The Diving Bell and The Butterfly

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly is a 2007 film based on the memoir of the same name by Jean-Dominique Bauby. The film depicts Bauby’s life after suffering a massive stroke at the age of 43,^[1] which left him with a condition known as locked-in syndrome. The condition paralyzed him, with the exception of his left eyelid, so that he could only communicate by blinking. The film was directed by Julian Schnabel, written by Ronald Harwood and stars Mathieu Amalric as Bauby. It won awards at the Cannes Film Festival, the Golden Globes and the BAFTA Awards, as well as four Academy Award nominations. (wikipedia)

I was fortunate enough to see this in a theater up in Madison, Wisconsin on back on Saint Patrick’s day this year. It’s recently been released to rent. The theater was the perfect accompaniment too, for it was a restored 1920’s downtown theater with all original velvet seats, baroque woodwork, and gorgeous ornamented walls.

a powerful story. I’m looking forward to when I get to see it again. I also plan on reading the book sometime this year.

Renewal

http://www.renewalproject.net/film

The documentary RENEWAL…

hopeful, encouraging, challenging…

Here is a review on it written in the Boston Globe: http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2008/02/21/renewal_spreads_the_environmental_gospel/

thanks to Bryan, the marathon runner, McCarty for having me over tonight to watch it together. It is truly beautiful how people from a variety of “religions” and different backgrounds can be connected by their respect for the earth and all the elements. I think that our faith ought to be and is holistic, that is, spreading and covering every aspect and element of life, every living creation, the whole of man (mind, body, soul, spirit). To me, the lines and separations between our communion with God, with His creation nature, and with other people can all blur together. When one is truly loving oneself, is one really loving God? When one is caring for their neighbor and providing for their immediate needs, aren’t they truly serving and feeding God?

*matthew 25:31-46

*romans 11:36 “for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. to Him be the glory forever. Amen.”

When one is taking simple, deliberate steps to living a healthier lifestyle not only for themselves, but for their community, and eventually, for the entire world, aren’t they truly loving God?

*psalm 24

when one takes the hand of another, no matter their religious beliefs or ethnic background, and shares the desire and compassion to care for this beautiful creation that God has given us to care for…isn’t this one act of worship? one act of coming together in community, with a banner?

Into Great Silence

Last night, a small group of people and I watched INTO GREAT SILENCE (http://www.zeitgeistfilms.com/film.php?directoryname=intogreatsilence). It is a documentary filming the everyday lives of the Carthusian monks of the Grande Chartreuse, high in a remote corner of the French Alps (Chartreuse Mountains). The film was made 16 years after the director first requested permission to make it. Then he lived at the monastery for six months, and filmed all alone, behind the walls no ‘outsider’ had ever been allowed to enter before. It had me glued and focused with squinted eyes the entire time. If you’re interested in the monastic life at all, this is good to see, even with it’s longer view time of 162 minutes. I rented it from Netflix. I don’t know, but I doubt any local movie rental stores hold it, but they may.

In viewing the film, I felt as if I was there, in their purity and silence. The lack of any “background” music or laid over narration encouraged this. It brings the viewer into the monastery without actually being there. I felt like I truly experienced their way. It left me with many, many thoughts and questions and ideas, especially since I’m very interested and keen on the monastic life. Ever Order is unique and different. These monks are unique and particularly different, for instance, from Buddhist monks, and that is a very general, broad statement.

Watching this film is like taking a time of solitude to be in prayer and sit in meditation. It’s like giving a few hours to sitting in the woods with your senses attuned to every sound and movement that surrounds you. One becomes observant and respectful of his/her surroundings.

welcome

After I finish a book, whether I am glad I read it or not, my first desire and reaction is wanting to discuss it and to search through the thoughts, discoveries, and ideas that were born from and by reading the book. I believe powerful connections can be made and massive spontaneous learning can occur when this is done with others, on an open table, an open mind, open hands…

I have this same desire after I experience a film.

There are websites that provide an arena for this (www.goodreads.com). But I was thinking, is there a blog that provides room to share different films that we’re seeing and that tickle our fancy and get us scratching our heads and fill us with a loving energy that wants to get up and change the world.

This blog is for that discussion and sharing of films to happen.

new or old. any genre. any length. if you liked it and want to share it, do it here, and tell us why.

-steven