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Spring 2008 | Volume 31, Number 1
| Features
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Hope in the Movies
Hope in Prison
In Julian Schnabel’s The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, we learn the (mostly) true story of Jean-Dominique Bauby, the editor of the fashion magazine Elle who suffered a stroke and awoke trapped in a nightmare called “locked-in syndrome.” In that paralysis, Bauby could only move his left eye. It’s hard to believe, but he learned to communicate by blinking — once for yes, twice for no. And with the help of his physical therapist Henriette (Marie-Josée Croze), he learned how to spell out his thoughts. His first words? "I want death." But that is only the beginning of a remarkable journey.
Bauby went on to write a book about the experience. Schnabel, with the help of cinematographer Janusz Kaminski (Spielberg’s faithful cameraman), illustrates those pages with vivid, inventive imagery. While the screenplay plays fast and loose with facts about Bauby’s relationships — and it’s hard to understand why — the film has a poetic truth that makes it a must-see. It’s almost as though Bauby, being limited to perceive and engage the world through just one eye, perceives it more deeply, and engages it more profoundly than before.
As the audience see through Bauby’s eyes, we have a chance to learn through his experience. This gives us hope of perceiving and engaging our own worlds more profoundly, thanks to these artists’ efforts. Bauby teaches us to slow down and observe the world with “eyes to see.”
Hope Through Christian Community
In Craig Gillespie’s Lars and the Real Girl, a young man named Lars Lindstrom (Ryan Gosling) is imprisoned in a disabling phobia of relationships. His only friend, it seems, is an inflatable sex doll that he calls Bianca, and with whom he has a platonic but tender “relationship.”
At first, Lars sends shock waves through his community. Is he a pervert? Is he losing his mind?
But under the cautious, gentle leadership of a therapist (Patricia Clarkson) and a local pastor, the community plays along and addresses Bianca as if she is a real person. This enables Lars to practice friendship, and to edge his way, little by little, into true intimacy with his family and neighbors. Their pastor asks them, “What would Jesus do?” and they slowly lure Lars into a new world.
The story’s big, warm heart glows, revealing hope for the lonely and the lost through patient, compassionate community.
Hope in the Silence
In Into Great Silence, German documentarian Philip Gröning takes us on an extraordinary journey to a place no camera has ever filmed before: the extraordinary Grande Chartreuse monastery in the lap of the French Alps. Amidst those magnificent mountains, which tower over this medieval enclave, Carthusian monks live in perpetual praise and intercession, dedicating their lives to silent meditation and chanted prayers.
Audiences will be fascinated by the scenery and the setting, at first. But Gröning’s movie will test your endurance. Do you have the patience to apply yourself to three hours of quiet? The men in front of the camera do this all day, every day.
And they aren’t really interested in being appreciated or understood. Gröning asked for the monk’s permission to film them back in 1984. Almost 20 years later, they called him back and said, “We’re ready.” So he packed up his cameras and moved in.
But the monks are not able to address the camera. Gröning’s subjects have taken a vow of silence; we only hear their voices during prayer, chants, and an occasional “day off” when they can chat.
Instead, they offer Gröning a chance to observe their rituals. He takes the time to observe their faces in long, silent portraits — unique, unforgettable expressions of deep longing for communion with God.
Their quiet leaves us profoundly aware of what these men sacrifice. They have given up so much for the sake of wild hope... hope that God is listening, that he cares about their prayers, and that their prayers will make a difference.
That is as compelling a portrait of hope as you’re ever likely to see at the movies. It is the hope that waits, and waits, reliant on the promises of God.
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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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