The Queen’s Gambit: Homo Incurvatus in Se

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – January 29, 2021

(Mild Spoiler Alert)

 

Recently, I finished watching Netflix’s The Queen’s Gambit. I wasn’t quite sure if I would enjoy the series given that my attempts at playing chess were exclusively limited to camping trips with the Scouts. But I was delighted to find that The Queen’s Gambit was not merely about the intricacies of the 1950s-1960s competitive chess world. The series also explores themes surrounding addiction, family, and the role that community plays in helping to process the traumas and experiences in one’s life. 

 

The show follows the life of Beth Harmon, an orphaned prodigy who discovers chess at a young age. Harmon is introduced to drugs, specifically tranquilizers of some kind, while at the orphanage. Even being adopted, her addictions spiral as her adoptive mother has problems with alcoholism, despite the fact that her mother does become a positive influence of a kind in helping Beth cultivate her love for chess.

 

Despite Beth’s success in chess tournaments, her addictions continue to spiral and grow. Beth assumes that in order to be good at chess, she needs to be abusing the various substances with which she’s addicted. This ultimately culminates in one of the final episodes when Beth shuts herself off from the rest of the world during a days-long bender. She ignores calls to the house and the rest of the outside world until she passes out from the combination of substances and hits her head on a table. 

 

Why do I think this entire interaction helps us understand our theological life? Sin has been described as shutting oneself off from the rest of the world and from the communities that give us meaning. In Latin, we would call this “homo incurvatus in se” or “man curved in on himself.” When man is turned inward he not only shuts himself off from community, but turns inward, thereby amplifying the feeling of guilt from sin by staring exclusively at his own deeds and actions. It’s an interesting spiritual insight that we can see at play in this series. When looking only at ourselves for comfort, we find none. It is only by turning outward toward something else that we can be rescued from this “turning inward” on ourselves. 

 

In the series, Beth eventually finds her way out of her downward spiral and the collapse in on herself. A friend, Harry Beltik, confronts her with the results of her actions, forcing her to ponder their consequences. A friend from the orphanage, Jolene, tells Beth that her mentor who taught her chess at the orphanage has died. Jolene guides Beth back to the outside world where the death of this person who meant so much to her forces Beth to once again return to the chess world that she loves.

 

I was floored by the way in which these themes resonate with Christian messages. Beth is forced out of her position of “incurvatus in se” and toward the outside world through not just the love of friends, but also through the death of a mentor figure. It is this person’s surprising death that helps Beth Harmon to once again regain her footing in the outside world as she reengages with the sport she once loved. 

 

Christianity would pick up on this message and carry it a bit further. Certainly the love of friends helps to bring sinners out of their distress and back into a community. But the Church would also say that the ultimate thing that forces one away from wallowing in past deeds and actions is the death of another, namely, Jesus Christ. It is Christ Jesus who encourages us to look up and away from ourselves, and to the cross for salvation and comfort. It is in the cross where we see that Jesus is the opposite of man curved in on himself. We see the love that compels Him to outstretch His arms toward creation in the open posture of the crucifixion. Sure, it may be a little different than what Beth experiences in The Queen’s Gambit, but that story reminds us of the way in which the death of a loved one can work to draw us away from isolation and shame, and toward a welcome reception and community. 

 

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The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

Recent by Pastor Keating…

 

“Devotional Thought: St. Paul – Perfect Figure for Today”

 

“Soul: Finding Joy in the Little Things”

 

“The Pivotal Players – Models of Faithfulness for Catholics and Non-Catholics”

 

“Watchmen: The Miracle in One’s Life”

 

“How Does DC Comics Wrestle with Theodicy?”

