Category: Film
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The Shawshank Redemption: A Film for Impossible Hope
The Shawshank Redemption, the 1994 film by Frank Darabont adapted from a Stephen King novella, quickly became a classic for its gripping telling of a man, Andy Dufresne, who is sentenced to life in the Shawshank State Penitentiary for the murder of his wife and lover — despite his innocence. What follows is a harrowing…
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Disney’s Beauty and the Beast: A Film Still Mined for its Depth
Disney’s 1991 animated classic film, Beauty and the Beast, is still worth mining for its depth and meaning decades later, much like other well-loved classics like It’s a Wonderful Life and Babette’s Feast. The film, built on the original 1740 French fairy tale by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve, is especially notable in what it communicates…
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‘It’s a Wonderful Life’: The Go-To Perennial Christmas Classic for a Reason
It’s a Wonderful Life, the 1946 Christmas film by Frank Capra starring Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed, remains a classic nearly a century later—and with good reason. In the wake of societal and relational collapse seemingly at every turn, the message of the value of human life, of integrity, of community, of friendship, and of…
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Babette’s Feast: An Evergreen Film About Desire, Beauty, and Humanity
Babette’s Feast, the 1987 cult classic Danish film by Gabriel Axel set in the harsh but charming backdrop of 19th Century ascetic Protestantism, is a profoundly moving and delightful film about beauty, desire, and deep humanity. Requiring a tolerance for subtitles among the English audience, this component lends itself perhaps even more deeply to the…
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Chantal Kreviazuk’s “Into Me”: A Call to Lasting Love Despite Human Fragility
Chantal Kreviazuk’s song “Into Me” is a beautiful call and challenge to fight for and believe in lasting love, despite the ever-present reality of human fragility. This call is revealed through Kreviazuk’s quintessential driving piano base and expressive vocals, as well as the music video, directed by Michael Maxxis and featuring an exquisite performance…
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El Tonto Por Cristo: A Distinctly Strange, Mystical Film
A remarkable independent film, El Tonto Por Cristo, was released this past year. The film’s name translates from the Spanish into the English “A Fool for Christ,” referencing the long-standing Eastern Christian spiritual tradition of the “Holy Fool.” Presented completely in black and white by filmmaker Josh David Jordan, El Tonto Pro Cristo features…