Faith Films Alive and Well in Toronto

Movies with spiritual themes were prevalent at the recent international film festival

by Kenneth R. Morefield

Christians may often feel that there are fewer films with faith content or themes than they would like to see. Highlights from this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, however, show world cinema continues to explore religion and spirituality in enlightening, challenging, and refreshing ways.

The Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne are two of the most honored and respected directors in the world. The Kid with a Bike is their fourth film nominated for The Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival, and they are one of six directors to have won the award twice. Their latest film tells the story of a hairdresser, Samantha, who agrees to act as a foster parent for a troubled boy who has been abandoned by his father and who teeters on the brink of juvenile delinquency. While the allegorical connections between the mother’s love and God’s love are understated, they are clearly there. The brothers told the audience at Toronto that Samantha’s motivation for loving the boy unconditionally was left unstated so that, hopefully, viewers would think for themselves what causes such love rather than blindly accept a prefabricated explanation.

Italian director Ermanno Olmi, also a recipient of the Palme d’Or, came out of retirement to helm The Cardboard Village. It’s a beautiful and painful story of a priest who cannot bear to leave his church which has been shut down, and so he transforms it into a shelter for North African refugees. Olmi, who turned 80 earlier this year, is inexplicably underappreciated by (in fact, largely unknown to) American audiences. As America wrestles with its own questions about immigration, The Cardboard Village may hit too close to home, but its setting may be just far removed enough to let its parable-like qualities be heard by those with ears to hear.

Two Iranian films show how people trying to live in increasingly fundamentalist societies can struggle to balance personal integrity with survival in a legalistic society. Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation came to Toronto having already scored the Golden Bear award at the Berlin Film Festival. What begins looking like it will be a divorce drama—she wants to take their daughter out of the country, he wants to stay and care for his elderly father—quickly spirals into something else. It ends up as a meditation about surviving in a culture so consumed by fear of being labeled anti-religious that a woman must call a religious hotline to get clerical advice over whether it’s a sin to change the pants of a man who has wet himself. Less an indictment of any particular religion as it is an examination of the consequences of rigorous fundamentalism, A Separation gives audiences a taste of what it is like to live in near constant fear of not being able to live up to society’s expectations where the cost of such failures is steep indeed.

Less political (and less religious than its predecessor, Persepolis) Marjane Satrapi’s Chicken with Plums is a whimsical, bittersweet allegory about the pain of exile. Combining live action with animation, it tells how one of the world’s great violinists lost his passion for music and, eventually, life.

Love taming the hardest of men is a tale as old as Hollywood, but it gets a twist in Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur. Joseph (Peter Mullan), an alcoholic hitting rock bottom, manages to forge a connection with Hannah (Olivia Colman), a strong Christian who runs a thrift store. After initially mocking Hannah’s faith, Joseph comes to see that she is struggling with problems of her own, her violently abusive husband being the greatest. Tyrannosaur earns every bit of its R rating, with some scenes being downright painful to watch. Hannah’s faith is never cheapened, however, and Colman gives a stalwart performance as a woman struggling to keep her faith in God.

Also getting strong festival buzz, Sean Durkin’s Martha Marcy May Marlene features a breakout performance from Elizabeth Olsen as the titular character, a woman whose identity has been so badly fractured by her experience in a cult that even the love and patience of her sister (Sarah Paulsen) and brother-in-law may not be enough to allow her to even verbalize what has happened to her. (Look for CT’s review of this film on October 7.)

Still more challenging, yet in its own way devout, Alexander Sokurov’s Faust gives us a rendering of Goethe’s tale where the titular character (Johannes Zeiler) begins quite literally elbows deep in blood and guts and searches for some hint of the divine that he has been told exists in the world, but for which he has found no evidence.

Matias Meyer’s The Last Christeros shows a small but determined band of men standing up to their government when its president outlaws their faith and makes ringing a church bell an offense punishable by one to three years in jail. A chapter in Mexican history mostly known to American readers through Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory (prettied up for a Hollywood treatment with Henry Fonda as a Mexican priest!) finally gets a telling from a Mexican point of view, where peasants of faith are more than merely obsequious pawns. Though not as successful as last year’s Of Gods and Men, it is still a promising first effort from a new director.

