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A Kind and Steady Heart Can Change the World – Babe: Pig in The City (1999)

6/28/2021

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Please note: The following text contains spoilers. Viewer discretion is also advised – Babe: Pig in The City is rated ‘U’. For more details on the film’s content from a Christian perspective, read this review from Christian Spotlight on Entertainment:

https://christiananswers.net/spotlight/movies/pre2000/i-babecity.html    

Never would I have imagined that the writer & director behind the Mad Max franchise and The Witches of Eastwick, George Miller, could ever produce something so inoffensive and completely wholesome as Babe and its sequel, Babe: Pig in The City. And yet somehow, it’s true, and I’m so glad that it is. In re-watching this madcap sequel to its critically acclaimed predecessor (emphasis on madcap), I spotted a large amount of Miller quirks and eccentricities that audiences have come to recognise as being distinctly ‘Miller-esque’. Take for example the wild, inventive action set-pieces with so many moving parts (Babe’s near escape from two vicious pit bulls is a marvel), or the oddball, eclectic family of animals who live within a townhouse unbeknownst to the neighbours – complete with a choir of singing cats, a finely-dressed chimpanzee family and their master, a drunken clown, played by Mickey Rooney. If it all sounds utterly bonkers, that’s because it is. After all, in what world would you expect a ‘children’s film’ to display a pig’s life flashing before its eyes, or that same animal questioning the reason for the existence of evil in the world by asking “Why?” in the face of great hate? And yet, despite everything we see throughout, this film isn’t simply a bizzarro, escapist pleasure. It’s the tale of an innocent young pig with a “kind and steady heart”, who in all things, offers humility, grace, and love to those around him. In other words, it’s a distinctly George Miller production marked by real biblical principles that are not only championed, but actively encouraged…

Picking up almost immediately after Babe’s triumphant and unexpected victory at the local sheepherding competition (he’s now a prize-winning ‘sheep-pig’), Pig in The City finds the plucky young pig eager to continue serving his master, Farmer Hoggett (James Cromwell). Sadly, the young pig is not so adept when it comes to helping with DIY (shockingly) and inadvertently causes an accident in the farm’s well which severely injuries his beloved human and prevents him from working. Soon, the farm draws the attention of bankers who seek to foreclose on the property, unless sufficient funds can be secured. To save the farm, Babe must make a well-paid guest appearance at a fair in a distant land, whilst accompanied by Mrs. Hoggett. However, through a series of misadventures, the pair are left stranded in a strange, dangerous city named Metropolis - a striking amalgamation of Venice, Los Angeles, Sydney, and New York. But through the kindness of a stranger, Mrs. Hoggett learns of a solitary, illegal hotel which gladly accepts both humans and pets. Once settled in, however, tragedy strikes, and the animals are separated from their humans. With no one to guide them, who will up rise and lead the animals out of such a dire situation? Enter their unlikely saviour: Babe.

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Throughout Pig in the City, we come to realise that Babe’s sense of kindness, compassion, and grace (which he offers out so liberally) is the key to the film’s beating heart. Not only does the young pig direct such virtuous behaviour toward those who we might deem to be ‘worthy’ of it - he also treats even the ‘unworthy’ with grace and dignity too. The most prominent example of this is when Babe is almost led to the slaughter by some chimpanzees who wish to use him as a distraction to fulfil their own crafty ends. They falsely promise Babe that he might find sheep to herd from behind some fence panelling, but the defenceless young pig comes face-to-face with two vicious guard dogs who mean business. They give chase, only for Babe to fall into a canal and one of the dogs to have its chain become entangled in a bridge’s railing, when it leaps to catch Babe. Unable to free itself and left dangling above the river, with its body half-submerged in the water below, Babe’s attacker begins to drown. The surrounding animals look on in shock yet choose not to help (the isolated sound and image of the animal as it struggles to survive, is almost unbearable). But suddenly, we hear a splash and see that Babe has gone to the dog’s rescue, using his snout to push the animal onto a nearby dinghy, thereby saving its life.

