Movies/Scenes
Representing
Acceptance
- A Beautiful
Mind (2001)
- When Nash & others tried to cure the disease of schizophrenia by using medications/shock treatments, the "genius" of Nash was also destroyed. (His genius really was in many ways a part of his illness, and was attractive. The delusions were positive responses at first, to needs in Nash's life. Later they "turned on him".) Instead, he learned to let the delusions live and just let them be - not entertain them but not try to get rid of them either. He accepted the good in them while resisting the ways that they represented and caused illness & evil.) Difficult tension for him but one that allowed him to be more whole than an attempt to destroy the delusions.
- Shrek (2001)
- Using the final scene of Shrek (the Princess is sad because she 'only wants oo be beautiful', and Shrek is confused because to him she 'is beautiful') - a link can be made to judging by appearances etc (cf Matt 23:25-28 and Gal 2:6 etc). Especially useful with children/young people. (Sharon Copestake, Kent, UK)
- Chocolat (2000)
- Pere Henri's (the young priest) Easter Sermon: ?I want to talk about Christ?s humanity, I mean how he lived his life on earth: his kindness, his tolerance. We must measure our goodness, not by what we don?t do, what we deny ourselves, what we resist, or who we exclude. Instead, we should measure ourselves by what we embrace, what we create, and who we include.? (Carla Thompson Powell, Livonia, MI)
- Erin Brockovich (2000)
- "Erin Brockovich" is essentially a film about empowerment. A mother of three children is unemployed and has no source of income. She decides that she has to find a job at all costs. In her work at a small law firm, she discovers that she has very little respect from the other employees. She comes to believe that the women of the firm are jealous of her physical attributes when she is asked to change to more appropriate work clothing. She dreams of one day having a job where she is respected for what she brings to her position. She dreams of being viewed as a person of integrity. As the story unfolds, Erin develops a friendship with her boss that only strengthens with time because of her hard work and determination to do a good job. He strongly affirms Erin with several votes of confidence. As Erin works on her case, she receives acceptance from her co-workers gradually and also from those whom she wants to sign the petition. She also is required to show some great courage when she receives some threats to her family. Her case in a small California town that is plagued by bad water requires endurance from her and from her children and boyfriend/neighbor. The film depicts a journey of self-discovery for Erin. She finds that there are many obstacles that she must overcome, including dealing with the tension of not being with her children as much as she would like when she is working on her project for the town. The tension between working and not working is a strong one for Erin, who does not have the benefits of child support for her three children. As she gains the trust of the town, a sense of community between these people develops. They begin to understand that all of their medical problems are interconnected and that by joining together as one community they have a greater chance of achieving their goals. At the end of the film, Erin shows great joy at her accomplishments as a person in the working world (not to give away the ending). (Valerie Lyson Humphreys, Independence MO)
- Beloved
(1998)
- The women from the community confront Sethe and drive out the demon by their prayers and their acceptance of Sethe as a courageous member of their community instead of as an ostracized one.
- The Spitfire Grill (1996)
- The Adventures of
Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
- Afraid of his son's rejection, Tick pretends to be something he's not. His son matter of factly accepts his father, and Tick is able to return home physically and internally.
- The Mask (1994)
- I've put together a program about the mask we wear based or the movie The Mask. We look at the reasons we wear "mask" and use scripture to see that God know us at our most basic level. The movie ends with Jim Carrey's character saying something like - if I throw it (the mask) away all that is left is me. Well, God know "you" and that is EXACTLY who God wants to have a personal relationship with. (Mark A. Sandlin, Westminster Presbyterian Church)
- Philadelphia (1993)
- In Philadelphia the lawyer played by Denzel Washington gradually changes from being homophobic to acceptance of Andrew and his community (Mike Clark, Hamilton, Canada)
- My Left Foot
(1989)
- After Christy writes "Mother" and proves his intelligence, his father carries him off to meet his friends at the pub. Christy later picks up his father's drinking habits. (DVD chapter 5)
- The Breakfast Club (1985)
- I would suggest "The Breakfast Club" for the acceptance theme, because the narrator ends the movie by saying that what they (students in a saturday detention) learned was that each of them had much more in common than they had realized. (Patti McCall)
- Rebel
Without a Cause
(1955)
- The friendship and mutual acceptance between Jim and Plato
