Please note: The following text contains spoilers. Viewer discretion
​is also advised – this film is rated '12'.
 
Films are rarely as quiet, contemplative and visually resplendent
as Terrence Malick’s A Hidden Life. From Days of Heaven to The Tree of
Life, Malick has crafted visual feasts for the eyes which are at
once ethereal, but completely real. His landscapes are Eden-like
utopias, free of darkness and teeming with life. And such is the case with
A Hidden Life, Malick’s long-gestating WWII project, which artfully
depicts the life of Austrian Franz Jägerstätter - a conscientious
objector during World War II who, at the age of 36, was put to death for
his refusal to fight for Nazi Germany. A committed Christian, Franz’s
life was marked by devotion to the Lord, and his refusal to side with
evil led to him being declared a martyr and beatified by the
Catholic Church in 2007.

Whilst his sacrifice was relatively unknown for a number of years,
Malick’s film highlights this courageous act of defiance and the
abuse Franz endured, in a manner which many have commented
shares parallels with issues of the present day. However, I felt that the primary interest of Malick’s film is to display sin and darkness as the destructive forces which “so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1, NIV) us.  

​Set in the idyllic village of St. Radegund, Austria, A Hidden Life donates a large portion of its runtime to witnessing our characters as they till the land or watch the world go by. For the impatient, these protracted, wordless scenes could be viewed as frustrating. But Malick’s gliding, swirling camera captures the beauty and sounds of nature and the bond between the village’s inhabitants so well, that you can’t help but long to visit there. Upon the breakout of war, however, we suddenly hear the harsh sounds of planes roaring overhead and the arrival of trucks filled with soldiers, which forcibly intrude upon this seemingly perfect world. The enchanting beauty of St. Radegund is soon overshadowed by a sense of darkness and heaviness, which seeps into the local community – turning friend against friend as the Nazi’s spread ideologies which cause people to hate.
 
When Franz is later confronted with evil at his door, embodied in a local fascist who persistently berates him for not “supporting the war effort”, and pledging allegiance to Adolf Hitler’s Germany, he is simply unable to make sense of it all. “Don’t they know evil when they see it?”, a friend asks in total disbelief. It’s in these scenes that I spent time considering how painful it must have felt, as a Christian in particular, to watch an oppressive regime rise up unexpectedly around you, attempting to force you into standing for something you were called to stand in direct opposition against. I was surprised that such blatant evil could find itself accepted by so many, but the Bible teaches that we shouldn’t be:

“Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”
(2 Corinthians 4:4, NLT)

​The majority of the inhabitants of St. Radegund, once a kind and close-knit community, are seemingly blinded to the goodness that they once stood for – that so many would profess to believe in, as Christians. As Franz’s wife, Franziska (Valerie Pachner), makes her way into the village to collect supplies, she finds herself excluded from conversations entirely and stared at with haughty eyes – “Why are you staring at me like that?”, she says perplexed. These feelings towards the Jägerstätter’s are only intensified, when Franz (as a result of prayer and fasting, his biography states) refuses to swear an oath of allegiance to Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, when he’s called up to fight alongside fellow men of his village. Despite having initially wrestled with his decision and sought advice from various members of the Catholic Church, Franz commits fully to that which he knows to be right and is almost immediately seized, incarcerated, and left to await trial.
 
For the remainder of the film, we spend much time with Franz as he is bullied, tortured and forced to live out his day-to-day life with extreme restrictions put in place. He makes the most of the little freedom that he has, in gazing upon God’s creation throughout his daily exercise or writing to his beloved wife and family. The oppressive nature of his incarceration is almost unbearable to watch, let alone experience it for ourselves. And yet, Franz is given many opportunities to sign the oath of allegiance – the act of which he is told will set him free. But he never signs this piece of paper – much to the bewilderment of his attorney and us, the audience. “Sign this paper and you’ll go free,” his attorney tells him. “But I am free,” Franz says firmly.
​

​
​A Hidden Life could therefore be classed as a tale of positive rebellion. Franz’s defiance to compromise upon his faith and betray Christ and His teachings, is a result of his life being changed by the life-saving power of God. His dedication to praying alongside his wife, and holding the Bible closely as the couple’s “book of reference for everyday life”, meant that Franz was not only a new creation in Christ, but was seeking to be transformed into His perfect image. In doing so, Franz also knew and understood that to refute God’s teachings (thereby sinning against God and his neighbour), would mean to imprison oneself in the binding grip of sin, leading to an eternal death even after death in this life. For James 4:17 (NLT) teaches us that “…it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it”. So, despite sacrificing his physical freedoms for that which he knew to be right, Franz chose to and was able to trust in the promises of God, because of a depth of relationship between him and the Father. Franz’s defiance in the face of sin, though he knew it would cost him everything, will bring him life everlasting in Heaven. For Jesus taught, “if you give up your life for me, you will find it” (Matthew 10:39, NLT).
 
