Movies to Spark Thought and Discussion

I have been, or can be if you click on a link and make a purchase, compensated via a cash payment, gift, or something else of value for writing this post. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

This week, I thought I would mention a few movies watched in our household at some point that might be of interest to our readers.  I would say that all of these movies are for older children (middle school on up) as some of the material might be disturbing to a younger child.

The End of the Spearhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dabydainouwo-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000EXDS4I&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr is a fantastic look at the hazards of missionary work as well as the grace with which those affected could forgive others.  Based on a book by the same title, The End of the Spear chronicles the events during and after the massacre of five young missionaries reaching out to the Waodani tribe in the Amazon jungle.  Rather than seek retribution, the surviving family members remain in Ecuador and live among the native peoples.  Some descriptions of this film speak of it being a tale of courage, sacrifice, faith and redemption.  I would completely agree and go further to say it helps illustrate to others the challenges, albeit extreme, of missionary work.

At the moment, you can watch The End of the Spear in its entirety on Hulu.  We actually watched it on DVD from a library while living in Maryland.  (In the next few weeks, be on the lookout for a review of the sequel movie!)

The Last Sin Eaterhttp://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=dabydainouwo-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=B000NVI0DU&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr takes you on a look at what might seem like a foreign country.  Yet is is set in the Appalachia mountains of West Virginia during the 1850s! It is also based on a book of the same title.  The village where it is set has a ‘sin eater’ who takes away the sins from a deceased individual and remains in isolation from the others.  Around the same time Cadi (a 10 year old girl)  spies the sin eater after her grandmother’s death, a preacher comes to town who converses with her and basically tells her about Jesus and Christianity.  Cadi embraces his teachings and seeks baptism. However, not all of the villagers are happy about this ‘intruder’ to their village.

My older boys did watch this with Mr. O and I when we still lived in Maryland.  They were quite intrigued at the ‘strange’ custom that had arisen in this isolated community.  We also discussed how some people could react violently to someone doing as Christ commanded by spreading the Good News.

The last one entertained me as well as got me thinking about kids preparing to enter college.  Acceptance is a Lifetime movie that I watched in the early morning ‘on demand.’  Joan Cusack is one of the actors in this piece.  I’ve adored most of her work and decided to give it a look.  This is most definitely NOT a Christian movie in any way, shape or form.  However, as a homeschooler and a mom, it struck a chord.  The film shows several seniors in high school as they contort and go through hoops to attain acceptance into the college of their choice.  Most of the parental figures in this film are so set on their ‘special’ and ‘gifted’ children going to Ivy League schools, that they aren’t even listening to what their children really want out of life.  Their children, meanwhile, are trying to find their place in the world and that much sought after acceptance.

This film is basically a drama with comedy thrown into the mix.  A few of the scenes that might be objectionable to some….(1) lead character caught in the act of cutting herself, (2) interim dean of a featured college engaging in adultery,  and (3) one high school student with a major crush on a teacher seeming to get signals that he’s interested in her as well.  That being said, there was not an abundance of foul language and even the adultery scenes did not show anyone in the act.  Rather the few ‘sex’ scenes showed clothes beginning to be pulled off before cutting to the next scene.  (Considering how some cable channel movies are almost soft porn, it was quite tame.)

What struck me about this film is how easy it could be to get caught up into pushing a child toward something that is what YOU want them to do rather than what is best for them.  I’m sure the whole process of applying to colleges has been taken up a notch or two since I was in their place.  Along with discussions about discerning vocations, this movie provides opportunity to discuss how important good communication within the family really is.  Our culture has become so focused on what’s in it for ME that it is easy to get caught up with everyone else and not discern what truly matters.  I will say that watching this movie had me rejoicing for homeschooling the boys.  While I know they still sin (don’t we all), at least I know who they interact and do my best to not cause undo pressure to succeed for success’ sake.

I could not find Acceptance on DVD at the moment.  However, if you have ‘on demand’ from Lifetime, you might find it there. Also, it is scheduled to air on Wed Apr 13 at 8 AM (Eastern time, I would guess) on Lifetime.

This post is being contributed to Issue 7 of The Christian Home, hosted by Mrs. White at The Legacy of Home.