Movie Mayhem with God: Manchester by the Sea

I watched “Manchester by the Sea” last night, and was left with a “and so it goes” kind of nonchalance. Upon some reflection this morning, I was curious about this indifference, considering how there is considerable critical acclaim about “Manchester by the Sea”. And it is only with more self-probing that I realized some uncomfortable truths.

 “Manchester by the Sea” is a “shit happens” reality driven film. I recall a month ago watching “Moonlight” with my boyfriend, and afterwhich the two of us discussing how we felt the movie was realistic, thematic and plot wise perfectly woven, visually well shot, into a masterpiece. After viewing “Manchester by the Sea”, though it may not match up to “Moonlight” in terms of themes, plot and even technical aspects, there is one aspect which it trumps the other hands down. The raw, muted yet gritty realism. (Major spoilers ahead.)

At the end of the film, Lee Chandler (played by Casey Affleck) does not miraculously turn his life around. His life remains more or less the way it is. He is still a janitor in Boston, and eventually does not move back to Manchester. He transfers custodianship of his nephew Patrick over to a common family friend instead. The way the people back there regard him has not improved much (e.g. the scene where a friend’s wife tells her husband “I do not want him around here”, and the scene of yet another bar fight in the final act of the movie). Lee and his ex-wife Randi’s tortured conversation at the finale of the film definitely attests to the fact that both him and her and still aching with baggage of the past, such that their talk disintegrates in the way it does.

And perhaps it was this realism which had been a bit too much for me to bear. When watching I attempted to disengage myself and watch the film like from a clinical perspective of a psychological professional. I had even remarked about how the film is an excellent piece for a study into grieving. This detached callous attitude towards the film only served to mask an uncomfortable indicator for myself.

Just like Lee Chandler, my current life is no miracle story which I can use to praise the glory of God. Some basic elements of my life have been adequately handled, but other pertinent issues lie unresolved, and look set to remain that way. This echoes what the commentator in Screen Junkies’ “Movie Fight” said about “Manchester by the Sea”, that it is a film that dares to tell you shit happens, and it looks set to remain that way for quite a while, without any markedly positive resolution.

The film concludes with Lee Chandler and Patrick playing bouncing of a ball on the way back to Patrick’s place, after attending Patrick’s father’s burial. This seemingly insignificant scene gives both myself and other viewers some solace and respite from the aches from bearing the daily weight of this world. At this point, Lee and Patrick are completely comfortable with each other, despite how the arrangements at the end of the film are anything but ideal. This ease and comfortable echoes the beginning of the film, when during Patrick’s childhood days when everything was the best scenario, Lee and his dad took him out for fun-filled days sailing by the sea. And ultimately this is what matters. Shit happens, and it looks set to stay that way. However, you are still by my side. Here is a big thank you to those who are bouncing the ball with me as I trudge along. Amen.

Why two, not one?

Cannot really think of a better title for this entry, thus, I'll just have to name it as that. To fellow believers, I think I do not have to explain too much on today's significance. I'll delve more into the "redemption offering" to write off our sins part. When preaching the gospel to our oikos, I'm sure any believer knows the "Jesus died on the cross for our sins" pars because of the "All have sinned and fall short of the glory part". Straightforward and simple enough. Thus, upon acceptance our Jesus Christ as personal Lord & Saviour, we have been redeemed of punishment for our sins when facing judgement, the ultimate penalty across the board being death. However, despite assurance of eternal life in Heaven with Christ, the "what now" question has always been the one nagging at me. Thankfully today's sermon at church has helped me answer this spot of bother. Kudos to Pastor Low of New Life Baptist Church! :D

During the precise moment of Christ's death, the curtain in the temple tore cleanly into two from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:44), clearly heralding the new era of reconciliation between man and God without the need for any intermediaries. This is further substantiated by the arrival of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2). However, between the period and journey from acceptance of Christ till reuniting with Him in Heaven, what then? Here we have to examine the Old Testament again, specifically the ritual of the offering for the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16).

The ritual for the Day of Atonement applies for all mankind, including even the priests themselves. It involves two goats, and not just one, without blemish. They are selected at random, one allocated for slaughter as a sin offering (vs. 15), the other to be prayed upon to confess all the sins of mankind and then sent away to the wilderness to fend for itself (vs. 20-22). The necessity of having two, instead one one goat, for the ritual was a minor puzzle for me then, as I did not grasp the full concept and extent of redemption till today. The goat for slaughter is actually the redemption from death part, whichI fully understood, was aware and accepted. Meanwhile, the goat for exile symbolises redemption from the burden of our sins while still on earth...

Last year during a major quarrel with someone (non-believer), he had said the line "no one owes you anything and neither do you owe anyone anything". I was very bothered by the line then, though more of due to other factors. Fast foward the situation to a new year, and those factors have long since worn off, but the line still lingered in my mind, aka Lady Macbeth's "out out damned spot" style, and I only realised the reason today. Despite having accepted the entire redemption package deal from Christ, I still insisted on carrying the sin baggage around on my back, with Jesus the lamb baa-ing away at me, shaking his head. Yes indeed, what took me so long to realise, no wonder I always complain of backache...