If The Last Christeros is devout in its depiction of Roman Catholicism, Habemus Papam most assuredly is not. A sometimes farce about a Cardinal who verges on a nervous breakdown when his colleagues suddenly and unexpectedly elect him Pope, the film treads carefully—perhaps too carefully—around the questions it raises. Most of the satire in Habemus Papam centers on the Vatican secretary trying to keep the pope’s struggles a secret, but the film becomes more serious when it focuses on the man in the papal chair himself.

In Joaquim Sapinho’s This Side of Resurrection, a young woman is told by her parents that her brother had left the country, but she learns that he has actually been living in a monastery. Confused by his devotion and her parents’ response to it, she resolved to affirm his right to make his own choices and, in the process of interacting with him, begins to question her own.

Two films, while not overtly religious in theme, warrant special notice. Hirokazu Kore-eda continues to explore how modernity pulls families apart in I Wish, a heartbreakingly sweet and sincere tale of children who cling to the faith that if they can make a wish as two bullet trains pass one another, it will come true. They set out on a quest to try to make the impossible happen the only way they know how. And Emmanuelle Millet’s Twiggy tells the tale of a woman who is shocked to find herself pregnant. Unable to have an abortion because of the stage of her pregnancy, she resolves to give the child up for adoption, only to wonder about her—and her culture’s—attitude toward pregnancy as she falls into a subculture of expectant mothers who hold very different hopes and expectations about what motherhood will mean.

Kenneth R. Morefield, a CT film critic, is the editor of Faith and Spirituality in Masters of World Cinema (Volumes I & II) and the founder of 1More Film Blog.

Web Series: Tarantino Meets Peretti?

'Divine' mixes the supernatural with a graphic novel look

by Mark Moring

Got an e-mail recently giving us a heads up on Divine: The Series, a still-unfolding, web-only miniseries about a young priest who is dealing with a faith crisis -- and encountering an angel-like, resurrected being named Divine, who roams the streets at night slaying demons.

I thought it sounded cheesy, and my hopes weren't high when I visited the site. But the three episodes (each about 13 minutes) that are up so far kept my attention for their sense of mystery, surprisingly good production values and acting, and keeping me guessing as to where the story would go. The filmmakers -- Maple Blood Productions of Vancouver -- say they will "unlock" more answers with each episode, rolling out a new one every couple of weeks.

It's got a graphic novel feel -- stylized action violence, bright red blood spewing everywhere. It's Quentin Tarantino meets Frank Peretti. The filmmakers are billing themselves as "storytelling for the smartphone generation," and they say they want to "push the frontiers of online entertainment and tell stories that you can watch in bite-sized chunks," that last phrase a rather gruesome choice of words considering some of the gory content here. (It's not rated, but it would certainly get an R-rating for violence and profanity.)

Here's the first episode. Caution: There's cussing, graphic gore, and rear male nudity.

A Cinematic Salute to War Heroes

'Flag of My Father' a portrayal of heroism, PTSD, family, and the peace of Christ

by Mark Moring

There are far too many film festivals to keep up with these days, but one of the most unique is the G.I. Film Festival, with movies solely dedicated to the service of the American Armed Forces.

The winner of this year's Best Narrative Feature, Flag of My Father (R2 Productions), is a thoughtful and occasionally stirring look at what it means to be a war veteran, to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, to negotiate the land mines of family feuds and jealousies, and to share a bond with other vets that only vets can understand. And finally, to walk such a difficult road as a Christian, with that "peace that passes all understanding" in the face of all difficulties, whether it's an ambush in Iraq or a personal attack from family members.

Former TV star John Schneider (Dukes of Hazzard) stars in yet another faith-based film, but he's not the one touting Christianity this time. He plays one of four brothers -- the smarmy, sarcastic, heavy drinking one, at that -- to Judith (GiGi Erneta), an Iraqi vet who served as a nurse and army captain. The four guys just don't "get" their younger sister, who shares a bond with their father (William Devane), a Vietnam vet, that their brothers just don't understand.

When a difficult event strikes the family, the tension intensifies until another situation opens the eyes of all involved to the truth of the matter. It's not a great movie, but it's not bad either, and I would say it's almost a must-see for families with a vet in their midst.

To order the film, click here. And here's the trailer:

The Next Lead Singer of Queen?

Marc Martel, lead singer of the Christian band Downhere, nails his Freddie Mercury gig

by Mark Moring

Queen's drummer has launched a talent search to play the role of the late Freddie Mercury for the upcoming Queen Extravaganza tour. Far as I'm concerned, the search is over:

Three more amazing videos showcasing Martel's voice -- from more Queen ("Bohemian Rhapsody", to a CCM classic (Keith Green's "Asleep in the Light"), to opera (Pavarotti staple "Nessun Dorma"). As one of the commenters said on one of these videos, Martel is "the Swiss army knife of singing." Yup, I'd agree.

