Christian Film Discussion: The Ultimate Group Guide
Christian Films: Discussing Films as a Group
Discussing films can feel like a daunting task if you’ve never done it before—although it definitely doesn’t have to be. If you’re thinking about holding a film discussion group, either in person or remotely, you might be asking these very valid questions:
· How do you discuss a film?
· Which one should we watch and discuss?
· What makes a film good or bad?
To make things easier, we at Called Higher Studios have provided this overview of how to discuss films as a group, whether that means friends and family, or your church. This can be with a group of adults, or also with children. (Here, you might enjoy our vision of what process you went through before deciding to hold this film discussion group!)
Think of a great movie as a well-oiled machine. When a machine functions correctly, all we see is what it’s designed to do and nothing else. We don’t see the inner components such as its gears, springs or wires, which help the machine function. A film is no different. There are many components that make a movie function correctly and, no, I’m not talking about the actors, the director or the guy holding the microphone. What I’m referring to are the components of story development. Without the story, there is no movie.
Although there are multiple components that build a story, I’m only going to talk about the four that are arguably the most important:
· Theme
· Plot
· Character
· Emotional range
Each story has every one of these components to some degree. However, rather than using one film to analyze all four of these story components, I will use four different faith-based films to demonstrate each topic and we invite you to watch these four films to discuss your thoughts.
Before reading this post, though, we’ve got a big spoiler alert to share! These film reviews share information about the significant moments of each story. If you’d prefer, watch each film first and then read this to see if you agree with us. Here we go!
Analyzing a Film’s Theme – What’s the Meaning of the Story?
In 2004, Mel Gibson’s brutally realistic cinematic landmark, The Passion of the Christ debuted.
The film is an unforgettable tale, unfolding the last twelve intense hours of Jesus of Nazareth’s life, before His scheduled crucifixion. In the Gethsemane garden scene, for example, Jesus trembles on his knees, fearing what is soon to come and He freezes up when He spots Satan—the representation of all that is immoral— peering down at Him. The Devil asks the Son of God, “Do you really believe that one man can bear the full burden of sin?” Jesus turns away and tells God, “Shelter me, Oh Lord. I trust in you.”
The garden scene is where Jesus is first introduced, as he is finding peace near a tree. Before being restrained with chains by King Caiaphas’ soldiers, His disciples—Peter, in particular—commence an attack to try to save Him but are told to stop fighting. While healing a soldier’s cut-off ear, Christ says to Peter, “Those who live by the sword, die by it.”
Through this series of painstakingly horrific events that lead to Christ’s inevitable death and then resurrection, the story can be understood as a message to us about developing an absolute loyalty to a higher power. And, we can decipher this story’s message by analyzing the film’s visuals. For example, when Jesus is finding peace near a tree, we can see that as foreshadowing of when He embraces the cross. When Jesus tells Peter to stop fighting, this lets us know that Jesus is concerned about the safety of his disciples and that His plan is unfolding as it should.
Throughout the film, the trait of trust is presented as the appropriate response to the difficult situations occurring. For example, take the scene where Christ is nailed to the cross. He looks down at Mary and says, “Mother, behold your son. The will of God be done.” He is asking her to trust, letting her know that she will soon see him again, and that this has been His fate since birth.
In other words, we can effectively decipher the subliminal message being delivered through the reactions of those who were personally grief stricken by these momentous moments in biblical history.
The film’s meaning can also be discerned through dialogue. During the iconic Last Supper scene, John is asked by Jesus to make an agreement with the Lord using the iconic bread and wine, saying, “This is my body, this my blood.” John is being asked to trust that this is true.
Analyzing a Film’s Plot – Which Key Events Challenge the Protagonist?
In 2016, Mel Gibson’s incredible historical drama, Hacksaw Ridge debuted.
After promising God at an early age that he would never break the sixth commandment of taking the life of another, a humble country boy by the name of Doss enlists as an army medic in the Second World War and faces extreme institutionalization. Doss was harshly criticized, which can be seen throughout the plot—but he proves himself to be committed to his faith and saves the lives of numerous soldiers and leads the troops who won the battle of Okinawa.
Doss choosing his faith over the standards of society can first be seen when he was fist fighting his brother, Hal, in the front lawn. Doss then grabs a brick and hits Hal in the head, rendering him unconscious. Through this horrific event, Doss comes to understand the consequences of violent actions.
Another example of Doss going against the collective group occurs when he is beaten to a bloody pulp by his boot camp members in the middle of the night. The next morning, when the sergeant comes in to discharge Doss from duty, the young man puts on his army jacket and continues to train for war.
Later, Doss is imprisoned on the day of his graduation for not complying with the regulations of the U.S. Army. He is instructed to not fight the system, plead guilty to the charges, be dishonorably discharged, and go home—but Doss sticks to his guns (no pun intended). He pleads “not guilty” and, with the assistance of his father, goes to war.
In the middle of a warzone, Doss is told to use a gun while cramped in a bunker hole by a fellow soldier. As a demonstration of his faith, Doss instead runs through no man’s land, saving anyone who shouts for a medic. He even saved a few enemy soldiers. With each person Doss saves on the battlefield, he asks the Lord to, “Give me one more. Just one more person.”
Finally, Doss faces an extreme circumstance: when it’s time to return and take Hacksaw Ridge on Okinawa. By this point, though, Doss has proved himself to be a man of God and, from his selfless actions of saving those who were left behind in the dirt, the commanding officer tells both his troops and the lieutenant governor that they aren’t climbing the ridge until Doss is done praying.