In retrospect now, I think my friend's statement was not phrased correctly. Its is not about any human owing any other human being more or less. We all owe God, but He decided to write it all off, because He doesn't believe in book-keeping. Matthew didn't quit his job for nothing after deciding to follow Jesus. :p However, I still enjoy buying big bags, especially the Crumpler types which I can dump loads of stuff I want in. They are definitely not baggage and burdens. Amen!

Movie Mayhem with God Part 6: The Beaver

It's been a very traumatic weekend. I've just finished attending a 3-session introduction to a counselling course where the eventual counselling method was based on deliverance. I was recommended to the course by my cell leader and cell mates after all that I had been going through, especially the past 9 months. Of course the notion of me needing counselling did not have a positive connotation. I was actually very perverse to it due to my history. I won't give too many details about about my past or what happened this weekend. In fact even though I haven't gone through the actual counselling session (they will do the one-to-one session later) I was already experiencing immense spiritual warfare which unleashed itself partially today. Definitely doesn't look good to outsiders who doesn't know what is going on. Well, I certainly thank Jesus I have let some of the murky water that has been bottled up inside me come out this noon, and also for Him explaining to me the reasons why I was so bothered with its murkiness. Turns out I had so many misconceptions about the murkiness which need to be cleared. However, for now, He tells me that these are the issues, just wait and we'll deal with it later. I'll tell you when the time is ripe. Just rest now.

Thus, I went to watch a movie. Again. Ok, thankfully I had watched the movie with God in the theatre (and some public), as this movie needs to be watched with God accompanying you fully throughout, as even though the teachings behind the story is biblical, it is quite harrowing. Plot-wise it is about a depressed man (Mel Gibson), whose depression has led to such intense frustration amongst his family members that his wife (Jodie Foster) is forced to ask him to leave. In his despair, he found a puppet beaver which he uses as a therapy tool of sorts to deal with his relationships with everyone around him, and he regains his confidence in life...initially.

Ok, I'm kind of thinking how best to reveal the biblical concepts without giving spoilers about the movie. I think the best way is to write the verses down and for those with the courage to pray and then go watch the movie, you'll definitely know which verses inspire the parts of the plot of the movie.

And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go to hell.
Matthew 5:30

If your hand or foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
Matthew 18: 8

If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better to enter life maimed than two hands into hell, where the fire never goes out.
Mark 9:43

Woah... Those teachings are very difficult to stomach leh... Definitely for me, as I know the things that are causing me to stumble cannot say cut then cut one. For me if can so literally cut off and throw away then it would be wonderful... Then how? Then how? This has been the point that has actually bothering me for the past 9 months. It then falls back to his teachings. If both He and you know this aspect bothering you in faith cannot be literally severed, then we can only pray and trust and then wait for his instruction to come. Don't go into panic mode with you feel you don't hear/see/feel/know anything. Aiya, easier said than done la. My past 9 months have been a horrible status anxiety constantly. Even now there is still residue and this blog is a form of prayer to Him for trust, patience, perserverance and peace... There is truth and wisdom to be found in His Word. However, being the creator of language and literature techniques, we must remember that God also uses this techniques in his teachings. Many of his famous teachings were in the form of parables. Those 3 verses quoted above seem very literal and straighforward when reading, but application is another matter altogether. The act of severing or cutting in those verses may actually mean another form of severing. At least for me, it means the severing of certain strongholds that the Evil One has on me, which sadly are not physical issues. Thus the pain and ardour of the process is of a different level. It is definitely traumatising. Today's round was only just an initial part of the severing. Darn painful really. Now the ultimate physician has told me, that's enough for today. Just go back and rest for now. When it is time for be it you, me or others to do anything, I Jesus Christ will instruct on how to proceed...

I'll just like to end up with a concept I extropolated from the movie, not sure whether it was part of the scriptwriter's intent. Sometimes, we see the four walls where we are in as enclosing us in a prison and we desperately want to break free. However, sometimes we yearn for those four walls us they symbolise room which God has specially allocated for us, to be protected forever safe from any fear and danger outside. Thus whenever we are at a lost of how to interpret something, pray to Him first to show how to read and analyse it.

We are often confused by some phrases. In the movie, it concludes with a graduation ceremony speech of a female character, saying that "everyone has been telling us a lie, "it is going to be alright"". Ok, the point at which the character says is valid, as she gones on to explain that even though everything may not be alright always, there is someone that is always there for us, watching over us. However an additional point I want to point out that, to turn the lie into an ultimate universal truth we just need to say "everything is going to be alright eventually". And this is also how the movie ends too... Praise God!

My Father's house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a room for you?
John 14:2