.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
_edited.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
.png){kind=small}
PURPOSE ON THE SILVER SCREEN | KAIROS GLOBAL | MAY 2023
- smithask2009
- 1 hour ago
- 10 min read
Author: Noel Benno
Intro: Films have the power to inspire us to live purposefully and pursue lives of meaning. Noel Benno writes of some such films.
A life of purpose is foundational to living life to its fullness, becoming most fully ourselves, and reaching our true potential. A sense of purpose not only puts our life in perspective but also brings closer our pursuit of meaning in life, love of God as well. Recalling the famous quote of St Catherine of Sienna Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire. Here are a few movies that might help us develop a sense of purpose, and in the process move closer to God.
Good Will Hunting (1997)
Award-winning movie Good Will Hunting tells the compelling story of a remarkably brilliant young man Will Hunting with a troubled past. The timeless plot of the movie transmits a positive, optimistic and overcoming message and is a powerful tale of realising your potential.
Will (Matt Damon), who grew up as an abused foster child in tough South Boston, works as a janitor at MIT. When he solves complicated maths problems meant for the students, a professor searches for him, only to find that he's in jail for hitting a policeman. The story evolves as the professor puts Will in touch with his friend Sean (Robin Williams), who is also the survivor of a tough upbringing and is still struggling with his own loss. Even though the message could be boring given its predictability, it’s in fact effective in how the story unfolds. The language is a bit disturbing — if you can get past that, then this is a powerful film on the importance of friendship, the power of hope and goals in life.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
The Pursuit of Happyness is the inspiring true-life story of Chris Gardner’s (Will Smith) pursuit of not one, but two dreams: financial success and to end the cycle in his family of the absentee father. With high hopes, he invests his life savings buying bone density scanners for industry sale only to find them an unnecessary expense.
At the onset itself, we see Chris discontent with his current lot in life, he even feels responsible for some of the bad decisions in his family’s past. There is a nice parallel between Chris’ carrying of the bone density scanners and Pilgrim’s burden in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. Through the course of the movie, his personal life starts to crumble and the father-son duo find themselves homeless. They spend their nights sleeping in shelters, buses, and at the lowest point, a public restroom. Through it all, the relationship between father and son is strengthened, sweetened and even in the middle of their circumstances full of love and trust.
The movie not only shows that it is possible to achieve your dreams through hard work, it also shows that we can build strong families through commitment, love and trust, regardless of situations. While the movie has an uplifting ‘work hard and anything is possible’ message, the deeper theme is that of Chris’ commitment to lift his son and himself out of poverty. A gripping tale of grit, this movie will leave the audience inspired to live and work towards goals bigger than themselves.
Soul (2020)
The Oscar-nominated movie Soul by Pixar tackles passion, purpose and the meaning of life in a very interesting way. The plot of the movie focuses on a music teacher named Joe who is obsessed with playing jazz. Due to a series of rejections, Joe finds himself wasting much of his time preoccupied with a dream that won’t likely be realised. More importantly, he ignores much of what life has to offer, including the little wonders of everyday life like a glorious sunset or the upward rush of air from the subway tunnel. Joe often states ‘I’m just afraid that if I die today, my life would have amounted to nothing’. The idea of your ‘purpose’ in life is brought up a lot. On a day of importance in his life, Joe falls through a manhole and dies while rushing back to his apartment. He falls into the ‘Great Before’, where baby souls are given their personality – they are born on Earth after receiving all of their personality traits. Joe’s journey with another ‘soul’ brings to the viewer perspectives on ambition, purpose, career, and life in general.
The movie serves as a reminder that life’s meaning goes beyond personal ambition. From the time children are young we ask what they want to be when they grow up – we are led to think our purpose is tied to only our careers. But Soul looks at things differently. Humans may not have predetermined paths and one may not have a big objective that needs to be achieved. Life is about finding your spark, or moments of sparks. You don’t necessarily have to have a job that completely fulfills you, the perfect apartment or house, the perfect life. Rather the movie shares the message that you should focus on those moments where life truly feels like it is worth living.
