It has been four years since 13-year-old Ryan Flynn saw his father sacrifice his life for him and his mother at a railroad crossing. Angie, his mother, has moved on, remarrying a kind man who is gentle with Ryan. The boy has refused to talk since his father's death, not even to his best friend Rocky.

When Ryan tumbles off a rickety railroad bridge and almost drowns in the deep lake, he enters into a strange experience that transforms his life. His Grandfather Randolph, in an advanced stage of Alzheimer's disease but cared for at home by Angie, can now talk and pass through solid objects. By means of a story the old man seeks to impart wisdom to the boy.

Ryan meets Melanie ice-skating on the lake, even though it is a summer of endless daytime. She is the second person to ask Ryan if he believes. The first was Rocky, asking if Ryan believes in God; now Melanie asks if he believes in Peter Pan. Despite her seeming zest for life, Ryan discovers that she too is stuck in time (very much like Peter Pan), unable to move on.

Melanie takes Ryan to "The Dust Factory," which turns out to be a circus big top where a sinister ringmaster puts people to the test. He wants to see if they can summon the courage to swing and leap from a high trapeze bar into the outstretched hands of a catcher swinging from another bar. If they succeed, they can "move on." If not, they are "dusted." Melanie is very much afraid to try. After an encounter with the ringmaster on a hockey rink (Ryan's favorite sport), Ryan must eventually decide about making the leap.

This parable-like film is suitable for family viewing, and would be a good addition to a church or family's video library. Adults should watch it with their children, because questions about the symbolism are sure to arise (though at times it might be the adults asking and the child answering). A good Scripture passage to read in conjunction with the film is Matthew 14:22–33, the story of Peter walking, and then sinking, on the water.

—Edward McNulty

For film lovers, Hard-to-find films delivered to your door
Film Movement
A monthly subscription service ($19.95) or annual membership ($199), Film Movement Web site

Tired of the formula films showing at the local cinemaplex? On the coattails of the popular Netflix DVD subscription service is a new service, Film Movement (FM), that's especially nice for film lovers living in remote areas far from an art-house theater. FM offers a wonderful opportunity to see films crafted by filmmakers dedicated to telling good stories in artful ways, rather than to winning big at the box office.

Sort of a "Film of the Month Club," FM issues a new independent or foreign film on DVD every month at affordable prices. After watching 14 of FM's offerings, I can vouch for their variety and quality. Their settings range from an inner-city Hispanic community on the east coast (Manito) to an ethnically mixed California inner-city high school (O.T.: Our Town). Others are set in Casablanca, Australia, Brazil and Spain during the Civil War era. Subtitles in the foreign films are easy to see, and the films are so well made that you soon forget the inconvenience of reading dialogue.

Check to see if your local public library has signed on. I came to hear about FM when our librarian asked me to lead a film series using only FM films. When a library becomes a member it receives the right to a one-time public showing of each film with no further fees. If your library is not a member, this could be a good project for you to champion. Larger churches that include videos in their library may want their own membership.

Not sure about committing to a membership? Check out the quality by purchasing one of the following films:

• Manito—This film about the way life's deck is stacked against Manhattan Hispanics focuses upon the joyful events surrounding the graduation of a high school senior and the tragic end of his day.
• Hop—A delightful Belgian film about an illegal African immigrant boy's desperate attempt to force the government to return his father, who had been arrested and deported.
• O.T.: Our Town—An engaging documentary about the struggles of an ethnically diverse group of high school students, led by an inspiring teacher, to understand the relevance of Thornton Wilder's play as they rehearse and then present it.
• Marion Bridge—This Canadian film, about a "prodigal" daughter returning from the city to her small town, centers on her attempt to reconnect with her two resentful sisters as they care for their dying mother.
• Ali Zaqua—The touching story of the efforts of three children living on the streets of Casablanca's waterfront to provide a decent burial for their friend, killed suddenly when a gang throws rocks at them.
• Carol's Journey—This suspenseful story about a 12-year-old girl returning with her dying mother to rural Spain will bring a tear or two. Carol befriends a local boy and longs to see her aviator father who is fighting with the Republican Army against the fascists.

—Edward McNulty

Having risen in the Sabena Hotel organization, Paul is confident that Europe and America will prevent the threats against the Rwandan Tutsi minority. He dismisses the fears of his Tutsi wife and brother-in-law, even as the Tutsis are called "cockroaches" in daily streams of invective beamed over the radio. Paul is Hutu, so he assumes this confers safety upon both himself and his mixed family.

When they peek through their window one night and see soldiers rounding up and beating their Tutsi neighbors, Paul tells his wife there is nothing he can do, that he must be concerned only with his family. Tatiana challenges this, and soon Paul is forced by circumstances to enlarge his narrow circle of concern. He begins risking his life each day to turn his hotel into an oasis of safety.

The orgy of violence grows, and the Western nations abandon the people to their fate. Even the United Nations refuses to intervene, shrinking the number of its troops from 2,500 to just a few hundred.