Analyzing a Film’s Characterization – How is the Protagonist’s Growth Shown?
In 2017, Stuart Hazeldine’s subtle and yet powerfully personal faith-based film, The Shack debuted.
The story begins by presenting a heartfelt average Joe, a protagonist named Mack. He grew up with an abusively alcoholic father who used the Bible as a source of punishment—and, as a family man himself who goes about the motions of life, marriage and church, Mack’s relationship with God is put to the test. Then, after the kidnapping and death of his of little girl during a camping trip, Mack’s faith in God became virtually inexistent and what remained was driven by guilt. He then mysteriously finds himself venturing through spiritual rites of passage, which rekindle his relationship with the Holy Trinity.
We can witness this in the scene where Mack returns to the shack where his daughter died. There, through a motherly form, he is invited by God to help cook dinner. Mack takes this opportunity to share his belief that God is abandoning him. God wasn’t there to stop Mack’s father from beating him as a boy, God wasn’t there to stop the pedophile who took Mack’s daughter, and God wasn’t there to stop Jesus from being nailed to the cross.
God then looks at Mack and shows him the nail hole on Her wrist as if to state, “I never left.”
We can also see how Mack demonstrates his character transformation through the garden scene, right before Mack decides to leave the villa. He follows Sarayu, the depiction of the Holy Spirit, into a chaotic field of wildly growing trees, shrubbery and flowers, which symbolically represents his life. In the center of the garden, he helps Sarayu dig up a huge plant and its roots, as to prepare for something new to be inserted. Through this, Mack learns about the aspects of good and evil, and how he wasn’t designed to be the judge of such events.
Internal growth is also demonstrated in the rowboat scene. As per Jesus’ instructions, Mack rows across the lake to meet the Son of God at the mountain but, in the middle of the water, Mack hears the voices of his distressed children. The boat shifts, breaks and takes on water. Mack panics as he sinks and is told by Christ that he’s doing this to himself. In other words, Mack is symbolically letting his past pain drown him and the only way to make it to the mountain is to keep his eyes on Jesus. When Mack sees the Son of God walking on the water towards him, he stops sinking.
What makes Mack truly transform into a man of deep faith are the choices he makes along the journey. He demonstrates this throughout the film in many scenes, but the most important moment to pay attention to is when his initial choice of healing takes place is in the dark cave. After he is shown his daughter in heaven through the waterfall, he steps onto the ledge and, through a symbolic baptism, he lets the water cleanse himself of the past. From this moment on, Mack learns to forgive himself, to forgive other— and to forgive God.
Analyzing a Film’s Structure and Pacing – What’s the Primal Emotion of the Story?
In 2020, The Erwin Brothers’ emotional true story, I Still Believe debuted.
After slipping past the guard at a concert on the first day of college, Jeremy Camp—a young aspiring Christian musician—spots Melissa, the girl of his dreams, while tuning a guitar. From that moment on, he puts everything in his life aside to prove his eternal love to her, even during dark days. This rites-of-passage story between two star crossed lovers is filled to the brim with clearly defined and demonstrated emotional moments. Take the scene, for example, where Jeremy proposes to Melissa in a hospital church after learning she’s been diagnosed with cervical cancer. He is filled with blind hope that she will get better and this emotional depiction of being awestruck with her continues throughout the story.
In another scene, Jeremy tells the crowd at his concert about the Bible story of a woman who sought after Christ’s cloth to be healed. This scene includes his asking everyone to touch Melissa and commit an act of healing hands—and another emotional scene is of the couple’s beautiful beach wedding. Each of these moments depict an overwhelming sense of hope that everything will be okay in the end as they drive off into the sunset, but the story doesn’t end there.
On the opposite end of the emotional spectrum is a lingering feeling of dread. For example, take the scene where Melissa learns she can’t have children because of surgery she must undergo to survive, or the scene of frustration where she throws plates across the kitchen while dealing with the side effects of chemotherapy—not to mention the singular moment during their honeymoon when she is rushed to the hospital after coughing up blood and Jeremy learns her cancer has returned.
As you can see, this film showcases a variety of incredible emotions. Laughter is found in the scenes where the two dance in the library. Sorrow is felt when Jeremy plays Melissa the last song she’ll ever hear. Satisfaction exists when Jeremy’s mother gives her engagement ring to him as an acceptance of Melissa. Then, there is the moment that sums up the story’s entire emotional rollercoaster.
After Melissa’s death, Jeremy turns to his father, a pastor, and asks for an understanding of why God did not heal her. Jeremy’s father shares insights into how struggle is promised and suffering actually refines faith. You have to appreciate what you have instead of focusing on what you lost.
How to Write a Script with Your Family
If you’ve got children or grandchildren who enjoy watching films with you, consider writing a script of your own! We’ve provided this script writing resource for children to get you started!
What Else to Know About Christian Films
If you enjoyed any of these films, their reviews and would like to know more, please explore our Called Higher Studios website in more depth and look into becoming a part of the world’s first Christian fan owned movie studio!
Called Higher Studios is a Christian film production studio founded by Jason Brown and Ash Greyson. The mission is to create informative and entertaining content, such as films, television shows and other projects that introduces people to Christ, Christian principles and a pathway to salvation.
By inviting the public to join in, this crowdfunded company will be able to spread the gospel by teaching Christian values through passionate pieces of work that people can identify with. Your input is valuable, so Called Higher Studios will ask you what stories should be shared and allow the opinions of the viewers to shape the content and influence Hollywood!!! Not the other way around. As an owner, you will own a piece of of the Company.