 

“Arrival: If You Knew the Ending, Would You Embrace the Journey”

 

“Star Wars: What the Rise of Skywalker Got Right”

 

Devotional Thought: St. Paul – Perfect Figure for Today

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – January 25, 2021

 

“St. Paul’s life-changing experience on the road to Damascus is related three times in the Book of Acts. As an archenemy of Christians, Saul of Tarsus set out for Damascus to arrest and bring believers to Jerusalem for trial. While on the way, he saw a blinding light and heard the words: ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ Saul asked, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.’ In Damascus, where Saul was brought after being blinded, a disciples named Ananias was directed by the Lord in a vision to go to Saul to restore his sight: ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel’ (Acts 9:15). After receiving his sight, Saul was baptized and went on to become known as Paul, the great apostle.” 

– from Treasury of Daily Prayer

 

I think St. Paul may be the perfect figure for our day and age. 

 

We are consistently drawing up tribal battle lines with which to divide ourselves. We want an excuse to dislike or hate the people with whom we disagree. Often, these kinds of sentiments can get to a fevered pitch and we assume that there will be no room for discussion with those of differing worldviews. 

 

Rather than trying to persuade people toward the truth of the Gospel, we write them off in their entirety. St. Paul is such a fantastic antidote to that familiar feeling that many have. 

 

If anyone in the Church had the right to despise someone, it would have been Saul. Saul, after all, put many Christians to death. Yet, the great truth of Christianity is that no one is beyond saving. Therefore, through Christ Jesus’ call, St. Paul became a great defender of the Church and a voice for it during its early years. 

 

Thanks be to God that Saul was not written off, but was instead called to be a member of the congregation of believers! 

 

__________

 

The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

Recent by Pastor Keating…

 

“Soul: Finding Joy in the Little Things”

 

“The Pivotal Players – Models of Faithfulness for Catholics and Non-Catholics”

 

“Watchmen: The Miracle in One’s Life”

 

“How Does DC Comics Wrestle with Theodicy?”

 

“Arrival: If You Knew the Ending, Would You Embrace the Journey”

 

“Star Wars: What the Rise of Skywalker Got Right”

 

“Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Dante? In the Tradition of Christian Art”

 

“Faith and Family in Fargo”

 

“Death and Resurrection in Game of Thrones”

Soul: Finding Joy in the Little Things

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – December 31, 2020

 

A few days ago, I finished watching the Pixar movie Soul and really enjoyed it. The reaction among critics and audiences alike seemed to be pretty positive. The movie itself focuses on a man that has a near-death experience and, in an attempt to escape death, must mentor another “soul” as it makes its journey to earth. 

In the film, a soul can only make its way to Earth upon finding its “spark.” The main character in the film misconstrues “spark” for “purpose.” Through the adventures that he and his pupil have, he discovers that a “spark” is really about finding joy in whatever it is that you are doing. The message of the film is that one doesn’t need to become famous or important in order to find joy in life, but instead joy can be found in an appreciation for all of life’s little moments. Most importantly, joy stems from the relationships that we have with our cherished loved ones, friends, and our family.

 

I came away thinking that Pixar hit the mark in terms of what they had set out to convey. Imagine my surprise then when, among various clergy friends, there seemed to be quite a bit of controversy surrounding the film. Most of the complaints among my Christian brothers and sisters stemmed from the fact that the movie wasn’t theologically accurate in terms of its view of the soul. 

 

This seemed, to me at least, to be a remarkably thin criticism. I don’t think that Pixar was setting out to craft a theology or philosophy for themselves. Instead, through a somewhat abstract lens, they seemed to be aiming to tell a tale that contained a moral that many Christians, and in particular pastors, would find helpful and encouraging. 

 

What do I mean? At the climax of the film, our main character assumes that by playing in a jazz quartet of some renown, he will finally find purpose for himself. To his surprise, he finds playing with the group to be enjoyable, but not as meaningful as he had hoped. 

 

What ends up providing meaning then? This character also doubles as a band teacher and his sense of purpose and meaning seems to stem more from teaching his students and mentoring the lost soul that he encounters, instead of becoming a famous and important musician. 

