by David Keating
The Keating Files – October 2, 2020
Movies are back! At least, kind of back. Christopher Nolan’s Tenet has been released into theaters globally and in many places across the United States.
But, given that I am unwilling to brave the crowds, such as they are at this point, I used the release of Nolan’s newest venture to look at one of his past films. Recently, my wife and I rewatched 2014’s Interstellar.
When Interstellar was released it had mixed-to-positive reviews. Many critics saw this as Nolan’s attempt to make a 2001: A Space Odyssey type of film, but felt that the themes in the movie became a little lost or muddied throughout the course of this nearly three hour venture. (Of course, 2001 isn’t exactly a case of cinematic clarity.)
I happened to not just like Interstellar, but adored it. The set design, the performances, and the roaring organ music that formed the backbone of the score all appealed to me in various ways. I also enjoyed a key plot thread that I often see overlooked in reviews of the film.
The main dynamic in the film is between a pilot turned farmer named Cooper (played by Matthew McConaughey) and his daughter Murph (played by three different actresses as time progresses through the film). Cooper is called upon to pilot an expedition into space to help find a new habitable world now that the earth is becoming more and more unstable given its deteriorating climate. He is told that leaving earth will mean sacrificing years of time with his daughter. Time will also pass more quickly for those on earth compared to the planets which Cooper will visit, so time with his daughter ends up slipping away very quickly throughout the film.
The dramatic tension of the film comes from the fact that if Cooper doesn’t leave, the earth might not survive. But if he does leave, he certainly will miss out on many precious moments that a father hopes to experience with a daughter. So, what we find is that it is love that both causes Cooper to leave on his expedition, and love that he hopes will guide him back home to his family.
This is a pretty standard trope within movies to build dramatic tension, but, as with all of his films, Christopher Nolan offers a unique insight into the way that he understands love and the way in which he wants his audience to view it as well. About a third of the way through the film, Cooper has a conversation with another explorer, Dr. Brand (portrayed by Anne Hathaway).
As they travel, the two reflect on the fact that time is growing short for the people back on earth. Dr. Brand is worried about whether or not she will even see loved ones like her father again. She then tells Cooper that, “Love isn’t something that we invented. It’s observable; powerful. It has to mean something.”
Cooper replies that, “Love has meaning, yes. Social utility, social bonding, child-rearing.”
Brand says that, “We love people who have died. Where’s the social utility in that?”
Cooper doesn’t think there is any, so Dr. Brand continues, “Maybe it means something more. Something we can’t yet understand. Maybe it’s some evidence, some artifact of a higher dimension that we can’t consciously perceive. … Love is the one thing that we’re capable of perceiving that transcends the dimensions of time and space.”
Many people found this out of place in a movie that was mostly about pushing the boundaries of scientific advancement in order to invent our way out of the problems that we’re facing. Yet, I think that Dr. Brand’s observations help hold the film together. It is love which helps Cooper discover a way back to his daughter, and it is love that allows Cooper’s daughter Murph to come up with a way to save the human race from its climate-based extinction.
In today’s hyper-analytical world, we often miss this point as well. We think that we are able to dig our way out of any hole we are in, whether through scientific research and advancement or through entrepreneurial endeavor. That certainly might be the case, as it was in Interstellar. But we shouldn’t hold those things up to such a degree that we lose sight of the motivation for these kinds of activities.
We invent, we innovate, and we reach new heights as a culture, primarily driven by love for one another and compassion for our fellow man. It is love that, although it may not be quantifiable as Dr. Brand indicated, drives us to help conquer the problems that we face.
Perhaps, this is why the Church still has a role to play in a culture that places an ever-growing focus on science above all else. The Church can remind culture that scientific advancement is a good and wonderful thing, but it isn’t the only thing upon which we base our lives. Instead, the Church can care for the souls of people as well. We can point people to the love for one another that drives our daily activities and our work. Most of all, we can point people to a kind of love that is immeasurable and unlike any other we can experience: the love of Christ.
As we progress further and further as a people, even reaching for the stars, we can remind the world that we still have an ethic that shapes what we do. What is that ethic? It’s all grounded in love of God and love for one another. And as St. Paul reminds us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
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The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.
Previously by Pastor Keating…
“Mad Men - What is Happiness? Don Draper and St. Augustine”
“Zack Snyder’s Messy Super-Jesus”
“Short Message: How Do, or Should, Christians Witness?”
“Amazon’s ‘The Boys’ - Does Christianity Have a Culture Problem?”
“Reflecting on 9/11: Why Do Bad Things Happen to Good People?”
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