The filmmakers refrain from showing the slaughter close up, relying on long-distance shots showing kneeling Tutsi and Hutu moderates kneeling and being killed by machetes and gunfire. The most chilling scene is when Paul and his assistant are returning in their van late one night to bring supplies back to the hotel. They turn their headlights off to avoid the roving bands of marauders. Suddenly the van bucks and heaves. Thinking the driver has veered off the road, Paul gets out and turns on his flashlight. They are still on the road—but stretching as far as he can see are the felled bodies of hundreds of men, women and children.

The fact that Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina are real people (now living in Europe) makes the film all the more moving. Actors Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo are convincing as the brave couple almost torn apart by the malicious cruelty of tribal violence. These two people manage to find the compassion and courage to act when the world "walks by on the other side." I hope church folk will turn out in droves to support this powerful film that confronts us with the dark side of human nature that leads to Holocausts. May it inspire us to really mean it, when we say, "Never again!"

—Edward McNulty

Also worth checking out

Hotel Rwanda is number one on Ed McNulty's roundup of "Top 10 films of 2004" in the March issue of Presbyterians Today, print edition. In addition to the top 10 he recommends:

• The Aviator (rated R). Director Martin Scorcese is at the top of his form in this depiction of an American original. He introduces us to a very different Howard Hughes than the reclusive millionaire, familiar to many of us, who had his urine stored in jars and never trimmed his nails or hair. Hughes' inherited tool business would have occupied the full time of an ordinary man, but he also took on the careers of movie producer, aviation pioneer and club-hopping Hollywood socialite. Though later spinning out of control because of his debilitating phobias and mental deterioration, he still managed to defend himself before a Senate investigating committee headed by an unscrupulous senator secretly in league with Hughes' chief airline competitor.
• Before Sunset (rated R). This sequel to Before Sunrise contains some of the most intelligent screen conversation to be heard between a young woman and man. It takes up nine years after the first film, which chronicled the meeting of Jessie and Celine in Vienna, when they vowed to meet again within six months. Now an author on a book tour in Paris, Jessie is surprised when Celine attends. Afterward they get together again with but a few scant hours before his plane is to take him back to the United States. Why didn't they meet as planned? What has happened in the meantime? Will they finally admit to their love? All this makes for a delightful film, one that is adult in the best sense of the word.
• Beyond the Sea (rated PG-13). In this fascinating biography of pop singer Bobby Darin we learn that he struggled against the debilitating effects of a childhood disease throughout his all-too-short life. Many will be surprised to see that he was an ardent supporter of the Civil Rights movement and of Bobby Kennedy's candidacy for the presidency, and then of the peace movement. He risked his career at his beloved Copacabana, courageously refusing to sing his earlier ditties and insisting on singing a peace song that he had written.
• Friday Night Lights (rated PG-13). This film is based on the real-life story of a Texas high school football team and coach, who must contend with the culture that transforms a game into a secular religion. Filled with great gridiron action, the film is even more satisfying in its depiction of off-the-field relationships—between the coach and his family, between a team member and his abusive father, between an African American who takes an enormous risk with his health and the football scout he is trying to impress, and between the townspeople and the team they have come to idolize. A great film for youth and adults to watch and discuss together.
• Mean Creek (rated R). This film takes a hard look at adolescent desire for revenge and caving in to peer pressure. After Sammy is picked on by the school bully, his brother convinces him to trick the attacker into going on a fishing trip, during which they will get even. Sammy at the last minute tries to change the plan, but matters rapidly veer out of control, with tragic results. Despite its rating (for language), this is a film that every youth group should watch and discuss.
• Million Dollar Baby (rated PG-13). Clint Eastwood's film opened too late for me to make it No.1 on my list. Nominated for seven Oscars, it is a boxing film that transcends the genre by focusing on the relationship between grizzled fight manager Frankie Dunn (Clint Eastwood) and feisty waitress Maggie Fitzgerald (Hillary Swank), who aspires to be a boxer. Frankie rebuffs Maggie by telling her that he doesn't manage "girlie boxers" and that she isn't "tough enough." But Maggie's perseverance, backed by talent, leads to success, and she and Frankie develop a close, father-daughter-like relationship. Narrator Morgan Freeman plays Scrap, an ex-fighter once managed by Frankie. Just when you think the film is following the path of Rocky, it veers off in an unexpected direction, leaving viewers stunned. Frankie is portrayed as a spiritual man bearing a heavy burden of guilt, and the agonizing decision he must make at the end only adds to the weight of the burden. The ambiguous ending leaves the heavy issues it raises open for discussion, and even debate.
• Sideways (rated R). Two guys—one an engaged Lothario and the other a wine-snob—meet two strong women on their wine-tasting trip through California wine country. The film passes back and forth between scenes of riotous hilarity (purse-bashing; the snob showing off his knowledge at a wine-tasting) and moments of tenderness, when wine becomes a metaphor for life and feelings, and perhaps a means of discovering one's soul mate.

Discussion questions for these and other films can be found at www.visualparables.net (click on the "Current Movies" bar).