 

Why do I think this is applicable and perhaps encouraging to pastors? Most pastors are not going to be great theologians, professors, or authors. But, many that I meet also want to do something religiously significant having drawn inspiration from Dietrich Bonhoeffer or Martin Luther. The reality is, there are very few Luthers, Bonhoeffers, or Melanchthons out there in the world. But this doesn’t mean that the work each pastor does is meaningless! Instead, we understand that our vocation is important because it’s what we have been called to and because a pastor doing something as simple as teaching just one confirmation student makes all the difference in the world. Is it a small thing? Yes, it often is. The encouraging thing is that these small acts of kindness and of teaching can have all the meaning in the world for the person who is learning.

 

So, take a deep breath. Pixar’s Soul may not be a perfect theological treatise. Much of our entertainment isn’t. When last I checked, Star Wars, Pixar, and Marvel were not meant to inform our theological worldview. But these movies can still provide us with entertainment and occasional insight. The message of Soul certainly proved encouraging to me given that my work won’t change the world or the country. It might not even impact my community all that much. However, it can still be a joy because it is in small moments like preaching to a few people or teaching a Sunday school class that a “spark” can be found. 

 

__________

 

The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

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“The Pivotal Players – Models of Faithfulness for Catholics and Non-Catholics”

 

“Watchmen: The Miracle in One’s Life”

 

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“Arrival: If You Knew the Ending, Would You Embrace the Journey”

 

“Star Wars: What the Rise of Skywalker Got Right”

 

“Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Dante? In the Tradition of Christian Art”

 

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“Death and Resurrection in Game of Thrones”

 

The Pivotal Players – Models of Faithfulness for Catholics and Non-Catholics

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – December 9, 2020

 

When Bishop Robert Barron’s Catholicism series ran on PBS it made a cultural impact within Christianity that surpassed expectations. He often tells stories about how he had to travel across the United States seeking out funding in order to get the initial project done. Even more surprising was that PBS decided to air it. The program itself was a rigorous defense of the Catholic faith, but one that drew from all the elements that go into being a Catholic. 

This meant that the series presented the key parts of Catholic doctrine. It took the viewer on trips around the world as it showcased various holy sites and buildings that are important to Catholics around the world. It also turned a spotlight toward key figures within the development of Roman Catholicism, as well as Christianity more broadly.

 

In The Pivotal Players, Barron once again returns to some of the important people within the Catholic tradition. The book (which is based on the documentary that bears the same name) focuses on St. Augustine, St. Benedict, St. Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Michelangelo, Bartolomé de las Casas, Ignatius of Loyola, John Henry Newman, G.K. Chesterton, Fulton Sheen, and Flannery O’Connor. 

 

Early on in the book, Barron reminds his audience that this is by no means an exhaustive list of every important person in Catholic history, but instead represents key figures who illustrate different aspects of Catholic life. For instance, St. Augustine reminds us of the rich intellectual life that accompanies the Christian tradition. Michelangelo serves as a window into the way in which art can help to channel the divine. More modern figures such as Flannery O’Connor help the reader to see the way in which Christian themes can intersect with fiction and literature in order to explore the implications of our faith as it plays out in a fictional southern gothic setting. 

 

Part of what Barron’s book does so well is to remind us of the various facets of Christian faith and practice. So often we shoehorn everything that is associated with religion into a distinct spiritual category and sequester it off from the rest of our experience as human beings. But what these figures remind us of is the many and various ways in which the Christian faith engages the mind as well as the whole person. 

 

Despite the book serving well as an introduction to these “pivotal players,” there is an issue that arises. It is simply an introduction to these people. More definitely could have been written, but it would have required a much larger book. Given the brief nature of each chapter, one can feel as though they are left wanting to learn more about each character presented. At times, Barron’s summary of their body of work can feel a little bit reductionist. In one particular instance, Barron describes St. Augustine’s view of sin as an off-character and that it points to the fact that life just isn’t quite how it should be. While this is a fine introduction to the idea for those unfamiliar with St. Augustine’s work, it’s hardly comprehensive. 

 

Upon completing the book, one may feel as though the brevity actually helps the reader. The book itself becomes an invitation to read more about these important Christians. Perhaps it would also motivate the reader to seek out the key writings that are mentioned in each chapter of Barron’s book. 

