How could two films be so different yet so similar? I saw them randomly and almost back to back (give or take a week or two). Both drama/comedies, both dealing with the paradoxical art and escapism of cinema, both unconsciously aware that the “acting out” before the camera mirrored the real life dramas of the central characters, both reflecting narrative movements from alienation through conflict to reconciliation and resolution, and both focused on that iconic war of the late 20th century in Vietnam. Yet one was a spoof (that was hardly worth the ticket) and the other a warm-hearted “feel-good” that lingers. I remarked in yesterday’s sermon that the cinema is a good indicator of the mood of the age. Some films are discerning a cultural yearning for the reclamation of community building and reconciliation in the face of the enmity and rancour that has embittered and dehumanised the community since 9/11. Maybe two seemingly disparate stories are using archetypes with a contemporary face to give expression to the reality behind Peter’s question in Matthew 18:21. Jesus’ reply is even more shocking and compelling.
Oh! – the films are Tropic Thunder and Son of Rambow . Visit MRQE for a host of reviews
Wondering Pilgrim 