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The BeachTHE BEACH Bangkok. Marketplace for just about anything and the location of the first scene of this film. At age 26, Richard has come from America to buy the truth; not an absolute truth but an idea/experience he personally considers worthy to supplant the discredited materialism which he blames for making the West an awful place to live. Travel, disillusionment, youth, relativism. These are four characteristics of what is often called Generation X, the emerging generation with a mindset that esteems lightly any previously established way of understanding the world and living in it, be it economic, political, scientific or religious. These are the sort of people church youth groups and university CUs are evangelising now and the rest of us should be evangelising in not very many years. If they are to listen to us it is vital that we understand them, just as Paul understood the pagan philosophers of his day. A thoughtful viewing of this film will help us to do that. In Thailand Richard is given directions to an idyllic island which is home to a community of people similarly disaffected. He makes the difficult journey and discovers a truly beautiful tropical island, the centrepiece of which is the beach of the title. Everything is wonderful. There is shelter, plentiful food, little work to do, almost permanent sunshine, cannabis in abundance, and best of all no-one else knows about it. The contaminating effect of the world is left far behind. Except it isn't. For reasons that need not be explained here, Richard has to spend a prolonged period alone in the jungle and his mind begins to give free reign to the Vietnam war fantasies he has always wanted to act out. He cannot entirely disconnect himself from his Western heritage and that 'civilisation' is no more than the collective expression of personal selfishness. It destroyed vast tracts of south-east Asia and it will destroy the beach as well. The moral of the story is that the ideal community cannot last and even secular reviewers are saying how obvious this point is. So is there any point in making a specifically Christian response? The Beach is significant because it sympathises with the emerging generations in their disillusionment with Western culture, but has no alternative to offer. The film gives a bright new generation at the dawn of the new millennium the chance to start again, to build an alternative world, to live a Year Zero based on love and happiness rather than on terror. But they cannot do it. Their brave attempt destroys a jungle paradise just as effectively as years of napalm and agent orange destroyed vast tracts of south-east Asia. And if human selfishness can destroy such an Eden, what can resist its advance? As the Western world spirals ever faster towards self-destruction in the pursuit of material gain, shouldn't we Christians follow Richard's example and opt out of society, refuse to make the effort to understand it and cherish the cosy warmth of our churches? No. Because there are non-believers out there who are desperate for a set of ideas to replace morally bankrupt Western materialism. Because the sovereign Holy Spirit still breaks into human experience bringing conviction of sin and repentance. As more and more members of the emerging generations abandon any hope of knowing truth, beauty and happiness by earthly means, we can point them beyond that to Jesus's self-giving cross, and triumphant resurrection. And to his return to destroy the rulers of this world. Simon WheelerSee also http://www.thebeachmovie.com/© Evangelicals Now - April 2000 |