"How do we inspire ourselves to greatness when nothing less will do?"

Invictus

By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

On Tuesday night I watched Invictus for the first time. Something tells me it won’t be the last time.

Invictus is about Nelson Mandela and rugby. Ok, maybe it’s a little more in-depth than that, but I’m not sure I’m qualified to put into words exactly what is at the heart of this film; only that it has tremendous heart and rings all the more true given that it is based on real events.

Lately I’ve been challenging myself to look beyond the mere quality of a film and instead try to find those truths that God speaks through the film. I’ve always believed that God’s truth exists everywhere; we just have to look for it. This can be said of all man’s accomplishments (and failures) but seems to be most prevalent in the arts: music, film, paintings, sculptures and poetry, to name a few. I think this is because of the creative nature of the arts. If God is the God of all creation, then it shouldn’t surprise us when His truths are revealed in our own creations.

"Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon."

Having said all that, I’m not sure I can pin down the truths revealed in Invictus or do it justice with my simple words. But I’ll do my best.

At one point in the film, Matt Damon’s character, Francois Pienaar, is touring the prison cell where Nelson Mandela (portrayed perfectly by Morgan Freeman) was held for 25 years. As he tries to put himself in Mandela’s shoes we hear Freeman’s voice recite the poem ‘Invictus’. This is a poem, and similarly a film, about soul. And not just any soul, but an unconquerable soul.

"I was thinking about how you spend 30 years in a tiny cell, and come out ready to forgive the people who put you there."

Two of God’s greatest gifts to us are our soul and the freedom to choose what we do with it; the freedom to choose our own path. He offers guidance, help, forgiveness, even eternal life, but ultimately we are the masters of our own fate; we are the captains of our souls. I think it is the combination of our ability to direct our own destiny and God’s willingness to help guide us, should we choose to allow Him to do so, that makes the soul of man unconquerable.

The poem speaks this truth much more eloquently that I am able to convey here. In the film it is demonstrated through Mandela’s attempts to forgive his accusers and bring together a divided nation. It is demonstrated through Francois’ determination to exceed everyone’s expectations and achieve something great. Despite being “simply” about Nelson Mandela and rugby, Invictus manages to reveal God’s truth. That with His help, in the face of grief, sorrow, pain and struggling, the challenge of life finds, and shall find, us unafraid.

3 Movie Challenge

A great, new friend recently posted on his blog a series of questions from a friend of his. The idea is to pick your top 3 favourite films and then answer a couple of thought-provoking questions about those picks. (You can check out the original post here.)

The movie-obsessed-geek in me was instantly intrigued and excited about taking on this 3-movie challenge. And what a challenge it has been. If you know me at all, or have seen my movie collection, then you have an idea of how monumentally difficult this was for me. Pick only 3?!? Impossible.

On my first attempt I was able to narrow it down to my top 48 favourite movies. Not a promising start. After agonising over it for many days (seriously, ask my wife) I think I have finally decided on my top 3. Though I still think picking only 3 favourite movies is, for me, like picking the 3 most important parts of the space shuttle; they’re all pretty important.

Ultimately I had to narrow the field down by asking myself which films I would miss the most if I could never watch them again. That, for me, helped define which were my favourites as opposed to those which I thought were just really good movies.

At any rate, here are the questions and my answers:

What are your three favourite movies?

In no particular order, here are the 3 I managed to come up with:

1) The Count of Monte Cristo
2) The Shawshank Redemption
3) The Empire Strikes Back



What is the common thematic thread running through each of these choices?

Answering this question wasn’t much easier than the first, though I did have some awesome help from Shauna. More on that in a moment. I was first struck by the fact that my first two picks involve wrongful imprisonment. The third does too if you count Han Solo being encased in carbonite and shipped off to Jabba’s palace. Though technically Han was smuggling illegal goods and did have to dump Jabba’s cargo when an Imperial cruiser came snooping. So in a way his imprisonment wasn’t completely wrongful. I’m sure Leia and Chewie would argue with that logic.

But I digress. (Sorry, my geek is showing.)

Anyway, wrongful imprisonment aside, I tried to think of any other common themes running through each of these films. This is where Shauna’s insight really helped. Her first impression was that each main character (Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, Edmond Dantes in The Count of Monte Cristo and Luke Skywalker in The Empire Strikes Back) went through a period of learning and tutelage under a mentor. Andy learns from Red how to exist within the prison system. Edmond learns a number of disciplines, including reading, writing, economics and fencing, from Abbe Faria. And, as we all know, Luke learns the ways of the Jedi from Master Yoda. I disagreed only slightly in that Andy seems to already have a wealth of knowledge and he seems to be the one who ends up teaching the other inmates lessons in art, music, taxes, persistence and most importantly, hope.


Finally, Shauna came to the conclusion that the common theme in all three films is that of self-discovery. Each main character goes through a trial or series of trials that teaches them who they really are. They each find a purpose for their lives, either as a result of their situations or as a result of their decisions, good or bad. It is actually Red who discovers that hope is what drives him and ultimately finds his own destiny with Andy outside the walls of Shawshank. Edmond confronts his oppressors and while driven by revenge he ultimately learns that God’s grace is the only thing that can bring true peace to his life. And Luke chooses to abandon his training and confront Darth Vader, which ultimately starts him down the path to discovering his true identity and destiny.

Shauna also alluded to another common thread that ties in with the theme of self-discovery. Each character has their lives and relationships completely torn apart and they find themselves thrown into a new world. Andy and Red are both cut off from family and the world inside the walls of Shawshank Prison. Edmond is similarly thrown in prison, separated from his fiancée and father. And in Empire we find Luke already trying to come to terms with the loss of Obi-Wan Kenobi (not to mention his Aunt and Uncle) and his new role in the Rebellion as a Jedi.


Each finds themselves separated, in some way, from the life they knew. Each must endure the tests, challenges and confrontations that their new lives bring about. And ultimately each learns their true destiny and true identity.

What does this say about you?

I identify with film characters who are struggling to find their place and discover who they really are. No, I have never been in prison. No, I have never found a secret treasure which I then used to exact revenge on my numerous enemies. And no, sadly, I have never been summoned to Dagobah to learn the ways of the Force (I wish!).

I think I can identify with these characters because I have spent a great deal of my own life struggling to discover who I am and what my place is in this world. Specifically as a man, husband and one day, father. I did not have many positive male role models when I was growing up. I have had to discover what it means to be a good husband on my own; gathering small bits of insight from men outside my family. And some day I will have to discover what it means to be a father on my own, again drawing only from the observations I can make from other people’s fathers. For better or worse, these struggles and losses in my life have ultimately defined a large part of who I am.


When I think of the main themes of each of these movies, I cannot help but smile and look to my heavenly Father, who has shown His truth through these characters. Andy reminds us that “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.” Edmond learns to put aside his revenge, finds peace with himself and God, and discovers that even when he no longer believed in God, God still believes in him. And Luke discovers that no matter how terrible the past might be, no matter how grim the current situation appears, there is always a chance for redemption and reconciliation, and for good to triumph over evil.

Amen to that.