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Spring 2008 | Volume 31, Number 1
| Features
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Hope in the Movies
Pregnant With Hope
First-time screenwriter Diablo Cody and director Jason Reitman came up with an unlikely smash hit, and this year’s Oscar wildcard, when they put together Juno. And it’s not just hype — Juno is a small wonder. It succeeds on the strength of its clever screenwriting (sometimes a bit too clever), nuanced performances from Ellen Page and Jennifer Garner, and above all, a surprising affirmation of hope in a broken world.
Sixteen-year-old Juno MacGuff is pregnant. But how this came about — that’s prologue. The story really begins when she flees an abortion clinic in a sudden change of heart, determining to keep her baby. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say a sudden change of mind. Distracted by an impassioned cry by a “pro-life” protester outside the clinic, Juno comes to recognize the individuality and personhood of her unborn child. Burdened with a new sense of responsibility, she hopes to do the right thing and find a promising future for this unborn child.
But it’s tough. Even the adults in Juno’s world have a lot of growing up to do. When she goes looking for a couple to adopt her baby, she’s horrified to find that even the “perfect couple” might not have what it takes. In the film’s pivotal moments, Juno breaks down, crying out of longing for a world in which love can be true.
Still, Juno stands out in a year of grim storytelling. It concludes on a note of wild hope — a contract of fidelity between a child and an adult who will stick together to give a newborn child hope. Moreover, it boldly imagines that even a high school crush can grow into a meaningful relationship. And who’s to say it can’t be done, if a boy and a girl set their hearts — and minds — to it?
In two other comedies — Knocked Up and Waitress — unborn children played important roles. Pregnant mothers struggled to make choices that would give them hope for their children. Abortion was rejected as an option. And while these films contained some abrasive and crass humor, and gratuitous sexual references, their hearts were in the right place.
Looking for Hope in All the Wrong Places
The heavens declare the glory of God,” says Psalm 19. According to Jon Krakauer’s book Into the Wild, that declaration got the attention of young Chris McCandless.
Sean Penn’s film adaptation of McCandless’s story is all about young man who is full of hope for a better life. But his hopes are somewhat misplaced, and that makes all the difference.
McCandless ran from the materialism of his family, disgusted with the damage done by consumer culture. Drawn instead to beauty, he answers “the call of the wild.” Penn’s film takes us along on that journey, and we’re treated to scenes of panoramic splendor. Into the Wild is a big-screen marvel thanks to Eric Gautier’s sumptuous cinematography and to textured, radiant supporting turns from Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Brian H. Dierker, and the Oscar-nominated Hal Holbrook.
But for all of McCandless’s adventures in the great outdoors, he passes by the greatest adventure of all: meaningful relationships. He leaves behind people who come to care for him along the way, and he reaches for a bliss that fails to include his family. Determined to leave trouble behind, rather than to reconcile, McCandless abandons community and love. He learns in the end that solitude and desertion bear a heavy cost indeed.
Holbrook’s performance as Ron Franz is especially haunting. Franz is a wise guide, seizing upon McCandless’s resentment for, and rejection of, his family. He tries to give the boy hope for a meaningful future. “When you forgive,” he says, “you love. And when you love, God's light shines upon you.” In directing moviegoers’ attention to the Almighty, Franz offers one of the most powerful indications of real hope in recent years.
The moment is all the more bittersweet for McCandless’s refusal to heed it.
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from the president
Anticipation
President Philip Eaton reminds us that God's promise to “do something new” creates and sustains our hope.
campus
New Leadership
The School of Theology welcomes Doug Strong, Ph.D., as its new dean.
alumni
Detours and Unexpected Destinations
Samuel Lin ’65 was named SPU Alumnus of the Year for a lifetime of service.
athletics
Oh, So Close
Falcon women’s soccer had 23 straight wins in 2007–08 season; was in Final Four.
my response
Poetry by Emily Dickinson
SPU Professor Susan VanZanten Gallagher on Emily Dickinson’s Poem #314 and “Hope.”
Response art
The Advent of Breathing
SPU Professor Christen Mattix on “The Advent of Breathing.”
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