 

The most helpful aspect of this book is that, through each of these people, a sort-of roadmap to Catholicism can be crafted. One feels as though they are better able to articulate the unique character of the Roman Catholic faith and feel more at home in the language of that denomination. Perhaps what members of other denominations can take away from this is how helpful it is to create an outline of the important members of your church body, and how it helps to get a better understanding of what you have come to believe. I can quite easily imagine a Lutheran version of The Pivotal Players in which one is able to study not just Martin Luther, but other significant individuals such as Martin Chemnitz, Johann Sebastian Bach, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Herman Sasse, and many more. Alas, this remains a task for another day. 

 

In the meantime, feel free to give Bishop Robert Barron’s The Pivotal Players a read as you encounter many Christians who serve as a model of faithfulness for Catholics and non-Catholics alike.

 

__________

 

The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

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“Star Wars: What the Rise of Skywalker Got Right”

 

“Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Dante? In the Tradition of Christian Art”

 

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“Death and Resurrection in Game of Thrones”

 

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Watchmen: The Miracle in One’s Life

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – November 30, 2020

 

Recently, I’ve been working my way through HBO’s television series Watchmen. The series has received accolades and praise from critics and it is one of several attempts by Warner Brothers and DC Comics to craft a sequel that fits the original graphic novel written by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. There has always been quite a bit of debate as to whether or not one can craft a proper sequel to the graphic novel as the original comic functions as a sort-of critique of the superhero genre and of comic books in general. 

This prompted me to go back and watch Zack Snyder’s Watchmen (2009). Snyder’s film received mildly positive reviews at the time of its release and is looked at as one of the director’s more successful projects. Snyder adds his usual visual flare and muted color palette. However, what I found refreshing was that he adapted the graphic novel quite faithfully. At times, his adaptation seems to be almost panel-for-panel from the original graphic novel. 

 

One of the themes that I think Snyder fleshes out and really focuses on is the way in which something evil can actually work toward the greater good. During the movie, we find that the Superman analogue, Dr. Manhattan, has exiled himself to Mars in order to remove himself from the increasingly angry public who thinks that he has been, in essence, giving people cancer as a result of his radioactive abilities. Dr. Manhattan remains on Mars crafting a new world for himself throughout the course of the movie. As the villain of the film’s plot unfolds, it becomes increasingly clear that the help and intervention of Dr. Manhattan is required. This leads Sally Jupiter, Dr. Manhattan’s former girlfriend, to seek out Dr. Manhattan as she attempts to bring him back to Earth to intervene. The two debate philosophy and argue about what the point of life is. Dr. Manhattan is basically immortal so he argues that everything is insignificant in the grand scheme of things. 

 

During the course of their interactions, Dr. Manhattan looks into Sally Jupiter’s past and sees the events that lead to her being in front of him in the present day. He discovers that Jupiter is actually the product of a union between two superheroes of a previous era. Sally Jupiter’s parents had a non-consensual encounter in the past and yet, in spite of this, Sally’s mother eventually comes to love her father. This leads Sally Jupiter to despair, yet causes Dr. Manhattan to see that Sally Jupiter’s life is actually a miracle. 

 

Dr. Manhattan asks Sally Jupiter if she will smile. She asks about what. He replies, “If I admit that I was wrong about miracles. Events with astronomical odds of occurring like oxygen turning into gold. I’ve longed to witness such an event, and yet, I neglect that in human coupling millions upon millions of cells compete to create life for generation after generation until finally your mother loves a man, Edward Blake, the Comedian, a man whom she has every reason to hate and out of that contradiction against unfathomable odds it’s you, only you, that emerged. To distill so specific a form from all that chaos is like turning air into gold. A miracle. And so, I was wrong.”

 

Dr. Manhattan and Ms. Jupiter return to Earth, which in turn kicks off the movie’s final act. Eventually, the day is saved but with dramatic consequences. 