You must ask yourself, is this sequence not the very definition of biblical grace itself? Here, Babe extends undeserving favour toward an unworthy creature and counts them worthy to receive it, although they had previously responded to Babe’s kindness and love with vicious, unprovoked violence. Despite the dog’s wrongdoing and its clear desire to take a life, Babe chooses to forgive the wild animal and seeks to restore it back to full health. On reflection, the scene reminded me of Romans 5:6-8, which reminds us that humanity was “living against God” (ICB) and became “utterly helpless” (NLT) because of their sin. And yet, “Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6, ICB) - He came to save us even though “we were still sinners”, which thereby exhibits “His great love for us” (Romans 5:8, ICB).

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​​This is very the essence of the Gospel message, demonstrated so beautifully (and unexpectedly) by even a young pig in his attempt to save this seemingly worthless, uncared-for dog. But in so doing, Babe does so much more than just save a life in the physical sense – this pit bull finally sees the error of his ways, seeks to protect Babe and, by the film’s end, becomes more than a simple, mindless killing machine. Yes, the pit bull might not outright apologise for his wrongdoing, but he clearly intends to turn away from it, which brings him hope for a new, different future. And we see something very similar in Christianity because Jesus came to die on a cross in our place, so that all who believe in Him might be saved from the sins of our past and the people we’ve become, to be changed into a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV). If we are in Christ, we become renewed people who are no longer dead in our sins and on a course set for eternal separation from Him. We’re no longer mindlessly wronging ourselves and others to satisfy the desires of our flesh. No, when we choose to respond to the saving grace of Jesus Christ (similarly to how the pit bull responds to Babe’s act of saving grace) by following Him alone, asking for forgiveness of our sin and turning away from our dark past into His light, we become spiritually renewed people who will show a distinct change in who we are to society: “(God) saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5, NLT).

Before accepting Jesus into our lives, we’re all a lot like that pit bull – driven solely by our sinful desires and blinded to the light of Jesus. But God, in expressing His great love & mercy for us by sending Jesus to save us, is the gracious beacon of hope which says that we need not continue in the path we’re on. Jesus’ sacrifice means that the price for our sin is already paid for – we only need to call on the name of Jesus to now find salvation in eternity, and the renewal of our minds today, in this life. Who’d have thought that a little pig could remind me of all of that? “That’ll do pig, that’ll do”.

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Confession Is Good For The Soul - Get Low (2009)

6/14/2021

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Please note: The following text contains spoilers. Viewer discretion is also advised – Get Low is rated ‘12’. For more details on the film’s content from a Christian perspective, read Focus on The Family’s review, from Plugged In:

www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/getlow/​

Whilst Hollywood releases films in their droves, year after year, so few of them are ever spiritually conscious enough or caring enough to tackle life’s ‘big questions’ in a faithful, artful and engaging manner. The subject of spirituality is often mentioned, yes, but such action sadly appears to serve only as a somewhat tick-box exercise to appeal to Christian audiences. So, when it comes to selecting a suitable new film for the Faith & Film blog – one that specifically engages with Christian spirituality consistently throughout - I’m often left with no other option but to fervently pray that the Lord would highlight a film to me that may have flown under my radar, before the looming deadline.
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And whilst yes, I admit that prayer is and should always be my first port of call here at the blog, I’m thankful that the Lord heard my prayer and drew me to Get Low – a small, quietly thoughtful film which intertwines poignant human drama with spiritual discourse, highlighting issues which effect and apply to us all. Granted, the circumstances in which our protagonist Felix Bush (Robert Duvall, in full grumpy mode) finds himself are wholly unique to him, but we come to learn that he – just like any other human being – seeks to process and rid himself of the emotional and spiritual burdens he has been caused to bear in life. But how does one find a release from their shame and guilt, and receive forgiveness when others won’t forgive them, or they cannot find it in their heart to forgive themselves? Get Low has but one answer, and pleasingly, you won’t have to look very far to find it…

