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Wayne’s World
A short collection of monthly news and notes...
FEBRUARY
2005
Dear West Sunbury Friends,
One of the events that intrigues me is that while many in the church are concerned that much of the culture has developed an “anti” religious bias, many recent films seem to express a real desire to explore matters of faith and spirituality. And while I am a long way from being a movie critic, two recent films I watched fell into that category.
One Saturday in January, when the snow fell form the sky, I watched M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village and a film from 2001 called Edges of the Lord.
The Village is a chilling tale about an isolated village whose residents face the constant threat of evil creatures lurking in its surrounding woods. When one of the villagers decides to venture beyond the town’s borders, what happens next may change the villagers’ live forever. This film was shot in eastern Pennsylvania and stars Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody and William Hurt.
Filmed in Poland, Edges of the Lord is the story of a 12-year old Jewish boy seeking refuge from the Nazis during World War II by hiding out with a family of Catholic peasant farmers. Staring Haley Joel Osment as the boy and Willem Dafoe as the village priest, this film won the Best Screenplay award at the 2001 Polish Film Festival.
What struck me about these films is that both of them show the struggle that we all experience as we try to live our lives faithful to God and community in a world that often has other priorities. In The Village, at a community meal, William Hurt, as a community elder, stands and announces, “Thank you for the time we have been given.”
Looking for a film to watch on a cold, snow day - either of these will get you thinking about the role of the Christian in the world. Neither film is suitable for young children.
Peace,
Wayne
Copyright WSUPC and MATRiM - 2004