Welcome to the weekend! Got anything fun planned? Maybe a date with your sweetie?Maybe a movie? Our family watched a great one recently called The Boys in the Boat about a scrappy group of Depression-era, West Coast college students who defeated the Ivy League elites, the Nazis, as well as their own demons to win Olympic gold in Eight Man Crew.
The dramatic tension of the film centers mostly around social differences. “We’re poor, but fiercely determined,” vs. “We’re rich and somewhat coddled,” and “We’re planning to capture the world for the Reich!” Although the ultimate conclusion was foregone, the racing suspense was super fun.
Solid cinema should show us what is true about its characters and setting. I suspect, however, I often enjoy movies because they say and show what I already believe about stuff.
I read recently about the inaugural Muslim International Film Festival in London. “Championing the narratives of international Muslim filmmakers and highlighting their compelling stories, MIFF. . . . has a mission to celebrate and amplify the diverse voices that explore the rich tapestry of Muslim experiences via the medium of film.”
If you’ve got a little weekend free time, go here and enjoy some of the trailers for the films shown at the festival.
Filmmaker Warda Mohamed, whose short film Muna screened at the festival, said, “We need to have access to films that challenge stereotypes and reaffirm the norm of Muslim stories.”
That’s the bottom line, isn’t it? All of our brains harbor stereotypes of various people. Muslims, Hindus, Canadians, Mexicans, Republicans, Democrats, a variety of stripes of Christians. We often need Jesus to drop into the comments and say, “You don’t like those guys? That’s weird! I like them a lot. And, no offense, I know ‘em a lot better than you do!”
Cheeky Weekend Challenge: Watch a movie in which the good guys don’t look like you! I’d love to see your recommendations.