Marking the directorial debut of Aaron Schneider (and later, 2020’s Greyhound), Get Low is based upon a “true tall tale” of a hermit in 1930s Tennessee, who decided to organise a funeral party for himself whilst he was still alive. Now an old man, Felix understands that it won’t be too long until he’s got one foot in the grave. And so, in his determination to pre-empt it, he turns what could be a macabre moment into an event to which he invites the entire community – albeit one that is wary of the old man and spreads unsavoury rumours about him… But you see, that’s exactly what Felix is interested in. He’s grown curious about what the townsfolk think of him and wants to give them the opportunity to voice their opinions publicly, to him. Felix, however, has a story of his own to share – a public confession of his shame and guilt for his part in a tragic occurrence that occurred forty years ago, which he has only ever shared with a local preacher (Bill Cobbs). But can he muster up the courage to speak the truth so this tortured soul might be forgiven and freed?

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​At times, Get Low appears to be less interested in the motifs that it raises, than the curmudgeon at its core. For instance, director Schneider and his screenwriters (Chris Provenzano, C. Gaby Mitchell & Scott Seeke) often choose to revel in Bush’s unpredictable, eyebrow-raising tendencies - most notably his inability to smile for a photographer, and his admission that he no longer wears any underwear. But when the filmmakers attempt to get underneath Bush’s hardened emotional exterior and oddball nature, we find a man who’s longing to re-join society, after imprisoning himself within a place of solitude for forty years. He longs not only to be set free physically, but emotionally and spiritually. So, he visits a local preacher (Gerald McRaney), presents him with a large amount of cash and asks for a living funeral. Naturally, Rev. Horton is perplexed and asks Bush to explain, to which the old-timer simply replies: “(It’s)…’bout time for me to get low”. One would assume that Bush is referring to one’s physical and spiritual posturing before the Lord, when a person typically decides to surrender their life to God. He describes it as simply “(getting) down to business”, followed by presenting Rev. Horton with a balled-up wad of money and requesting that he provide him with a living funeral, in which people will be invited to share their thoughts and stories on Mr. Bush, unfiltered, directly to his face. 

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Rev. Horton naturally tries to dissuade Bush from permitting such gossip to spread throughout a house of God, and rightfully draws the old man toward the most pressing of matters: not what people say about Him, but what God will say about him when the judgement comes. “…what matters when you come to the end of your life is that you're ready for the next one. Have you made peace with God, sir?”, he asks. Bush, confused, protests: “I paid”. Horton attempts to correct him again:

Horton: “Well… You can't buy forgiveness, Mr. Bush. It's free. But you do have to ask for it.”

Bush: “Nothing in this world is free, preacher.”
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​In spite of Horton’s faithful witness, Bush just can’t seem to understand the simplicity of what it means to ask for forgiveness from the Lord. For forty years, he’s lived a life wracked with shame and guilt for his mistakes. He’s believed that to receive forgiveness and be granted absolution by God and those around him, he must pay – monetarily speaking, but also by punishing himself through living in crushing isolation. For Bush, his cabin in the woods is more of a jail cell, than a sanctuary. But we know that God promises for those who come before Him in penitence and faith, confessing their sin and asking for forgiveness, He freely grants it because of the saving work of His Son Jesus Christ: “…if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness” (1 John 1:9, NLT). Whilst Bush believes that he doesn’t deserve forgiveness, or if he can receive it, must pay for, and earn it in the eyes of God and others, the remarkable accomplishment of Jesus’ atoning, sacrificial work on the cross says otherwise. In Christ alone, we find freedom from the burdens of our sin and complete forgiveness, even when the world won’t forgive us. We may not deserve it for all the wrong that we’ve done, and yet, He is merciful. Just as it was a perplexing reality for those who have been saved, it is also for Bush. Thankfully, it isn’t so perplexing that we must distance ourselves from the God who loves us so dearly.

