Traffic (2000)
- Information at Internet Movie Database
- Cinema in Focus, a social and spiritual commentary by Hal Conklin and Denny Wayman.
- Looking Closer, review by Jeffrey Overstreet, "searching for truth, beauty and meaning in the movies."
- "Traffic and Disrupting the Routine," Steve Lansingh, TheFilmForum: Christian Conversation about the Movies.
- Hollywood Jesus visual review.
- Review, Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality & Health - Spiritual Practices for Human Being.
- Themes
- Grace, Salvation
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Robert Wakefield (Michael Douglas), a prominent federal judge, is appointed to serve as the national Drug Czar to combat drug trafficking. He is both angered and politically embarrassed when he realizes that his prep school daughter, Caroline (Erika Christensen), has fallen into the drug culture with the encouragement of her wealthy classmates. Father and daughter become alienated after repeated confrontations. She leaves home and becomes so overwhelmed by drugs that she becomes a ghetto prostitute. And then, the father realizes that his love for his daughter is greater than his anger. He descends into hell/the ghetto to seek and save his daughter even though she is so wasted that she can no longer call for help. He finds her room, throws out her latest customer and then, with a broken heart, embraces his glassy eyed daughter and weeps over her. At the end of the movie, we see father and daughter reconciled and attending a narcotics anonymous meeting together. This is a wonderful depiction of the truths of Ephesians 2:1-6 "and as for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins...gratifying the cravings of [your] sinful nature...But, because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions..." The key point here is grace is most clearly appreciated when the initiative is seen as coming from the savior. (Duncan Maysilles)
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- Grace, Salvation