Saturday 26 April 2008

Thinking Faith - "Happy-go-lucky"

The Jesuit on-line journal Thinking Faith has a review of the film "Happy-go-lucky". It was a film I was considering going to see, but I was deterred by warnings about strong language. It is a Mike Leigh film, made in a kind of workshop manner with the actors.

The Thinking Faith review ends with the following paragraphs:

Look. What can Poppy really do with her beauty and her kindness and her sunny disposition? She can make things a little gentler for the unfortunates she meets, but can she really ever be happy herself? What does happiness mean for Poppy?

If she doesn’t know what a human being is for (and she doesn’t even know what sex is for, if she can drift into it so casually) can she ever tell what successful living is? If she doesn’t recognise a Designer can she ever see a plan? If only she knew about a Saviour and a Cross she could perhaps show sense for people – not by putting trolley wheels under their crosses, or even taking their crosses away, but by showing them why they carry them.

No one could ever have cured her driving instructor, I suppose, or the tramp. But if she had known, she could have made some sense for herself and even for them, helping them recognise their need of a Saviour, the dignity of their pathetic scars, and the possibility of loving God in pain and failure. For a Christian, Mike Leigh’s acute vision illustrates this.


I thought this was quite a useful observation, and suspect that its essential idea could be applied to other films, too.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Zero degrees-are you going to see it then or has your Spiritual adviser put you off?

Joe said...

Is that an invitation?

Anonymous said...

From zero.I think so -there are 2 options if it is too unsuitable
1) Leave the cinema and/or
2)Confession

Joe said...

3) Or there is a third option ...zzzz

Anonymous said...

zero degreees-I can't think what you mean!Also i should have said confession/dentist!
Seriously, at this late hour i have been reading some of the comments to your "musings" and thought how eloquently the lady wrote about caring for her disabled sons and how eloquent was your response.