In this space last August I highly reccomended a film called "Half Nelson." Since that time it has been released to DVD, Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar and I was able to rewatch the movie 1 1/2 times. I do not take back my initial observations. Half Nelson is one of the best written, best acted films you will ever watch, it is an amazing story, expertly told. There is however a point of clarification I should make. I have told people repeatedly that this movie is one of the most redemptive I have ever seen, and one of my good friends has forced me to qualify this a bit. In all honesty, the movie is hardly redemptive at all. There is almost nothing in it that gives one hope, but rather cuts the legs of false hope away. This is, it seems to me, the most important, helpful, challenging, "redemptive" piece of this movie. This movie painfully and poignantly reminds us that we can never get free, that we are always held in the grip of our sins (personal and sytematic). I have a good friend who is fond of saying that the Incarnation is "God walking in our shit," and this movie gives an account of why the Incarnation is neccessary for redemption. Half Nelson demonstrates repeatedly the need for slavation, and also equally humanity's inablity to gain this salvation. All the tools we use (drugs, sports, money...), all the false hopes we give (education, family, careers...) all leave us short. Half Nelson will haunt you in the way any honest, good, and beautiful piece of literature ought to, it will remind you that you need Jesus.
In this space last August I highly reccomended a film called "Half Nelson." Since that time it has been released to DVD, Ryan Gosling was nominated for an Oscar and I was able to rewatch the movie 1 1/2 times. I do not take back my initial observations. Half Nelson is one of the best written, best acted films you will ever watch, it is an amazing story, expertly told. There is however a point of clarification I should make. I have told people repeatedly that this movie is one of the most redemptive I have ever seen, and one of my good friends has forced me to qualify this a bit. In all honesty, the movie is hardly redemptive at all. There is almost nothing in it that gives one hope, but rather cuts the legs of false hope away. This is, it seems to me, the most important, helpful, challenging, "redemptive" piece of this movie. This movie painfully and poignantly reminds us that we can never get free, that we are always held in the grip of our sins (personal and sytematic). I have a good friend who is fond of saying that the Incarnation is "God walking in our shit," and this movie gives an account of why the Incarnation is neccessary for redemption. Half Nelson demonstrates repeatedly the need for slavation, and also equally humanity's inablity to gain this salvation. All the tools we use (drugs, sports, money...), all the false hopes we give (education, family, careers...) all leave us short. Half Nelson will haunt you in the way any honest, good, and beautiful piece of literature ought to, it will remind you that you need Jesus.
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