Franz’s rebellion against the darkness which surrounded him, acts as a bold embodiment of the rebellion against evil and our fallen natures, which Jesus Himself has called humanity to. We could live in the comfortability which comes with our sin, and a general acceptance of the evils which surround us, but it is God’s will that we rebel against “evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world” and “against mighty powers in this dark world” (Ephesians 6:12, NLT). But each and every one of us has ultimately invited such darkness into our lives and compromised ourselves in so many ways. For the Bible teaches that “everyone has sinned” (Romans 3:23, NLT) and done wrong in God’s sight. In fact, every one of us have “fall(en) short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23) for the way we should live our lives. Therefore, we deserve to receive the “payment for sin (which) is death” (Romans 6:23, ICB), in accordance with God’s law.
​

​Biblically speaking therefore, humanity cannot avoid eternal death as a result of our sin – because no matter what we do, we cannot free ourselves from sin’s effects which severely effects our lives both here, and in eternity. But God, in His great love for the world, is merciful, and “gives…the free gift of life forever” (Romans 6:23, ICB) to anyone who asks for forgiveness from their sin, turns away from their old life and comes to faith in God. It was through Christ alone, God’s one and only Son, who's life was cruficified on the cross as a sacrifice - the “…offering for our sin”, so “that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT). Just as God gave Franz the strength to rebel against the darkness which surrounded him, so too has he made a way for us to rebel against and be freed from sin’s imprisonment of the soul and be united in relationship with Him today.
 
Challenge:
 
Why not prayerfully invite a friend or family member who doesn’t yet know Jesus, to watch A Hidden Life for themselves? Use the film’s themes to ask them what they thought of the film, if they spotted any links to Christianity and what they might think of the Gospel’s response to this subject.
 
If you feel able to, ask them what they think about Franz being prepared to die for what he knew to be right – was he justified in his decision, or misguided? What do they think about being prepared to give up one’s life, for something/someone greater than themselves? Jesus said, “there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13, NLT). But Jesus, despite not even knowing us, laid down His life for humanity to free us from imprisonment of the soul – how does that make your friend feel? Later, if they're open to hearing it, take an opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel message with them.
 
Prior to watching the film for yourself, however, take a moment to pray that God would speak to you through the film. If you feel comfortable, pray this prayer over all of your future, film-watching experiences:
 
Dear Lord, As I watch this film, I ask that you would be present here with me. Highlight to me anything within it that is honourable, anything that can be used in conversation for your Kingdom purposes. Amen.
 
A Hidden Life is available to rent through Amazon Prime Video
​

​Please note: The following text contains spoilers. Viewer discretion is also advised – this film is rated '12'.
 
La vita è bella (or Life Is Beautiful) is a vastly impressive tightrope act of filmmaking – one seldom seen in contemporary cinema. Despite the controversies surrounding his Oscar-winning film, director, co-writer and star Roberto Benigni (Italy’s Charles Chaplin, no contest) beautifully orchestrates a cinematic feat of balancing humour and naturalistic emotion, in a film which sensitively addresses the atrocities of the Holocaust. Naturally, the pairing of humour and the horrors of a historical tragedy are not typically best suited to one another, but somehow, Benigni crafts an emotional portrayal of fatherhood which not only works, but contains striking similarities to the Father’s love for His creation and His desire to protect us from darkness.

​Initially set in 1930s Italy, La vita è bella introduces us to the playful, good-natured Jewish bookkeeper, Guido (Benigni), who after successfully sweeping a beautiful woman named Dora off her feet, begins a family and leads a truly idyllic life. Upon the outbreak of war, however, Italy falls under occupation by German forces, the family are seized and subsequently find themselves interned within a Nazi concentration camp. In order to protect his son Giosuè from the horrors of his surroundings, Guido employs his rich imagination to create a game in which Giosuè must complete challenges to earn points – a process which, unbeknownst to him, shields him from death itself.
 
