Now, it's not specifically related to my intern year, however this is my absolute passion and as I am fully planning to go into film I can't help but simply bless the world with my opinion on the matter.
Disclaimer: I'm not going to pretend that I've seen either film that have spurned both of the articles in question. The one being the aforementioned "Tree of Life" and the other being "Soul Surfer". All I can say is that I've done my duty as a 21st Century film buff and seen both trailers on Youtube, which will give you sufficient insight to understand that both of these films are very, very different. I can't do the films any justice in reviewing them, but I will do my part in adding to a little debate that both of them feed.~
The term Christian film really, for me, is where the problem starts. It speaks of a, primarily American export, that has become the Christian niche in modern culture. A nicely wrapped package of Christian values, utilizing cultural language. There is Christian music, Christian film, Christian art. In film, often what is understood by this is family friendly with a positive ending - Disney meets Jesus.
Soul Surfer seems to be a contemporary example of that. The article also uses The Blind Side with Sandra Bullock, which is fair to say has heavy Christian overtones and doesn't make any attempt at pretending this is not the case. These are films that are moving away from the rather painful association of other Christian films made in the 90s, where quality was perhaps not of the utmost priority. As nice as the films may be, my question is however, who are they for?
Well, Christian films are for a Christian audience. So, the entire production line is geared towards one cultural bubble. Is this what we are called to? Of course, the argument is that as we create our own culture others will be attracted to it, but are they? If Christian films are simply targeting middle class families who simply want a wholesome viewing experience then aren't we simply saying that the rest can have a nice day but need to move on since they don't share our tastes? I used to be violently against films like Soul Surfer and The Blind Side because I felt they were simply a white Christian indulgence, but clearly there is a substantially wide audience out there that appreciates that sort of film, so my dislike of them is more related to a matter of taste nowadays, rather than ideology.
However, how does that leave the Christian film industry? Well, I personally think that the Christian film industry should not be. Why do we need to have a solely Christian expression of film and yet we are quite happy to have Christians work in secular companies when it comes to something like law, engineering, politics, banks, and so on. Is it because as art it needs to be kept apart from the terrible influences that surround it? Art thrives on influence. Art is the expression of a cocktail of influences that make up a single person. Minimize the ingredients and you reduce the flavour. I'm not saying that the expression of films made by Christian filmmakers should send out non-Christian messages, but messages can be presented in all forms of packages and not simply restricted to one genre.
I'm not going to stand in line to watch "Soul Surfer" however I would happily to watch "The Tree of Life". It deals with very real issues that your Christian and non-Christian alike will relate to. And not only that, it does it originally, artistically and provocatively - we don't have someone drawing black and white strokes to define exactly what he is saying, but it's a colourful array which teases the senses. As to my earlier question, who is this for? Well, it's for anyone who is interested. It is for the same people that go into an art gallery to see a dazzling painting, it's for the people that go to that gig to listen to the hypnotic rhythm and harmony. It's for people. All people.
I'm not going to go into the typical Christian trap of trying to claim an artwork to champion his faith when it never really was the author's intention. I don't know what Terence Malick's intention was to make The Tree of Life, so I'm not going to use it as a definite example as a Christian alternative to films like the Soul Surfer, but what it does demonstrate is that with film there is a vast array of options open to any artist, be he/she Christian or not. And Christians should not be afraid to embrace that.
'Cause we believe in a God who creates and we have Him at our disposal 24/7. There is no need to simply confine Him to a sterilized cultural environment in order to protect Him, because He can do that for Himself. My goal is to release Him into every layer of art. Let Him determine the flavour and the taste of everything I make and let the ultimate creator, create through me, something that touches the heart, the mind and the senses of those that don't know Him. To do that, it needs to meet them where they are at, it needs to speak their language and it needs to be an art that is fearless.
Disclaimer: As mentioned before, this is not to disregard the value of films that have a more family friendly slant. These have their place for people who enjoy those sort of films. I just feel that this is simply one genre and therefore the label of Christian film is unhelpful because it reduces an entire statement of faith and belief system in film to that single style.
No comments:
Post a Comment