cowhands. While in the tent he brakes down
saying that he is almost 40 years old and his life is a waste. The Billy
Crystal character reminds him about that when they were children and
they were playing ball that if it got stuck in a tree they would call,
"do over." Billy Crystal tells Phil that his life is a clean
slate, a do over. The scene ends with Phil questioning the ability to
have a do over, Yet the Genesis 9:8-17 (New Covenant/Rainbow), Mark
1:9-15 (Repentance), and 1 Peter 3:18-22 all talk about a "Do
Over" with God. Lent is a time we seek to live more fully in the
great Do Over of God as we head to it's celebration at Easter. (Vern Gauthier, Summit Hill, PA) |
|
| Flatliners (1990)
| I have used the movie "Flatliners" starring
Julia Roberts and Keiffer Sutherland several times in illustrating
forgiveness. The whole movie deals with this theme. One character needs
forgiveness from a woman he teased as a child to make his delusions go
away. Another character needs to forgive her father for committing
suicide when she was young. The last character needs to forgive himself
for accidentally killing another boy when he was younger. The moral:
Only forgiveness can rid us of our "ghosts." Only Christ can
offer true forgiveness. (Troy Schroeder, First Christian
Church, La Crosse, Kansas) |
|
| Field of
Dreams (1989)
| An Iowa farmer hears a mysterious voice
borne on the wind blowing through his corn field, "If you build it,
he will come!" The voice becomes more insistent, until he
gives in and builds a baseball diamond, complete with lights for night
games and bleachers for spectators. A host of long-dead ball
players come out of the night fog of the corn to play on the ball field,
one asking, "Is this heaven?" To which, the farmer
responds, "It's Iowa." But the real "He" who
was to come is the farmer's long estranged and now dead father. In
a simple game of "catch" on the field they have a chance to
talk, see life from the other's point of view, and experience
forgiveness and a restored relationship. (Mark D. Johns,
Instructor of Communication/Linguistics, Luther College, Decorah, Iowa) |
|
| Dominick and Eugene
(1988) |
| The Mission (1986)
| Rodrigo emerges from his climb up the falls to be
forgiven and accepted by the very people he had sinned against.
(submitted by Charlotte Hoppe) |
| The scene where Robert de Niro has a
huge weight of armour cut away by the natives he used to hunt. Powerful
display of forgiveness. (Luke Whiteside, Youth Alpha
Australia) |
|
| Hoosiers (1986)
| A son visiting his dad, a recovering
alcoholic, demonstrates unconditional love by telling him he loves him.
Start cue: "No school to small" End cue: "Anyway, no
school this small has ever been in the state championships". (Luke Whiteside, Youth
Alpha Australia) |
|
| The Color Purple (1985)
| Traveling blues singer Shug Avery has been estranged
from her pastor father for decades, because of her decision to sing
secular music. One morning, while she's visiting her hometown, she
decides that she feels like singing. She opens the local "juke
joint" and begins singing her signature song. As a crowd gathers
around the singer, the scene cuts to her father's church. As he is
preaching, sounds from the juke joint drift in through the open windows.
Someone in the congregation prompts the choir to begin singing "God
Might Be Trying to Tell You Something." As the choir gets louder,
Shug hears and begins singing along. As the song progresses, she leads
everyone from the juke joint (band and all) to the church. She walks up
to her father and puts her arms around him. She whispers, "See,
daddy, even sinners have soul." He returns her embrace as tears
fill her eyes. (David K. Miller) |
| There is a wonderful scene in "The
Color Purple" where a prodigal jazz singer returns to her estranged
father in an act of repentence and reconciliation. (Bruce T. Jones) |
| Just before the choir begins singing, Shug's daddy is
preaching on the prodigal "son" text. Also, Shug walks
across a bridge that goes over a creek which separates the juke
joint side of the creek from the church side. Might be stretching
it a bit, but the juke joint was a hell of sorts and the church is
heaven in comparison! (Sandy Chace) |
|
| Places
in the Heart (1984)
| Final Eucharist scene - reconciliation
and interconnectedness between characters in the story. |
|
| Wee Willie Winkie
(1937)
| "The setting of this movie is 19th
century British-occupied India. Shirley Temple and her widowed mother
(June Lang as Joyce Williams), travel to India to live with
grandfather/father-in-law, Colonel Williams. At first, the British
outpost is an oppressive place, ruled with an iron military fist.
Priscilla is a most curious, precocious child. After a series of
adventures, she wins the hearts of everyone by challenging prejudicial
assumptions of both friends and enemies. Her innocent, yet challenging
questions are instrumental in helping Colonel Williams and Islamic
freedom fighter, Khoda Khan to see the senselessness of violence,
leading to a negotiated peace between the two enemies. Themes: the
peaceful kingdom (Isaiah 11:1-9, especially verse 6), reconciliation
transforming enemies into friends, children and God’s realm (Matthew
18:1-4), courageous love ( I John 4:18). Recommended for family
viewing." (Reviewed by the
Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson) |
|
