twilight retreat for the oscars: what do the 2014 nominated films have to say to believers?
Post on 21-Oct-2014
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This "retreat" presentation is an outline that considers the 9 nominated films for Best Picture as well as two of the films nominated in the Best Animated Feature category through the lens of the Beatitudes, Works of Mercy, Deadly Sins, Catholic Social Teaching, the T.H.I.N.K. protocol, what it means to be a person of "character" and empathy.TRANSCRIPT
A Twilight Re,lection on Oscar Nominated Films 2014
Sr. Rose Paca,e, FSP SisterRoseMovies.net
What do they have to say to people of faith?
Criteria Human and Gospel values
• The Bea7tudes, Works of Mercy • The Deadly Sins
Criteria: Human and Gospel values Bea$tudes Mt 5
Blessed are • the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. • they who mourn for they shall be comforted. • the meek for they shall inherit the earth. • they who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall
be sa$sfied. • the the merciful for they shall obtain mercy. • the pure of heart for they shall see God. • the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God. • they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for
theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Spiritual Works of Mercy
Mt 25
Beatitudes Matt. 5
It’s easier to ,ind the sins and sinners than saints and beatitudes in cinematic drama and comedies but it’s a starting place
Deadly Sins
Then there’s the shorthand
The bottom line: character
• Va7can II tells us that the spiritual is built on the human. • “Character” is built on the value of “empathy” • To be a person of character means to do the right thing even when no one is looking
Empathy • To be a person of character means to walk in the shoes of another:
• “How would you feel if someone did that to you?”
• is the very least norm for being an authen7c human being
Entertainment, story-‐telling, context • To be all these good things you need to show the shadow side
• But when the conflict is resolved what are we leN with?
• (And will you remember, or even care, tomorrow? Does it even ma,er?)
Criteria Summary • Empathy • Character • T.H.I.N.K. • Catholic Social Teaching • Deadly sins • Works of Mercy • Bea7tudes
The ,ilms
• The Wolf of Wall Street • American Hustle • Captain Phillips • Dallas Buyers Club • Nebraska
The ,ilms
• Her • Frozen • The Croods • 12 Years a Slave • Philomena • Gravity
The Wolf of Wall Street • Sa7re • “Greed, for want of a be,er word, is good.” • All the deadly sins • Saving grace? • An7thesis of bea7tude • Total lack of empathy • (Ma,hew 7:12)
American Hustle • “Treat people the way you want to be treated; didn’t Jesus say that?”
• “My father, he taught me that all people were good and to be good to all people”
• We hustle for respect, love, and to survive – but how?
• We all make choices • It’s all about “the hair” • Enough deadly sins … but some conscience going
Captain Phillips • A movie about Davids and Goliaths • But who’s who? • What’s the bigger picture? • Not just an episode on the high seas but a sign of endemic injus7ce between the rich and poor, those who have and those who don’t
Dallas Buyers Club • Dying and death • Homophobia • Human dignity (though it doesn’t start off this way) • Broader social issues: Big Pharma and Government vis-‐à-‐vis medical care for people
• Kindness, respect
Nebraska • Americana • Dreams “I didn’t know he wanted a million dollars. If he did why didn’t he work for it?”
• Family • Greed • Life
Her • Samantha • Aramaic: Listener • Hebrew: Listener; the name of God
• Theodore • Greek: God-‐given or God’s GiN
Her
• A metaphor? God and the person? • Rela7onship • Human dignity • The meaning of life • “I was in prison and you visited me”
Frozen
• Family • Differences • Freedom (family, community • White people win again • Causes of climate change :-‐) • Paren7ng
The Croods • What it means to be human • Fear and survival • Consciousness, innova7on, survival • Family (respect within the family) • (They ripped off Plato’s “The Republic” 380 BC)
12 Years a Slave • Injus7ce • Human dignity • Equality • Family • Survival • Hope • Deadly sins • Bea7tude • Owning the darkness of our history • Prejudice, racism
Philomena
• Injus7ce • Lust or indiscre7on of youth? • Intolerance • The common good? • Truth • Adop7on rights • Blessed are the poor in spirit • Reconcilia7on • Misuse of power • Motherhood
Gravity
Gravity
• Survival • Over coming fear • Contempla7ng life, dying, death • Prayer • Reborn • Life • Hope • The beauty of crea7on • Harming the environment
What do the Oscar nominated ,ilms for 2014 say to you as a person of faith? • Bea7tude • Works of mercy • Deadly sins • Character • Empathy
Which ,ilm(s) does it best for you?