For a film which addresses such difficult subject matter, Benigni handles even the most troubling content with sensitivity, revealing various plot developments through implication, rather than outright revealing bloody violence or injury detail, on screen. We do learn, however, that many atrocities are committed throughout the scenes set within the camp, which dramatically alters the tone of the film in its final third. And whilst the shift in tone invites deep sadness and even righteous anger at the injustices depicted on screen, such a development really allows the film’s overarching motifs to be made known.

​​Most notably, Benigni homes in upon the biblical themes of sacrificial love, protection from darkness, salvation and restoration. In shielding his son from violence and almost certain death at the hands of the Nazi’s, Guido embodies the Father’s resolute desire to protect humanity from evil and the destructive powers of sin, at all costs. For we know it is God’s will that each and every one of us are saved and set apart from the darkness of this world, coming to Him alone for protection and ultimately salvation. The Bible even teaches that for those who draw close to Him, “He has rescued…from the power of darkness and transferred” them “into the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13, NRSV). Rather than leave us to the mercy of such darkness in our lives and world, God chose to send His one and only Son as a sacrifice who would not only shield us from the evils of sin, but destroy its power forever, in making a way for us to be saved from the evils of sin.

​Please note: The following text contains spoilers. Viewer discretion is also advised – this film is currently unrated in the UK, but would likely to be classified '12'. 
 
“De Oppresso Liber”, “Free the Oppressed”
 
I must confess, Christian films aren’t my idea of a good time. Whilst I never stand in direct opposition to the ever-growing behemoth that is the Christian film industry, I just can’t sit through or subject others to sit through, bad Christian films. And sadly, the bad more than often outnumber the good. So, when Free Burma Rangers was recommended to me by a friend, I almost immediately cast it aside. That is, until I saw the trailer, complete with its pulse-pounding score, explosive archival footage and a distinctly Gospel-centric message of hope: “We’re not going to leave you - because you count”.

I sat back in shock, unlocked my phone and searched for where it was available to rent, only to discover it was listed solely on Amazon, for £20. But even with a hefty price tag such as this, don’t let it dissuade you from watching this film – not only is it an essential tool for evangelism, but this true story of the Eubank family is guaranteed to encourage you to pray for personal growth in compassion, unlike any other film before it.

In essence, Free Burma Rangers is a documentary, comprised of interviews and videoed first-hand accounts of activities from within war zones, in which Christian missionaries Dave & Karen Eubank (and their three young children), seek to display their faith in action, by tending to the plight of the helpless, who are caught up in conflict. With the majority of its footage taken from the charity’s own archive, Free Burma Rangers gives audiences unprecedented access to view moments of searing loss, but also the lifesaving and life-changing care and attention, given to those who have been treated as the least.  

Whilst the Eubank’s ministry is described as “a multi-ethnic humanitarian service movement”, their roots are firmly established in biblical teachings and live by six, key principles:
​
- Love One Another
- Unite for Freedom, Justice, and Peace
- Forgive and do not hate each other
- Pray with faith
- Act with Courage
- Never Surrender

In this way, the work displayed throughout FBR embodies all of these principles and more. Even in the aftermath of a brutal attack upon defenceless women, at the hands of the Burma army, we watch as Dave forgives them, despite openly acknowledging that he wishes to seek vengeance, and wrestles with his decision. But it’s in knowing that he is called to “forgive one another, as God has forgiven” him “through Christ” (Ephesians 4:32, GNT), that Dave presses on in the work that he was originally called to do – for “vengeance is mine”, says the Lord (Deuteronomy 32:35, NRSV). Such heart-rending vulnerability not only gives us an indication of the hardships that FBR face on a regular basis, but it furthers one of the film’s many points: that despite knowing God personally, we will face many hardships, but He is more than able to see us through each and every one.

The film’s central message, however, is perhaps wrapped up in the motto of the United States Army Special Forces (in which David formerly served), later adopted by the ministry, which comes closest to making a biblical comparison: “De Oppresso Liber”, “Free the Oppressed”. Whilst some argue that the motto most resembles a quote from St. Augustine, I feel that it links much more closely with the writings of the prophet Isaiah:

​“…learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan, plead for the widow.”
(Isaiah 1:17, NRSV)

​From the footage we see, rescuing the oppressed is FBR’s sole concern. Regardless of the large-scale, heavily armed threats that they face, Dave and Karen press on in the face of danger towards the sounds of guns, and the cries of the oppressed. Their courage and determination to bring healing – physically, emotionally and spiritually – whilst under fire, is a powerful testament to their faith, and willingness to truly implement biblical teachings in their life. Of course, the couple could have chosen a life of comfortability in the United States, over the harder path of the missionary lifestyle, in Burma, but they chose to obey and pursue the call of God on their lives. And God, in His care and faithfulness, has even led them to play a key role in the liberation of Mosul (Iraq) in 2017, through which many lives who were previously left for dead due to the sheer onslaught of enemy forces, were miraculously saved.
 