The perfectly executed plot shows just how intricate the human experience is, how relatable our struggles are no matter who you are, and how important it is to appreciate the moments that life gives us. The story emphasises that one shouldn’t waste your life by becoming a lost soul, someone who’s obsessed with something that disconnects you from life.
Forrest Gump (1994)
Multiple Academy award-winning movie Forrest Gump stars Tom Hanks in title role, a low-witted, low IQ guy, who goes on to become a college football star. The plot revolves around Forrest’s life as he enlists in the US Army, goes to Vietnam, saves many of his platoon during an ambush, discovers a talent for ping-pong, becomes a celebrity, and later on builds a successful shrimping business.
The plot brings forth the idea of ‘growth mindset’ as Forrest goes through different stages of life – from being crippled to receiving the US Army’s Medal of Honor and further becoming a single parent. The main character's commitment to finding success despite multiple failures shines light into the passion with which he engages everything. Neither he nor his mother or his friends could predict how his future would pan out. Forrest’s life shows that a person’s true potential is unknown and that with consistent effort and training, we can accomplish even unimaginable things.
The movie succeeds in establishing that intelligence or talent need not necessarily be the best indicator of future success. Instead, grit and a combination of passion and perseverance serve as the precursor to success through the story.
Swades (2004)
One of the classics of the modern Bollywood era, Swades is undoubtedly one with a cult following. Mohan (Shah Rukh Khan), an Indian expat working for NASA travels to India after many years in search of his nanny from childhood, Kaveri Amma. During his time in the country, he immerses himself in the village experience and is often taken by surprise about its state of affairs. The story progresses as Mohan spends time living in the village with Kaveri Amma and others, working closely them in bringing about small changes and improving the life of the villagers. Though fairly predictable, the movie offers a fresh take on contributing to a cause larger than oneself.
In one of the most celebrated scenes, Mohan symbolically questions the caste divides in the village through a song with the children. He also shares a lesson that people need to develop scientific temper and be curious to further the cause of development. However, the most transformative scene would be the one where Mohan, while on a train journey buys a glass of water from a kid for 25 paisa. It turns out to be a moment of great reflection for himself, is moved and his transformation becomes complete once he gulps down that water.
Though the movie has undertones of patriotism embedded, the message of humanity and understanding one's higher calling is profound throughout the reel. Viewers who have experienced rural India will be able to relate to the scenes and will undoubtedly be moved by the characters' transformative journey into which the movie invites us as well. Starting a journey of purpose inevitably calls for transformation from within, re-prioritisation of a handful of things in life, and commitment to push through despite the odds. Swades beautifully captures all three of them in that order, which is probably why it is celebrated even today.
Shawshank Redemption (1994)
The story is narrated by Red Redding (Morgan Freeman), who has been inside the walls of Shawshank Prison for a very long time. This is not a ‘prison drama’ in any conventional sense of the word. The word ‘redemption’ is in the title for a reason.
The protagonist Andy Dufresne (Tony Robbins) is a banker. To make matters worse, he isn’t fun and aspirational. In fact, he’s cold and lacks empathy (which also leads the jury to wrongfully convict him for his wife’s murder). Despite the setbacks, Andy holds within him such a powerful reservoir of determination and strength that nothing seems to break him. Red on the other hand has been around for decades and can no longer really envision life on the outside. The partnership between these characters is crucial to the way the story unfolds.
The story is set in a prison, an establishment most of us have never set foot in. But despite the dullness of a prison system pulling it back, the movie progresses slowly and successfully finds its way towards redemption.
There is a lot of life and humour in the movie, and warmth in the friendship that builds up between Andy and Red. There are glimpses of excitement and tension as well. But mostly the film is an allegory about holding onto a sense of personal worth, despite everything around we call circumstance. So, no wonder this movie satisfies all the needs of different audiences from around the world. It has been successful in providing moments of joy and laughter to millions and will continue to do so for future generations.
