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SPIRITUALITY & PRACTICE
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A ROUNDUP OF THE MOST SPIRITUALLY LITERATE FILMS OF 2009
Our thoughts and reflections on the best films of the 2009, reviewed from a
spiritual perspective.
FILM FEATURE BY FREDERIC AND MARY ANN BRUSSAT
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The 2009 film season ended with Avatar, a magical science fiction extravaganza
that transports us to another world where an ordinary man is transformed by the
ancestral teachings and ecological activities of an alien rainforest race. This
thematically rich and visually impressive movie gives us cosmology totally in
sync with contemporary spirituality movements with their focus on reverence for
the Earth as a living being and Oneness consciousness that celebrates the
interconnectedness of all.
But Avatar is only one of many 2009 films that we consider to be spiritually
literate because their stories reveal and reflect the search for meaning and
purpose, their characters demonstrate the application of spiritual qualities in
daily life, and their themes raise our consciousness to a fuller engagement with
our world.
The other films making our Ten Most Spiritually Literate list convey the
diversity of challenges and opportunities in today's world. They include the
story of an unattached man who reassesses his lifestyle; a delicious comedy
about two women who discover their true selves through cooking; a portrait of
Nelson Mandela and his campaign to reconcile the races in South Africa through
the power of forgiveness; a hopeful account of a resilient Palestinian mother
and her young son creating a new life in America; an appealing tale of a couple
who go on a quest to find the perfect home to raise their child; a
thought-provoking drama about a man who confronts the mystery of God and the
futility of seeking answers; and an emotionally poignant drama that demonstrates
how loving, kind, and compassionate people can be catalysts for real change for
an African-American teenager. Finally, two very different dramas focus on the
fallout from the Iraq War: one deals with the addiction to war evident in the
leader of a team of bomb experts in Baghdad, and the other shows how a war
hero's heart is opened through his encounters with the grieving relatives of the
war's casualties.
We are always impressed with the variety and seriousness of Foreign Language
Films. Although they are set in faraway places, we feel deeply connected to the
experiences and aspirations of their characters. Many of this year's bests deal
with women: an artistic wife who dies and leaves a legacy that takes her husband
to Japan and wonderful new experiences; a Jewish woman who discovers the healing
power of empathy when she moves next to a Palestinian orchard; an enthusiastic
woman who brings freshness and novelty into the life of a longtime maid; a
working-class mother who breaks through the barriers of gender, class, and time
to express her creativity; a deeply religious cleaning woman who becomes a
talented painter; the nurturing matriarch of a family who tries to match her
wishes for an art collection to the needs of her family; and a six-year old
Korean girl who takes on adult responsibilities by looking after her little
sister after they are abandoned by their mother. Another film explores the rise
of fascism, and two more trace the journey of transformation of a man in Japan
and another in Iran.
Last year, we added a new Category to our Most Spiritually Literate Films:
Animated Films. This year's winners tell stories about an old man and a young
boy who become friends during a high-flying adventure; an extended family of
animal friends who go through some changes together; a resourceful girl who
becomes a hero in her own right; a goldfish who changes into a girl and the
little boy who loves her; and a charming fox who proves to have real leadership
abilities.
Documentaries get better and better each year as filmmakers take on edgy
subjects that are not being covered in depth by the media. They also put the
accent on human stories of hope, love, and courage. Check out the hard-hitting
critiques of the oil industry, the unregulated food industry, Japanese fishermen
who are killing dolphins, the urban politics and policies which savage the poor,
the human rights violations in Burma, and the ranchers in Brazil responsible for
the assassination of a nun who was a rainforest activist. For the other side of
the coin, watch out for the documentary about an American Idol-like TV show in
Afghanistan that captures the interest of the public, the up-close and personal
portrait of the world's most famous Sufi singer and his spiritual vision, a
quest to find a reincarnated Tibetan master, and the emotionally-affecting
portrait of three senior citizens who serve as airport greeters for soldiers
leaving or returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Our look back at the best spiritual films of 2009 includes Ten More Spiritually
Literate Films. These are some of the interesting and special characters you
will meet in these movies: a journalist whose compassion for a homeless street
musician illustrates the varied textures of this spiritual practice;
extra-terrestrials experiencing the consequences of prejudice in South Africa;
an imaginative and nonconformist little girl; a nine-year old boy who comes into
a close encounter with his wildness and anger; a courageous African-American
woman who speaks out against racial prejudice; the lover of English poet John
Keats; a young couple experiencing the heights and depths of a romantic
relationship; a New York City actor who seeks an outlandish cure for his
suffering; a man who learns that honesty can heal and harm; and English
politicians who live by putting a spin on everything they do. See our full list
of "The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2009."
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