Holly Hartsoe Frisk 4/4/2010 Theology and Film Film Title: The Blind Side Year: November 2009 Director: John Lee Hancock Original release form/venue: Originally released to movie theaters November 20 th , 2009 in the U.S. Available formats : New Release so may be somewhat difficult to find right now but can be found mostly anywhere (pay-per-view, stores, netflix, redbox, etc); readily available on DVD/Bluray Genre: Drama/Biography Story Elements: Characters : Michael Oher, the Tuohy family (Leigh Anne, Sean, Lily and S.J.), Miss Sue (Michael’s tutor) Actors: Sandra Bullock (Leigh Anne Tuohy), Tim McGraw (Sean Tuohy), Quinton Aaron (Michael Oher), Jae Head (S. J. Tuohy), Lily Collins (Collins Tuohy), Kathy Bates Plot: This movie is based on the true story of Michael Oher, who was a homeless African- American teenager with a drug-addicted mother and no father. Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy pick Michael up as he is walking down the street in the cold at dark the night before Thanksgiving. He spends the night at the Tuohy residence and the next morning begins to leave, but Mrs. Tuohy catches him and invites him to celebrate Thanksgiving with their family. Afterwards, Michael becomes somewhat a part of the family and eventually Leigh Anne decides to adopt him and make him a true member of the family. He begins to play football at school and becomes a star member of the football team after Mrs. Tuohy helps his coach learn how to coach him. With the help of a tutor, Miss Sue, Michael’s grades are good enough to play football and even be eligible to play NCAA Division I football. Central themes: Family, poverty, servanthood, inclusiveness, football, overcoming, acceptance Film Language Elements: Setting: Early 2000s Props: Football and everything that surrounds it—especially Ole’ Miss. Costumes: Michael’s clothing from the beginning accents his situation—homeless with only one change of clothes. The Tuohy’s clothing, especially Leigh Anne’s, also portrays their wealth. Music: Sets the mood when moving from scene-to-scene. Matches tense moods at certain times and highlights the caring attitude of the Tuohy family. Audience/Cultural Context elements: This movie could be intended to reach various groups of people. It would probably be a beneficial movie for those of financial situations like the Tuohy family to watch. It may open some peoples’ eyes or at least influence and inspire others to reach out to their communities. The movie may also help some teenagers with similar situations as Michael Oher to keep going, never give up and try their hardest/do their best at whatever they do. I would say this movie is ok for most age groups, although there are a few scenes that would be questionable for younger audiences. Because of the content, I believe I would recommend it for middle school ages and up. Theology is Found: I do not believe theology is intentionally and directly placed in the movie, but I do believe the theology is clearly there just from the context and the content of the story itself. I believe theologically, the theme of servanthood is embraced within the film, but it is just a product of the whole story. Theological themes for conversation: I think the theme that stands out most is that of servanthood/outreach, but I also believe conversations can emerge from the lifestyles lived in the film. A group could easily talk about sin and how the mistakes of one person can lead to a terrible life for another… yet, the good decisions of one person can change someone’s life for the better as well. Suggested use of film: I would use this film as an illustration of the theological theme of servanthood/outreach. Recommended amount/parts of film to view, and ways to view it: I have come to realize that it is really difficult to take some films out of context and still get the same effects from it. In this film, it would be possible to take certain scenes and put them together in such a way as to illustrate a theme, but I believe watching the entire film really brings everything together. I would recommend watching part of the movie, stopping it for conversation to see what ideas emerge then finish by completing the movie and having another conversation at the end. Concluding or Summary remarks: Because this movie was set so recently and the character around which the story is centered is currently a player for an NFL team, it would be a great film for a group of teenagers to watch. Frisk, 2 Questions for Theological Conversation Film Title: The Blind Side Central Theological Conversation Questions: 1. Name some characters in the movie who reached out to others. 2. Why do you think these people reached out to those in need? 3. What does it feel like to be helped by someone? 4. Can you think of a time when you have reached out to someone? 5. How does it feel to help someone else? 6. Is there a story in the Bible where someone helps someone in need? 7. Why do you think God wants us to help others? 8. Why is it so hard for us to help others sometimes? 9. What can we learn from the Touhy family about helping others? 10. Name one way in which you could try to help someone. Audience/learners for this conversation: I would use this film as the beginning to a “Weekend Outreach Retreat” for a church youth group. This film could be shown on a Friday night with discussion, and then Saturday could be a day for outreach at a local soup kitchen, homeless shelter or food bank. On Saturday afternoon, the group could meet back together again to discuss what they had seen and experienced so far. This film is a particularly good film for showing to impressionable audiences, such as a group of teenagers. Amount of film to be used in the theological conversation: The group would view the entire film together. When, in a session or series, you would use the film: This film would be used as the beginning to a weekend outreach retreat. Before the film, the group would briefly go through the questions, then the group would watch the film, and after watching the film, the group would be broken down into smaller groups of 3-5 (or 7-10 if a really big group) for conversation. Goal of the film conversation: Mainly, my hope would be that teenagers begin thinking about what they can do at a young age to help others. Sometimes it is hard for teenagers to grasp taking on a project, because they may feel like their age prevents them from doing certain things. This would be a way to introduce the teenagers to the theme of outreach, and the next day they would experience a way that they can actually do outreach within their community. Frisk, 3 How to engage/focus on the film: For this particular viewing, I would recommend giving the questions to the group before watching the film. I would have an adult go through each question and make sure each participant would have a copy of the questions in front of them. I would also provide a blank sheet of paper in case the participants happened to notice something they wanted to discuss later within their conversations. Theological Conversation partners for the film: Luke 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan Defining "Neighbor" (The Message) 25 Just then a religion scholar stood up with a question to test Jesus. "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?" 26 He answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?" 27 He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself." 28 "Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live." 29 Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?" 30-32 Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man. 33-35 "A Samaritan traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.' 36 "What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?" 37 "The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded. Jesus said, "Go and do the same." How the “partners” might be brought into conversation with one another: Note for Teacher/Leaders: First, you want group participants to be able to talk to each other and trust one another, so if you know the group can handle this and still have good conversation, let them split up into smaller groups on their own after the movie.