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Reel Issues

Engaging film and faith

REEL ISSUES
Engaging film and faith
By Ian Maher
Bible Society. 31 pages
ISBN 0 564 04126 2

Where do people have conversations about issues that really matter? Often it's on the way out of the cinema. Films engage profoundly with our intellect and our emotions and raise important questions about identity, justice and suffering.
Ian Maher, who writes both thoughtfully and knowledgeably about the subject of film in this book, states that cinema attendance in Britain last year was 137 million, and was highest among 7-35 year-olds. He then asks what the church is doing to help these young people make the connection between the hard questions they are asking and the answers found in the Bible. He also explains why films have the power to touch so many people so deeply - often it is the portrayal of painful themes in our shared experience, such as unemployment and hopelessness in The full Monty, or love and loss in The English Patient, that audiences connect with on a profound level.
With this in mind, the author suggests that films provide an excellent opportunity for Christians to talk about faith and humanity with their friends - a discussion about the worldview of a particular film can help to open up a discussion about the good news of Christianity.
The book then gives practical help for those who want to begin to use film as a form of evangelism, including important questions to ask when analysing any film, and how to lead a group session. The book also includes ten worked examples of recent films, including Brassed off, Shadowlands and Secrets and lies. These suggest specific sections of film to show, key issues to discuss and appropriate group activities.
I think this book is an extremely useful introduction to the use of film in this way, and could be used by any youth fellowship or study group who want to begin using film but are unsure how. However, coming from a youth fellowship which already makes good use of film as a resource, I was surprised to see that our two most thought-provoking films, Braveheart and Titanic, were entirely ignored. Despite this, I would still recommend the book - after reading it, you'll feel confident enough to identify key issues and lead a discussion on practically any film you feel is relevant to your group.

Sara Carson,
Carnmoney, Northern Ireland