CINEMA SPECIALS

 

Since I was a child and the big event of the week was going to the Saturday matinee for a double feature at a cost of ten cents(!), I have loved movies.  The more suspense and thrill the better!  One stipulation: we had to prove to my father that the movies were in the A-1 Legion of Decency category. (Older parishioners may recall similar restrictions.) .As I have matured I continue to enjoy movies but only those that have some “substance.”  In the last few weeks I have marveled at two “movies of substance.”  Neither of them is in the “megabucks” category but, I believe, definitely worth your time and money. 

 

Each of these movies first surfaced as a book.  Personally, I find that I enjoy movies more when I have already the book.  I attribute this to the fact that, since I already know the ending, I don’t spend precious movie time trying to solve that issue but, rather, enjoying the more subtle aspects of character, relationships, etc.

 

The first of these is The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd. Narrated through the perspective of a 13-year old girl the film is situated in a racially divided south in the 1960’s. Escaping her abusive father, Lily escapes with her African American nanny and, following a clue left by her mother, finds three eccentric sisters. Queen Latifah is memorable as the head of this household which harvests and sells honey (hence the title of the book). Though the story confronts major issues such as racism, domestic violence, and suicide, these are redeemed through the movie’s basic themes of tolerance, love and healing. 

 

The second movie, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, is a powerful story about the Holocaust as told from the perspective of an 8-year old boy. Bruno is the son of the commandant of a Nazi concentration camp and wonders why all the people at the “farm” (which he can see from his window) are wearing striped pajamas. Driven by loneliness and boredom, Bruno finds his way to the edge of the camp where he meets a boy on the other side of the fence. A friendship develops and Bruno daily brings food for his friend Shmuel. Though there is no onscreen violence, the horror of this tragic part of history is unmistakable. 

 

Both of these films are rated PG-13 and could provide opportunities for interesting discussions with older children. 

 

By the time you read this neither movie may still be showing locally. That is unfortunate but the result of low box office returns. However, if that is the case, they should be available on DVD in the near future.

 

Happy viewing!

 

Sister Marie, O.P.