In its final third, Get Low shows a darker side to Bush – seen in the very public revelation of his past indiscretions. With the help of another local preacher named Rev. Charlie Jackson (Bill Cobbs), Bush is finally compelled to confess to his actions and ask for forgiveness in front of the entire town, at his funeral party – but also to a local woman named Mattie (Sissy Spacek), with whom he once shared a romance and later hurt her. At first, he protests to Jackson that his act of penance (locking himself away for forty years) is enough to make amends or to atone for his sins. But Jackson disagrees: “…you know it isn’t (enough)”, he says to Bush. And so, at the funeral party, Bush finally begins to tell all:

Bush: “When I told Charlie what I'd done, he told me to confess to God and the law… so I could get forgiveness. But I didn't want forgiveness. I needed to hold on to what I did. To be sick from it every day of my life. So, I never told nobody else.”
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​In preparing to go on with his story, Bush stumbles – he’s unsure of how to go on with telling the truth. But he sees Mattie in the crowd, and he directs his confession toward her. He continues, speaks the truth, and soon finds an emotional release from the burdens of his mind and heart – seen in the joyful reconciliation between him and Mattie, but also in his physical appearance. He looks healthier, lighter – free. In that moment, Bush’s actions show the healing power of confession. It mends relationships around him and (to some extent) himself. For an act that he dreaded for so long, he never knew how liberating it could be to be released from such darkness within his heart. And this is what God wants for His creation. He longs for us to seek forgiveness and repentance first from Him (for the sake of our souls), and then from others: “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results” (James 5:16, NLT). Truly then, “Confession is good for the soul.” For if we, who have sinned against God and others, truly confess, and turn away from our sins with the help of our Father in Heaven, our souls will be mended and saved: “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved…” (Romans 10:9-10, ESV).

​The film isn’t clear on whether Bush sought out and received forgiveness from the Lord, but his story serves as a beautiful reminder of the freeing power of confession. It shows that the act of confession, seeking forgiveness and turning away from our sinful ways brings restoration between friends. But how much more important is it that we seek all of that from our Creator, God, who is supposed to be our closest friend? Ultimately, Get Low teaches that confession is good for us now, but biblical confession is essential for the soul now, and in eternity.
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Unbelievable(?) Good News - Finding Nemo (2003)

6/1/2021

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Please note: The following text contains spoilers. Viewer discretion is also advised – Finding Nemo is rated ‘U’. For more details on the film’s content from a Christian perspective, read Focus on The Family’s review, from Plugged In:

https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/findingnemo/

Recently, I made the mistake of debating with my girlfriend, Emily, as to what makes a top-tier, Disney Pixar film. My criteria are simple: It must bring me to tears, teach me something about the human experience, further the limits of animation and bring me joy. (The Incredibles, Inside Out & Toy Story all meet these criteria.) Naively, I thought she would agree with my picks, but after looking at my listed Pixar rankings (https://boxd.it/xKVa) however, it turned out that we both differ on a few of our respective choices (Wall-E should be top 3 territory, apparently). Is it enough of an issue to classify it as a ‘dealbreaker’? Of course not, as there is grace for all who truly repent, after all! Thankfully, though, I was eventually able to move past our little disagreement, following the discovery of our mutual love and appreciation for Finding Nemo. It meets our own personal criteria, and features (for both of us) one of the most delightfully simple Gospel links in recent cinematic memory…