And in a sense, Jesus was sent just as the Eubanks were – called to go into a place of brokenness and hopelessness, to rescue the oppressed. How do we know this? Well, whilst in Nazareth, Luke’s Gospel account informs us that Jesus visited the synagogue, and read from the book of Isaiah, in which He states the following:

​“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free…”
(Luke 4:18, NRSV)

​In this moment, Jesus isn’t simply reading and referencing a passage from Isaiah 61, but He’s making a declaration: God has called Him to do this work described within the scripture. Despite being the Son of God, this is His calling and mission for which He was sent to earth to complete. Much like the Eubank family, Jesus was instructed by His Father to abandon comfortability, in order to save those who could not save themselves. But Jesus went further than the Eubank’s ever could, when He denied himself of His heavenly throne, of which He is worthy to inherit. He was even beaten, tortured and crucified upon a cross, in order to save humanity from oppression unlike anything in the physical. And yet, Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice, because humanity was oppressed by the weight and grip of our sins upon our lives and needed to be freed.
 
For the Bible teaches that “everyone has sinned” (Romans 3:23, NLT) and ultimately done wrong in God’s sight. Every one of us “fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23) and therefore deserve to receive the “payment for sin (which) is death” (Romans 6:23, ICB), in accordance with God’s law. We deserve nothing more than to receive eternal death in Hell for our sin – for no matter what we do, we cannot free ourselves of our mistakes and their effects on our lives. But God, in His great love for the world is merciful, and “gives…the free gift of life forever” (Romans 6:23, ICB) to those who ask for forgiveness from their sin, turn away from their old lives and come to faith in God. For He loves us and wants for us to live with Him for all eternity, which is why it is written that He “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9, NLT). God actually chose to make a way for us to be granted mercy, forgiveness and freedom from our sin, through Jesus Christ – God’s one and only Son who was given as the “…offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT).
​

​FBR therefore serves a dual purpose: whilst it encourages Christians to tend to the immediate needs of the oppressed, I believe it also helps to better understand and visualise something of Jesus’ commitment to saving all who were oppressed by an affliction of the soul - regardless of the personal cost. FBR therefore embodies that self-same mercy and compassion, so it is my prayer that many Christians would not only see that but receive it and point people to their need for liberation from an oppression of the soul.
 
Challenge:
 
Why not prayerfully invite a friend or family member who doesn’t yet know Jesus, to watch Free Burma Rangers for themselves? Use the film’s themes to ask them what they thought of the film, if they spotted any links to Christianity and what they might think of the Gospel’s response to this subject.
 
If you feel able to, ask them what they think about Dave and Karen’s commitment to sharing the Gospel and freeing the oppressed, despite facing such dangers? What do they think about God wanting to liberate us, by sending His Son into our broken world, despite knowing the cost, in order for us to be saved? Later, if they're open to hearing it, take an opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel message with them.
 
Prior to watching the film for yourself, however, take a moment to pray that God would speak to you through the film. If you feel comfortable, pray this prayer over all of your future, film-watching experiences:
 
Dear Lord, As I watch this film, I ask that you would be present here with me. Highlight to me anything within it that is honourable, anything that can be used in conversation for your Kingdom purposes. Amen.
 
Free Burma Rangers is available to rent through Amazon Prime Video
​

Please note: The following text contains spoilers​
​
,remmus eht fo tneve erutcip noitom eht sa dedlareH .ereh yllanif s’tI… Oh, I do beg your pardon. In my eagerness to write about Tenet, I hadn’t realised that I was still inverted and was therefore moving backwards in time. Silly me. I had to quickly jump into a mysterious machine, which un-inverted me and… Confused? You’re not alone. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, prophesied as the ‘saviour of cinema’ in this uncertain COVID-19 world, has now been released to many international markets. And already, this unique, time-altering thriller has fuelled passionate articles, claiming to be able to explain the film’s heady sense of logic, and what exactly was going on in those ‘whoa’-inducing action set pieces. Alas, if you’re searching for answers here, you won’t find any (in part because I’m not qualified to provide them). Instead, heed the wise words of Clémence Poésy’s Barbara, who advises the following to our protagonist: “Don’t try to understand it. Feel it.” In lieu of answers then, the following is my attempt to explore Tenet’s biblical connections, in this impressively ambitious film which rages against the dying of the light.