Documentary Examines 9/11 Cross at WTC

Chaplains, police, firemen remember finding the cross in the wake of the attack

by Mark Moring

As the World Trade Center cross makes the news again in recent weeks -- atheists suing to keep it from being displayed at the memorial, and a NY lawmaker wanting it to be called a national monument -- it's a good time to revisit a 2006 documentary that tells the story of that cross.

The Cross and the Towers, winner of a Crystal Heart Award from the Heartland Film Festival, looks back at 9/11 and the ensuing days through the eyes of seven people, several of whom were on the scene and digging through the rubble in search of survivors. The 54-minute documentary follows their stories through the finding of the steel beams intersecting to form a perfect cross, a symbol of hope that remains at Ground Zero today. It's definitely worth a watch as we remember that historical, horrible day.

The film is available to stream for $3.99 here. And here's the trailer:

Are Youth Groups Biblical?

New documentary 'Divided' says they’re not only unbiblical, but dangerous to families.

by Todd Hertz

Every Wednesday night during the school year, I join other adults to meet with high school students to study the Bible. According to the new documentary Divided, now showing for free online, this practice is unbiblical, worldly, and dangerous to families—not to mention an extension of evolution and paganism.

From my 12 years as a volunteer youth worker, I know that just as churches are flawed, so are youth ministries. We’ve made mistakes. We’ve course corrected; pizza and eating goldfish are no longer the meat and potatoes of youth discipleship. And these kinds of conversations must continue; we have to challenge what we do and ask tough questions including: Why are so many church kids leaving their faith behind?

Divided is supposedly asking the same question. It’s billed as a “journey to discover the truth about modern youth ministry, with this question in mind: ‘Is it an issue with the church, the kids, the parents?’” But this 60-minute film isn’t interested in fair exploration or discussion. Instead, it is propaganda, a commercial for the Family Integrated Church movement, an association of interdenominational churches which view age-segregated, peer-oriented youth ministries as “family-fragmenting” and unscriptural. The movie both begins and ends with the logo for producing organization The National Center for Family Integrated Churches (NCFIC).

The movie begins with a young filmmaker, Philip Leclerc, saying he’s seeking answers to his questions about youth ministry. But by the end, that quest feels like a ruse—a fake journey for answers he already knew. (Leclerc, who made the movie with his brother, admits his father pulled him out of high school youth ministry.) By the time Leclerc delivers his final verdict—“God didn’t ordain youth ministry. He didn’t create Sunday school. He did create the church and the family”—it’s obvious he’s been toeing the company line from the start.

The most striking evidence: Almost every Divided interview is with supporters of the movement, including extended time with NCFIC director Scott Brown (who is credited as an executive producer). Other interviews (like those with youth pastors at the National Youth Workers Convention) are truncated and used strategically—to the point that they can feel as if they are used out of context.

This is not the only questionable methodology. The film is filled with scare tactics, vague overstatements, experts with random credentials like “Jake’s Café,” broad-brush painting and sketchy statistics like this from Britt Beemer of America’s Research Group: “90 percent of kids had so many doubts before college you could drive a semi-truck through.” How many doubts create such a hole? Are we talking an 18-wheeler?

While some featured adherents of the movement present welcomed nuance (aka “this approach doesn’t work in all contexts but it does in ours”), most draw a black-and-white picture that youth ministry is not mentioned in the Bible—and is therefore categorically dangerous. They go on: Age-segregated programs date back to paganism and are actually schemes to get evolution into churches. (Get it? Students advance from first grade to second just like Neanderthals to humans). All nuance is tossed aside in the thesis that youth ministry must be eradicated wholesale in favor of fathers, and fathers alone, instructing and mentoring young people.

We as a faith community must continue discussing how we reflect the model of church and ministry in Acts and the epistles. Unfortunately, the video equivalent of an angry letter-to-the-editor doesn’t extend that conversation.

Watch the trailer here:

Divided Trailer from NCFIC on Vimeo.

Faith Films Alive and Well in Toronto

Web Series: Tarantino Meets Peretti?

A Cinematic Salute to War Heroes

The Next Lead Singer of Queen?

Documentary Examines 9/11 Cross at WTC

Are Youth Groups Biblical?