In essence, Finding Nemo is another of Pixar’s journeys into uncharted cinematic territory - or in this case, uncharted cinematic waters. Never have we seen the Great Barrier Reef look quite as beautifully realised as it does in Finding Nemo – a widespread cinematic canvas, bursting forth with colour and teaming with life. And although animated, Nemo is a tale that’s authentic to marine life – both in terms of fish biology and behaviour. Not only do we see the beauty of ocean life, however, but we also see the horrors: a barracuda attacks and almost wipes out an entire family of clownfish, and later, divers (unknowingly) separate the remaining two from one another – the overprotective and neurotic Marlin (Albert Brooks) and his spirited, but headstrong son, Nemo. Determined to bring him safely home, Marlin abandons the security and comforts of life on the reef, and heads into the dangerous unknown of the ocean to save him.
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​Perhaps the most pertinent biblical parallel one could make in reference to Finding Nemo is the Parable of the Lost Son. Comparisons abound particularly early in the film, when we witness Nemo dishonour his father just as the son did in Luke 15:11-32, by ignoring instructions from his father, informing him that “I hate you”, and recklessly touching the hull of a boat. Soon enough, Nemo’s actions lead to him being whisked away to a far-off place (Luke 15:13) by a team of divers, who take him further away than he ever wanted to go. The comparisons to Luke 15 continue when we see Marlin actively search for Nemo – encountering a whole host of colourful characters along the way. For just as the father in Luke 15 was searching for his son, despite him being “still a long way off” (V20), Marlin does the same and determinedly scours the ocean for him. The pair are later reunited in an overwhelmingly joyous moment of love between the two (just as in the parable from Luke), but it’s an earlier moment from within the film which demonstrates even more powerfully what it meant for Marlin to arrive at that point. And this is achieved through the power of story.

Taking place at Nemo’s lowest point, when he believed that he’d never see his father again, we watch and listen as the young clownfish is told by a pelican of how his father has been searching for him across the ocean, stopping at nothing to get his son back. Like all great stories, it’s one that has travelled a great distance and spread to countless characters who are subsequently touched by Marlin’s great love for his child. But nobody reacts quite like Nemo – he’s overjoyed, but in shock that his father would risk everything for him. At first, he doesn’t even believe that the story is referencing his own father! But he soon comes to realise that it’s true. Marlin has indeed been searching for Nemo and is calling him home.

Do you remember when you first heard the Good News for yourself? Did you react with disbelief like Nemo, not trusting that your heavenly Father was able to or wanted to save you from the effects of your sin? Or did you believe it immediately, accepting it for the truth that it is? Regardless of how you initially reacted, we cannot deny that there is distinct power in the Good News of Jesus - for through it we learn that the Father is searching for and is beckoning us home to Him. But in Nemo’s case, we see that such good news prompted him to be uplifted from his sorrow and spurred him on to return to his father as soon as he could. And the Good News of Jesus works similarly for those who believe and trust in it. As the hymnist John Newton once observed, the Good News and the name of Jesus is “sweet” to those who believe it – for it “soothes our sorrows” and “heals our wounds”. Those who trust in it to be saved will be so – for they “know it is the very power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18, NLT) itself.


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Perhaps many like the lost son or Nemo, long to come back home, but feel that there is no way home. Thankfully, there is with Jesus. For we read that God – like Marlin – fought through everything in His path to save humanity. He destroyed the power that sin has over us, by sending Jesus to take our place on the cross and pay the penalty for our mistakes. He “personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right” (1 Peter 2:24, NLT) He made a way where there wasn’t previously a way, to return home to the Father’s house. But will you now tell of His wondrous story across our lands, speaking of how the Father fought for us to be made safe, so many would be caught up (like Nemo) in the wonder of the cross?

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    Articles written by
    Scott Gentry

    ​scott@k180.org

    Cinema has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember. It's thrilled me, challenged me, and even been used by God to draw me closer to Him.
    ​
    Now, in every film-watching experience, I try to remember the advice of John Calvin, who said not to be dismissive of truth wherever it shall appear, which I can in turn champion and use for God's purposes.
     
    ​Inspired by Calvin's words, I was eager to begin talking about the 'good' that appears in film, so that others can not only discover it, but share it for the sake of the Gospel. It's for that reason that this blog now exists, and I pray that these articles will bless you in your evangelism.


    ​Scott's Favourite Films:
    - True Grit (2010)
    - Barry Lyndon (1975)
    - Once Upon A Time In The West (1968)
    -  The Treasure of the Sierra Madre (1948)
    - On the Waterfront​ (1954)
    - Won’t You Be My Neighbor? (2018)
    - The Mission (1986)

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