The Help (2011)
Based on a bestselling novel by Kathryn Stockett, The Help is the story of a group of African-American maids in the 1960s who decide to speak out against the racism and discrimination they face on a daily basis. The plot is set in Mississippi, in 1963, a place where African-American maids work in the homes of white women — cleaning, cooking, and raising the children. Most of them are treated shamefully, are forced to listen to nasty comments on their failings and derogatory remarks about their race, including charges that ‘coloured people’ carry disease. What is forgotten is the patience, loyalty, and tender loving care the maids give to the often neglected children of their employers.
Eugenia Skeeter (Emma Stone) the lead character, is a rebel in the circle of Southern women she grew up with, despite being a member of the elite clubs in the community. Having always wanted to be a journalist, she eventually lands a job at a local newspaper. When Skeeter learns that her mother may have fired the maid who ushered her through childhood and into womanhood, she comes up with the idea of writing a book revealing the plight of African-American maids and the humiliations they must endure on the job. She plans to secretly interview maids about what it is like to work for white women. Despite the risks, they go public with their stories, which inspires other African-Americans to do the same. This ultimately leads to positive changes in the way that African-Americans are treated in society.
As one progresses through the movie, we will care for all these characters. We will worry with them, laugh with them, and, best of all, celebrate with them. This film is a powerful reminder that we should always stand up for what we believe in, even if it means facing risks. When we speak out against injustice, we can inspire others to do the same and ultimately make positive changes in the world.
Oftentimes, purpose in life comes in the shape of fighting injustice in the larger societal fabric that we live in. As Blessed Paul VI said ‘If you want peace, work for justice’. It is an invitation which embraces the difficulties of practising justice, as well as calling everyone who follows Christ to be torchbearers of social justice.
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Based on true incidents that happened in California in 1993, the movie Erin Brockovich stars Julia Roberts playing the lead, an unemployed single mother of three trying to make ends meet. She goes on to garner a clerical job at a law firm and the movie shifts gears when a pro bono real estate case file comes across her desk. Her great cause – and the movie's plot – lies in her discovery that a huge corporation's negligent pollution of a small town has resulted in an array of cancers and illnesses amongst the locals. Erin's efforts uncover hundreds of potential victims of Pacific Gas & Electric's illegal dumping policy, and the information she puts together is convincing enough for the law firm to pursue the case.
The movie's suspense does not arise from the likelihood that someone will do something to harm her or her family, but from the question of whether someone in Erin’s capacity can succeed in today's legal world against a billion dollar corporation. This is the story of someone on the moral high ground fighting for what’s right in a legal arena that too often favours those with money to burn.
What makes this film interesting is its sense of balance. The story does not neglect Erin’s personal life either, with decent focus on how her relationship is strained and her being away from the children for long periods of time. The storyline shows how her growing obsession with the case – something that is finally earning her respect – forces her to sacrifice important moments with her children. She also becomes deeply, emotionally involved in the plight of the people of Hinkley, California, learning the names, phone numbers, and case histories of more than 600 people by heart.
As one would guess, Erin and the firm win the legal battle and bring relief to all the families affected by the contamination. The $333 million financial remuneration was the biggest settlement ever paid in a direct-action lawsuit in US history. Once the movie was out, the real Erin Brockovich told media that the movie was 98% accurate and that makes the movie even more interesting to watch. Through her tale of sheer grit, and commitment to a cause, Erin is someone who can inspire us all!
Noel is a technology strategy consultant with Deloitte. He is also one of the purpose ambassadors at the firm and lives in Thrissur, India with his wife Minu Santhosh and son Philip.
***
Images you could use :
Good Will Hunting : https://www.miramax.com/assets/726_GoodWillHunting_Catalog_Poster-BB_v2_Approved.png
The Pursuit of Happyness
Soul
Forrest Gump
Swades
Shawshank Redemption
The Help
Comments