I received this issue of Film Capsules by Dr. Ed McNulty as an EMail from the Presbytery of Cincinnati and thought it interesting to pass along as information for all who did not have an opportunity to see it. ~ R.Lowry
in this issue
9
Inglorious Basterds
Sine Nombre
Sugar
S
Film Capsules is the Rev. Dr. Ed McNulty's synopses of current films plus suggested scripture readings with similar themes. Ed, an honorably retired member of the Presbytery of Cincinnati shares his work at the request of those who attended the Ministers Retreat held in October 2008. Fuller descriptions and discussion questions are available by subscription at www.visualparables.net. S
9
Genesis 6:5 & 11:4
L
9 is a beautifully animated film set in a world made ugly by the wars against humanity--indeed, this being a post-apocalyptic film, the last war as far as humans are concerned. Centering on a few doll-sized androids created so hastily during humankind's last moments that their inner workings are covered by crudely stitched together burlap with a large zipper for closing, it is the old story of freedom versus security, of fear versus faith.
In a series of old newspaper photos and a newsreel our hero, named 9 because he was the 9th in a line of experimental droids, learns of the wars among humans as they develop ever more intelligent machines of destruction, and then of the war of annihilation when the killing machines turned on their creators. 9 and the other droids debate whether to stay hidden in security or to venture forth into danger in order to combat the soulless machines that now rule the world.
This is a well crafted film that asserts that there is a spirituality necessary for meaningful existence--but leave small children at home, because of numerous violent scenes that could lead to nightmares.
H
Inglorious Basterds
1 Samuel 15:1-3
H
Quentin Tarantino's films are always smart and interesting, filled with humor, allusions to classic or cult films, and sometimes, as in the case of my favorite, Pulp Fiction, with theological insight.
His current rewrite of WW 2 history, mainly from the standpoint of the devourers of that period's pulp fiction, is too similar to the blood bath film The Dirty Dozen for this reviewer to feel comfortable, even though I enjoyed it. A band of American Jews recruited by an officer to wage behind enemy lines a vicious campaign of exterminating Nazis: a German movie star who spies for the Allies; a young theater owner in Paris who a few years earlier escaped the massacre of her Jewish family; and a Nazi SS officer whose manners make Agent 007 seem like a crude bumpkin yet whose ruthlessness makes Hannibal Lector appear to be a humanitarian--these are characters you will not forget.
But can we as Christians condone their methods, even in a juvenile fantasy world that offers a comic book ending to the bloodiest war in history?
H
Sine Nombre
Deuteronomy 24:19-22
H
This is a heart-wrenching film that deserves to be seen by those advocating both sides of the debate over immigration policy in the US. Weaving together the stories of Sayra, a teenage girl who joins her father and uncle atop a train heading from Honduras to northern Mexico, with that of Willy, nicknamed Casper, a member of the brutal Mara Salvatrucha gang in southern Mexico, it is the best film since 1983's El Norte for putting a human face on the issue of illegal migrants. Already in trouble with his gang leader for lying to them, Casper makes the final break when he rescues Sayra who is about to be robbed and raped on the train.
The realism of the film stems from writer/director Cary Fukunaga's having himself ridden a atop a Mexican train bound for the northern border. The story is a harrowing one, told with no sentimentality, yet filled with love and grace--and at the end, a shred of hope.
The film played for just a couple of weeks at an art house theater, but thanks to its DVD release is now available to all. Please spread the word about this excellent study of "the wretched of the earth."
H
Sugar
Leviticus 19:34
H
Like Sine Nombre, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck's film came and went before it could garner the audience it deserves. It too deals with the immigration issue, but from a very different perspective--through professional baseball and its program of recruitment in the Dominican Republic.
Miguel Santos, nicknamed Sugar, is a young man with potential talent who is sent to a farm team in Iowa to prove himself and receive further training. The film follows his introduction not just to minor league baseball with its ups and downs, but also his introduction to American culture as he is boarded out to a farm family. He must cope with learning English, eating new kinds of food, adapting to a different form of the faith when he attends the Protestant family's worship and youth services, and the different customs in regard to relating to girls--the kindly family have a daughter about his age.
The film's plot does not follow the usual arc of those of the sports genre, making this a much more original and interesting movie.
