Book Review: How Movies Helped Save My Soul
by: Dan MacIntosh

The Christian radio station in my area has the slogan, "Safe for the whole family." And while such content considerations are important, say, for whenever soccer mom is carting the kiddies to and froduring the day, it's not always the best way to evaluate a good film. But sadly, this is sometimes as deep as Christian film criticism (whatever that is) gets. Great art, at the very least, forces us out of our comfort zones and confronts us with new ideas and perspectives.

Author Gareth Higgins might well agree with this last statement, since he demands to be challenged, as well as entertained, every time he sits himself down to watch a movie. Also, most of his favorite films-- which aresometimes discussed at great length in this new book ó are ones that you might see at your local movie theater. (And not a one of them was created by the Billy Graham organization, by the way).

Too many times,lazy Christians rate films by counting the cuss words, bristling at nudity and flinching at violence. And while Hollywood is guilty as charged when it comes to overdoing these blatantly offensive elements, such aspects alone are not the only measures by which to judge films. Higgins digs beneath the surface for the intended (and sometimes unintended) messages in his favorite films, and never lets a few f-bombs get in the way of appreciating something that might otherwise be credible art.So instead of blaming Hollywood for the decline of Western civilization, he breaks his chapters into categories such as "Anti-Heroes,""Fear" and "Community," in order to investigate how films address various human situations and emotions.In other words, he believes the messages in today's movies can actually do us some good now and again.

"How The Movies Saved My Soul" was very much a personal journey for Higgins, so if you're looking for an objective perspective on films, this is not really the best place to start. It might also be worth noting that Higgins is not an American. He's from Northern Ireland (where he is the director of a Belfast-based peace initiative called the Zero 28 Project), and while his faith was nurtured within the charismatic movement, he comes off more liberal than most charismatics I know. For example, he wrote this book right around the time that America was about to go to war with Iraq, and he was clearly against that particular military action.(Lord no, a peacenik!) He also saves some of his choicest church criticisms for the recent "Left Behind" book and film phenomenon. Apparently, he has a lot of theological problems with the whole concept of the rapture, which is the main reason why he dislikes these "last times" fright fests. And while he has every right to his opinion, this reader wishes he would have spent a little less time on theology ó which is clearly not one of his strong points ó and instead put his whole effort into film criticism.

This book may be about movie criticism on the surface, but Higgins' personal agendas conspicuously out in the open. For example, he returns again and again his worries about modern day society's lack of community, and how this void is primarily to blame for many of our worst social ills. Between the lines, he seems to be saying that getting the gospel message out to the world is not doing nearly enough; Christians need to also exemplify loving communal behavior, as well.

So what will you learn about movies here? Almost too much to ever fully digest, I'm afraid. Each chapter goes into great depth about a few key films, then moves onto a primer for the chapter's topic, which then lists a ton of other films before wrapping up the section in summary.You're left with the realization that -- like with books -- you'll never get to experience all of them in just one lifetime.m Yet if you share his taste in films, this book ought to make you want to see "Magnolia," "Field Of Dreams," "Wizard Of Oz" (again, hopefully), and seemingly just about anything made in the '70s. It may even cause you want to watch "The Matrix" with new eyes, since his chapter on the various spiritual implications of that popular one, closes out the book.

Most importantly of all, however, this work ought to help enhance your movie watching experience. At the very beginning of the book, Higgins offers advise on how best to evaluate a just-watched film. "Ask yourself what is being said, how it is being said, and why it is being said. Reflect on the possible journey that led the filmmaker to produce what you have just seen." In other words, don't just brace yourself for the negatives that might fly in the face of your Christianity when you come face to face with the silver screen, but look, instead, for what God might be trying to tell you through something as unlikely as a Hollywood movie. You may not walk away with anything akin to a born again experience, but you'll almost certainly close this book with more enriched soul.

posted 08.21.03

2003 White Elephant Productions