 

What I love about this moment in the movie is that it is the scene that the whole film hinges on narratively. If Dr. Manhattan doesn’t return to Earth then the final events of the film cannot play out the way that they do. The impetus for his return is Sally Jupiter’s life that, in spite of its origins, is still worthy of being upheld and still contains innate value. Not only this, but Dr. Manhattan points to the fact that one of the great paradoxes of human behavior is the fact that, occasionally, people find a way to (in this case quite literally) love their enemies. 

 

While I have been (and still am) quite uncomfortable with the implications of the Comedian and Sally Jupiter’s mother eventually falling in love in spite of their history, I find the pro-life aspect of this movie quite fascinating as it isn’t something that usually appears in comics or movies. But the fact that it is Sally Jupiter’s humanity and compassion toward Dr. Manhattan is what helps contribute to the resolution of the film remains one of my favorite moments in cinema. Despite Sally Jupiter’s origins, she is still worthy of love and of respect. And her character arc reminds us that even horrendous situations can lead to something good being worked out of it. 

 

For Christians, Watchmen contains more than a few surprises, chief among them that it reminds us that the miracle of life has value no matter the suffering out of which life is occasionally born. Culture would tell us that Sally Jupiter simply shouldn’t have existed. And yet, her life is still a miracle and this is exactly what Dr. Manhattan points out to audiences and it’s what Zack Snyder is reminding us of in his film. 

 

__________

 

The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

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“How Does DC Comics Wrestle with Theodicy?”

 

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“Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper and Dante? In the Tradition of Christian Art”

 

“Faith and Family in Fargo”

 

“Death and Resurrection in Game of Thrones”

 

“Greta Gerwig’s Church Nostalgia: Why Does Hollywood Miss Christianity?”

 

“Interstellar: Love, Time, and Space”

 

“Mad Men - What is Happiness? Don Draper and St. Augustine”

 

How Does DC Comics Wrestle with Theodicy?

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – November 20, 2020

 

Buckle up, because in this week’s article we are going to get into the weeds on one of my favorite topics: comic books. Specifically, I want to take a look at the way in which a medium primarily designed to entertain young adults, often tries to tackle pretty big questions.

If you take a look at comics, both Marvel and DC, over the last decade or so you would notice that the medium has made efforts to sort-of “grow” with that young adult audience that they rely on to sell books. Both of the “big two” (Marvel and DC) have hired writers with a little bit more clout and have made moves to feature more creator-driven books. 

 

One major event in DC Comics that perfectly captures the desire to provide beat-’em-up action fun while also incorporating deeper questions surrounding their comic book universe would be 2016-2017’s DC event Darkseid War. The event was designed primarily to feature two of DC’s major villains (the Anti-Monitor and Darkseid) as they faced off and did battle while the rest of the world hung in balance. The main titles were meant to satisfy that desire that comic fans have to watch villains, who are terrifying in their own right, battle it out. 

 

The Darkseid War event illustrates this shift in publishing strategy, with the tie-in issues (one shot comics that are meant to be non-essential to the main books) featured indie comic darlings and up-and-coming voices within the genre. For Darkseid War, the tie-ins were primarily designed to be character studies of each member of the Justice League. The League members find themselves supercharged to god-like levels thanks to a device usually in the employ of Darkseid. Given these god-like powers and abilities, the tie-in comics looked to do a deep dive into what makes each character tick and how they would be affected when given access to these newfound abilities. 

 

One of the more interesting issues in this bunch of books is the Green Lantern tie-in written by Tom King with art by Evan Shaner and Chris Sotomayor. King has been known to try to dive deep into a character and dissect them so that the reader can see what lies at the core of the superhero. Fans have had mixed responses as to what King thinks is at the heart of each character, but, for the most part, I think his interpretation of Green Lantern works. 

 

Green Lantern is a story about a test pilot named Hal Jordan who is given a power ring (a powerful piece of alien technology that can create constructs made of energy) because he has the ability to overcome great fear. Over the course of many issues, the reader comes to understand that the reason he has the ability to overcome fear is because he saw his father Martin Jordan (also a test pilot) die in a plane crash while Hal could do nothing as he watched from the ground. 

