Every Monday, we typically talk on the blog about the biggest movies of the weekend: What everyone saw, what everyone didn’t see and what, if anything, it might mean.
The posts themselves are not too provocative, typically … but the last couple instigated some pretty interesting, intelligent conversation—conversation so compelling that I wanted to weigh in.
Our Nov. 1 post on Saw 3D spurred some of you to ask whether adults should shy away from movies that have “adult” content. If a movie’s not suitable for children, does that automatically make it unsuitable for grownups, too?
From kihisho:
… Adults have deeper and more complex needs than children in many ways. After all, in reality we restrict a great deal of things from our children … some good and some potentially bad … and we do it for the precise reason that children cannot in many cases "handle" adult things correctly. … The question also applies in reverse as well … while we may not generally allow our children to watch more adult themed movies … by the same token we would usually get very little of any realistic value from watching childrens movies …
The second post—this week’s Megamind musing—revolved around my assertion that we’re in the midst of a “golden age” of animation. Some readers skew a little more old school than I do: Sure, Wall-E was cute and all, they say, but classic, hand-drawn Disney fare is what brings the real heat.
The question raised by the Saw 3D post is a fascinating one for me—one that I spent about 12,000 words wrestling with. In short, kihisho has a point—one, I think, punctuated gracefully by another poster, sistercynthia:
If we're honest, a LOT of the Bible could never be filmed as written and garner a G-rating. But the filth of human misdeeds we see there aren't put there for the sake of titilating an audience, but to instruct. I guess my thoughts are, what is the message, and does the movie include only what it must, or is it really an excuse to show skin and/or gore. If the latter, I'll pass. If the message is good, I MAY choose to see it, depending on the level of other stuff. And this leads to the second filter I apply: no matter how good the message and necessary the ick, will the icky stuff be too distracting for me personally? If I'm a recovering (fill-in-the-blank) addict, perhaps I don't need to watch a show that will fill my head with images of my addiction, even if that wasn't the film-makers intent and the abuse isn't presented as a GOOD thing. If a show is good otherwise but I may stumble if I watch it, then, I won't be watching it.
It’s a great take on what discernment is, at its core, all about.
But here’s the pesky thing about discernment: Lots of times, we don’t necessarily know what stirs up trouble in our own minds and hearts. And even if we do know, sometimes we choose to ignore it, simply because we don’t want to give up something we enjoy. Sure, we’re adults, and as such, we have the wherewithal to deal with adult content in an adult-like manner. But we can all be kinda childish at times … I struggle sometimes, too.
Many R-rated films offer both an incredible story and some serious food for thought. I know people who’ve been brought closer to God through an R-rated film that hit them particularly hard. At the same time, Paul tells us to focus on stuff that’s pure and lovely and noble (Phil. 4:8). As Christians walking as best we can in a fallen world, there’s some tension here, and I don’t think we can ignore that.
But regardless, I also don’t think we should use the “lessons” R-rated films might contain as a blanket excuse to watch them. Sure, there is a lesson or two embedded in the torture-porn Saw films … but does anyone go to those movies for the lessons? I think not. Everything Jigsaw tries to teach his victims can be far more effectively conveyed in … well, Wall-E. While we all can agree, I think, that children shouldn’t watch “adult” movies, adults who believe they can’t get anything from kids’ movies are also missing out.
“If I have something that is too difficult for adults to swallow, then I will write it in a book for children,” Madeline L’Engle wrote in the Circle of Quiet. I think there’s some truth in that. Sure, there’s a lot of tripe made for kids—throwaway storybooks and cinematic cotton candy with no nutritional value. But many of the most important stories we hear, we hear as children. The stories I grew up with—from C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia to Disney’s Pinocchio—are as much a part of my makeup as any strand of DNA is, and I still draw inspiration from them.
And that’s why I’m so jazzed about much of the animated fare—the “children’s” movies—I’m seeing now. Led by Pixar but augmented by others, they’re telling stories, important stories, that work intellectually, artistically and emotionally. They’re breaking all manner of narrative boundaries, much like Disney did in the 1930s and ’40s (what film historians would call animation’s real golden age). And ironically many of the newer films—Toy Story 3, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up—contain themes that resonate particularly strongly with adults.
Jesus told us that, to enter the kingdom of God, we must become like children. We interpret that Scripture to mean we must be pure and innocent and trusting—born again—and of course that’s all true. But I wonder whether Jesus was also speaking to us about retaining our childlike ability to absorb quality stories and grasp their very essence. After all, His parables were very much like the best children’s stories: simple, elegant, profound.
The question of whether we should filter our movies through a childlike sieve is, for me, pretty complex. But as to whether adults should weed out children’s movies … well, that’s a slam dunk. Given my choice between the latest critically acclaimed R-rated thriller and Toy Story 3, I’ll play with the toys every time.
Recent Comments