FAITH REVIEW OF FILM Frank Cunningham FILM TITLE Life as a House

YEAR USA Release – November 9, 2001 DIRECTOR(S) : Also the producer of this movie, Winkler is a noted writer, director and producer. Beginning in 1967, he has produced over 50 movies including Rocky I, II, III, IV and V. His directorial debut was in 1991 with the film “.” He has directed 7 films including “At First Sight” and “Home of the Brave”. His writing credits list 2 movies and a TV series. He wrote “Guilty by Suspicion” and “Home of the Brave” as well as the TV series “The Net.”

ORIGINAL RELEASE FORM / Released in theatres in the US in November 2001. Theatrical releases were VENUE staggered in 25 foreign countries from November 2001 to May 2004.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE DVD, VHS, DVD (Spanish w. Subtitles), Online as Video on Demand, CD Audio FORMATS (soundtrack)

GENRE Drama / Family Drama

STORY ELEMENTS  PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS: George Monroe played by Kevin Kline Sam Monroe, son of George, played by Hayden Christensen Robin Kimball, ex-wife of George, played by Kristin Scott Thomas Alyssa Beck, daughter of Colleen, played by Jena Malone Colleen Beck, divorced next door neighbor played by Mary Steenburgen

 ATMOSPHERE: The backdrop of the movie is life in ruin. George’s marriage is busted. His son is out of control, heading in the wrong directions and detached from him and family. He has lost his job. He is surrounded in dysfunction from his ex-wife’s estrangement from her current husband, neighbor Beck a divorcee who is caught sleeping with her daughter’s boyfriend, to the ritzy neighbors complaining of the eyesore of his old house. The house he and his wife originally lived in is in ruin. And now he’s dying of cancer. A conversation note: How might “House” as the source of the title be considered a metaphor for George’s “life”? Is the house a character in the film?

 CENTRAL THEMES: This is a thematic movie with multiple themes interwoven throughout. An analysis of these themes is detailed in the “Theological themes for conversation” section below.

FILM LANGUAGE The single most significant element is the prop of the ruin of a house located on ELEMENTS the tip of a high bluff overlooking the beauty of the ocean. The tearing down of the old and starting again with new is a wonderful element played out in the destruction by hand of the structure down to its foundation and floor trusses and the rebuilding of a “puzzle” house – a house built by using a cabinet-making technique of interlocking pieces from mortar and tendon joinery.

AUDIENCE / CULTURAL The intended viewers are adults who through the eyes of the actors see aspects of CONTEXT ELEMENTS their lives and their brokenness. While the language, drug references and sexual suggestiveness would make this inappropriate for younger viewers, it is an excellent film (with permission slips signed) for 9th grade and higher. The recommended audiences include: Adult, young adult, high school.

There are different conversations that can be held by different groups.  TEENS: BROKENNESS: “As you watch this, keep an eye out for these elements: 1) Who or what is broken? 2) How is it broken? Play segment from 00:05:46 (Beginning of “Father Figures” Chapter) to 18:00:00 (Concludes with Kline falling to ground)  TEENS: Chapter 13-“Killing Dad”: Play the first 5 minutes of the chapter and pose the questions: 1: “What has or could lead to disaster?” 2) “Who did or is doing it?” 3) “Who’s alone?”  TEENS (?) / ADULTS: Chapter 17 “A Problem With Cancer” play 5 minute segment. Stop film when Sam starts to go up the stairs to speak to Allysa. (1:41:46). 1) Who is involved in change? 2) What in their world is changing?  ADULTS: BROKENNESS: 00:00:00 to 00:06:48 – Introduces characters in all of their brokenness. Questions: “Watch for brokenness.” 1) Who or what is broken? 2) How is it broken? Warning: the opening scenes contain some of the reasons this film is rated “R”.  ADULTS: WHOLE MOVIE: 1) Where or what are the dysfunctions in this movie? 2) Who is making it and how is atonement at work? 3) Pick a character and describe what life was for them and meant to them before and after the house was built. 4) How is George Monroe a Christ figure in this movie? 5) Who are the characters who are alone? 6) How are they alone? 7) What are some of the metaphors that the house illustrates of the lives of the characters?

THEOLOGY IS FOUND Theology is indirect but strongly presented. Examples include George Monroe is a reborn Christ figure whose death gives life to those around him. THEOLOGICAL THEMES  BROKENNESS, SIN , BEING ALONE OR SEPARATED : The themes emerging in FOR CONVERSATION the movie are the wrong decisions and directions taken resulting in the ruin of life.  ATONEMENT: Atoning works are found in father rebuilding son, rebuilding relationships with son, ex-wife and great families, neighbor’s atonement for sin committed against her daughter, ex-wife’s husband who atones through helping to build the house.

 ABUSE: Drugs, physical, sexual abuses are presented as some of the dysfunctions. These are part of the dysfunctional world we live in.

 CHANGE: How does change affect our lives and faith? How do we deal with change that causes us to seek God’s guiding grace?

 CHRIST: George Monroe is a reborn Christ figure. He suffers, dies, and his family and community are resurrected.

 TOGETHER, FAMILY, ONENESS: From dysfunctional to fully functioning, we watch families fall apart as the house falls apart. And we watch families rebuild into stronger more loving and caring units as the house is being rebuilt. This builds on a theme of moving in directions for purpose.

 AGAPE LOVE: Love and feeling develops. Everyone gets a hug. Everyone gets touched.

SUGGESTED TYPE OF This is film as illustration of the theological theme. Through the eyes of the CONVERSATION characters in this movie, we see the brokenness in our lives and the atonement available for all.

RECOMMENDED WA YS TO View parts (minors/adults) or whole movie (adults) and then hold conversations. VIEW AND ENGAGE THE FILM Viewing parts is required for minors and recommended due to the mature themes and on screen representations. However, when viewed in full by an adult audience, it does offer a powerful message.

CONCLUDING OR Rated R for Drug s, Sexuali ty, Brief Nudity and Language SUMMARY REMARKS Added Information and Trivia: • The morning sunrise scenes were “goofs” made on purpose to reflect the newness and beauty of each day. A sun/ocean scene in California is actually a sunset and not a sunrise. • The home movie of George and Sam as a small child riding in the ocean is a real-life home movie of Kevin Kline and his son Owen on a family vacation. • When Hayden Christensen was filming the scene in which Sam finds out that George is dying, he improvised punching the wall with his fist. In doing so, he broke his hand. When shooting resumed, the wall was replaced with a prop wall so Hayden wouldn't hurt himself again.

Great Quotes: • Sometimes change can be so constant you don't even feel a difference until there is one. It can be so slow that you don't even know that your life is better or worse until it is. Or it can just blow you away and make you something different in an instant. (Kevin Kline)

• I always thought of myself as a hut. I was always what I lived in. It didn’t need to be big. It didn’t even need to be beautiful. It just needed to be mine. I became what I was meant to be, I built myself a life, I built myself a house. 29 years ago my father crossed a double line. Changed my life and the life of a little girl forever for that mistake. I just can’t stop thinking about her. With every crash of every wave, I hear something now, I never listened before. I’m on the edge of a cliff, Listening! Almost finished. If you were a house Sam, This is where you would want to be built. On rock facing the sea. Listening! Listening! (Kevin Kline)