First however, I will do my best to try and summarise the plot, whilst placing an emphasis on try… Having tackled the themes of identity, memory and time running out, Tenet sees Christopher Nolan explore time travel, of sorts - in particular, the notion that entropy (which is the forward flow of thermodynamic energy) can be reversed, meaning that the future can communicate and collide directly with the past, through the use of a turnstile-like machine. Now, in the present, an unnamed CIA operative known only as the Protagonist, is tasked with investigating a strange object, with the help of a covert organisation known only as “Tenet”. But the object is but one in a set, tenaciously pursued by Russian oligarch Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh), who through precognitive abilities, is hellbent on wielding them to catastrophically invert the entire world. He will reverse the effects of global warming but kill millions in the process. So, in order to level the playing field, the Protagonist and his team set out to use Andrei’s machine to invert time and prevent the dark future from ever taking place.

As it turns out, key names from within Tenet are in fact five-word Latin palindromes - the most notable of which is “Tenet”. Curiously, Nolan also chose to use one of these for the surname of his antagonist, “Sator”, which roughly translates as “planter, founder, progenitor (usually divine)” or “originator”. Sator is none of these things, for he didn’t create the world. But in owning and choosing to use this weapon of mass destruction, he wields a god-like might – he has the power to do only wat a god could do. He himself even references this when he succumbs to his delusions of grandeur, in proposing that he might in fact be a god. And yet, if Andrei Sator is a god, he’s certainly a manipulative, dispassionate and murderous one. His plan to end the world as a result of his communication with people from the future, is down to the fact that they need to restart our world which will eventually be destroyed by global warming.

So, Sator uses his technology to weave in and out of the fabric of time, manipulating circumstances for his dastardly plans. But it was in these moments, that I couldn’t help but think of God our Father and how He is the all-powerful, righteous antithesis to Sator’s pure evil. For we read in scripture that God himself is not and has never been, bound by the fabric of time and space. Instead of God weaving in and out of time, He lives outside of time as we know it and can view it all at once, in all its splendour: “I am the high and holy God, who lives forever. I live in a high and holy place” (Isaiah 57:15, GNT). The nature of God’s home in Heaven is so ‘other’, that we couldn’t possibly comprehend its ways in the here and now. But in seeing the future whilst using his technology, Sator ultimately learns of how mankind will end up destroying itself. God also saw how we, the human race, would inevitably turn away from Him, His ways and towards sin - how we would seek to destroy ourselves through engaging in warfare and abuse the environment for our own selfish gain. And yet, despite such foreknowledge, He chooses not to wipe out humanity and start again.

​​​What great mercy! We see evidence of this in Genesis 9, when God promised the following to Noah: “Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.” And God has kept His word ever since, despite knowing, like Sator, that humanity will betray Him time and time again. But why? God has chosen not to restart humanity because of His great love for us, and our destiny that God has wanted us to walk into from the beginning of time itself: a relationship with the God of the universe. Unlike Sator, God has not only chosen to let us live, but granted us mercy to the extent that He actually provides a solution for the problem of sin, darkness and eternal death for the entirety of humanity.
 
For the Bible teaches that “everyone has sinned” (Romans 3:23, NLT) and ultimately done wrong in God’s sight. Every one of us “fall short of God’s glorious standard” (Romans 3:23) and thereby deserve to receive the “payment for sin (which) is death” (Romans 6:23, ICB), in accordance with God’s law. We actually deserve eternal death for our sin and there is nothing we can do, in our own strength, to free ourselves of our mistakes and their effects. But God, in His great love for the world is merciful, and “gives…the free gift of life forever” (Romans 6:23, ICB) to those who ask for forgiveness from their sin, turn away from their old lives and come to faith in God. For God loves us and wants for us to live with Him for all eternity, which is why it is written that He “does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent” (2 Peter 3:9, NLT). God made a way for us to be granted mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ – God’s one and only Son who was given as the “…offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NLT) when He died on the Cross and rose again three days later. Like the protagonist of Tenet, God sent us the protagonist, His Son, who could see that whilst we didn’t deserve mercy, forgiveness or saving, we are worth so much that He would willingly go to death itself, in order to save us. If that isn’t radical, earth-shattering love, what is?