"Films For All Seasons" (Abby Olcese)

TITLE: Films for All Seasons: Experiencing the Church Year at the Movies
AUTHOR: Abby Olcese
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2024, (240 pages).

Films are often influenced by the culture around us. After all, moviemakers are familiar with the need for relevance. This is necessary to reach popular appeal. In the same way, Christians living in this world ought to be aware of the cultural appeal happening in their realms of influence. Yet, culture does not stand still. It changes rapidly with various fads, fashion, and trends. How do we interpret culture from a Christian perspective? One avenue is through films. Author Abby Olcese is an avid observer of film and popular culture. She believes we can better understand the mood of the times just by noticing the messages and stories behind the movies. Believing that "stories rule our lives," just like how stories in the Bible communicate central biblical themes, the stories in movies can reveal cultural trends that we can be aware of. 

Without intentionality, understanding culture is like asking a fish to explain what water is. The author's underlying conviction is that Christians should influence the world and not the other way around. By learning to engage people through understanding the things that matter to people in our community, we can better communicate the gospel in ways that they can understand. Instead of choosing films at random, the author follows the Western Church calendar according to the different seasons that Christians follow. These are:

• Advent (With themes of Hope, Faith, Joy, and Peace)
• Christmas (With themes of humility, lowliness, salvation, and love)
• Epiphany (With themes of healing, self-sacrifice, love in ministry)
• Lent (With themes of abstention, Christ's presence, and gratitude)
• Holy Week (With themes of struggle and victory)
• Easter (With themes of resurrection)
• Ascension Day (With themes of the Great Commission and promise)
• Pentecost (With themes of Holy Spirit and Community)
• All Saints Day (With themes of perseverance, faithfulness, and legacy)

Olcese draws a parallel using the Lectio Divina steps to direct the way for us to watch films, specifically from a Christian perspective. 

1. Slow Reading | (Viewing)
2. Meditation | (Meditating)
3. Contemplation | (Contemplating)

My Thoughts

Let me give three thoughts about this book.

First, it enlarges our understanding of the movie itself. Each chapter gives us an overview of the key characters and the outline of the movie. For those of us who have seen the movie, we have a fresh outlook about the meaning of the movie. In some cases, the re-telling of the story fills in the gaps readers might have about the movie itself. For example, in the Advent chapter about Hope, we learn that hope for the Star Wars resistance fighters is not simply winning the war. It's overcoming the ills of human nature. It's about taking the first step in the right direction. It's about modeling for others what hope means for future generations. I find myself able to fill in the gaps in my viewing of the movies. At the same time, I learn about other movies that I have not seen, which will enlarge my own repertoire of movies. The suggestions for further viewing segment gives us even more choices for movie selection.

Second, we get to see common themes in both the Bible as well as the movie. In every chapter, there is a narrative from the Bible to show us that the movie narratives are not necessarily new. The movie SHAZAM! focuses on an unlikely hero, something similar to how Jesus came to this earth as an ordinary person. Just like how Jesus was both human and divine, the movie's protagonist, Thaddeus Sivana was both normal as well as superhero. The difference however was the way of the Kingdom of God against the kingdom of the empire. Those of us familiar with the Bible narratives will have an immediate template to discern the similarities and differences between the Bible and the movie. It is also an opportunity for readers to sharpen their reading (or re-reading) of the Bible. 

Third, we get to exercise our spiritual discernment. There are 26 movies that we can learn from the author. Each chapter begins with a brief overview of the movie, the key messages, and the characters. This is usually followed by a connection with relevant Bible passages that also reflect the themes promoted by the movies. At the end of the chapter, there are discussion questions to dig deeper into the messages. This presents an opportunity for reflection and application. As readers go through each chapter, they will become familiar with the steps and after a while, be able to discern other movies not mentioned in this book. This is best done via a discussion group. 

Robert Johnston's "Reel Spirituality" is one of the first books to remind us that messages of spirituality are evident in many movies. Josh Larsen's "Movies are Prayers" shows us how films can voice our deepest longings. Mike Cosper's "The Stories We Tell" helps us connect the dots between storytelling and human longing. In "God in the Movies," Catherine M. Barsotti and Robert K. Johnston comb through four decades of film to show us that movies are actually about people searching for God. Subtly, Abby Olcese rides on the coattails of wisdom from these predecessors to introduce a fresh Christian season perspective to themes. Moreover, she hints that perhaps, the movies can also be evidence of God searching for us. 

Abby Olcese writes about film, popular culture and faith. Her work has appeared at Think Christian, Sojourners, Paste and other outlets. She is also the film editor for The Pitch, a magazine and website serving the Kansas City, Missouri, area. She lives in Kansas City.

Rating: 4.25 stars out of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of InterVarsity Press via NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.