 

Tom King’s working with this character leads to some interesting, previously unasked questions about the character. His Darkseid War issue features a young Hal Jordan inside of a church. This version of Hal asks questions along the lines of, “Why did God let this happen to my father?” The comic walks us through various adventures of Hal Jordan and the other Green Lanterns as he wrestles with the same thought. Toward the end of the book, King seems to offer an answer through the lens of Green Lantern to the question of theodicy (that is, why do bad things happen to good people). 

 

Hal Jordan begins by saying, “[God]’s got no choice but to watch. He’s got to have that moment over and over. That’s forever part of Him. That he couldn’t stop it. That He had to let it happen. Everything He does, it’s all necessary. It has to be. He has to be who He is. He has to do what He does. But not us, right? See, a God doesn’t have something we have. It’s will. It’s our own will. The free will He gave us. … All it is is trusting in that will. It’s loving that will. It’s knowing that whatever happens, you’re the one on the line. This is your world to create, pal. You get to choose.”

What do I find so fascinating about King’s response to the question of theodicy? Because it seems to be a natural response to what well-meaning, but off-base Christians tell people about tragedy. When something truly horrific happens in the world around us, we normally hear some Christians say some variation on the statement that “it all happened for a reason” or that it’s “part of God’s plan.” 

 

The problem with this sentiment is that it’s quite empty to those who are actually experiencing the suffering. When a child loses a parent or natural disaster ravages a community, how are religiously-minded people supposed to square those well-meaning platitudes with what they know to be true: that the brokenness of the world around us doesn’t seem to square with the idea that God is good?

 

King says that this is because the whole plan and the entirety of what happens to us as people is all a part of God. Maybe that is true on a certain level. But the problem with King’s theology is that it binds the will of God, rather than looking to the concrete places where God’s will has already acted. If we want to know what God has done about all the hurt, the pain, and the loss that we see in our day-to-day lives then we need to look no further than the cross. It is in the cross where the will of God is made known. That will is that sinners should be saved from the fallen world that they are a part of, and that they should become forgiven and made new. More than this, God has willed that each Christian should be a part of a new heaven and a new earth, one where every tear has been wiped away.

 

Far from remaining bound, God sent His Son into our world and into our history to ensure that this wasn’t just an abstract idea of a platitude. Instead, He made it concrete by binding the Church to Himself through the death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ. 

 

So, rather than looking around us and trying to find evidence of God’s plan in the midst of tragedy, look to where He has already acted. Even though there is still sin and hurt in our world, we know that these things are passing away. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is indeed permanent and proves that God has already acted. How does He then continue to act in the midst of questions of theodicy? By pointing us back to the cross where He has forgiven every sin and given us the hope of life everlasting. 

 

And, hey, even if I think Tom King’s answer to this question isn’t wholly satisfactory, I’m happy that a medium like comics, as silly as they often are, ask really interesting questions like these. 

 

__________

 

The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

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“Death and Resurrection in Game of Thrones”

 

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Arrival: If You Knew the Ending, Would You Embrace the Journey

 by David Keating

The Keating Files – November 13, 2020

 

One of the strangest Hollywood careers to observe is that of Denis Villeneuve. He makes visually spectacular movies with compelling narratives that challenge us to think a little bit more deeply about the world around us. Yet, none of his movies perform particularly well at the box office. 

 

Famously, his 2017 directorial effort Blade Runner 2049 ended up costing the studio quite a bit of money. Despite the lackluster financial performances, I think his movies have a real way of sticking with us, long after we have finished viewing them for the first time.

Villeneuve was tapped to direct the upcoming Dune movie and I’ve taken the anticipation for that film as an opportunity to go back and look at some of his previous work. Last week, I watched Arrival (2016). Arrival focuses on a PhD translator and linguist named Louise Banks (played by Amy Adams) as she makes contact with a mysterious group of aliens whose purpose is unclear as to why they arrived on Earth. Through use of language and communication, Dr. Banks is able to communicate with the strange aliens and, in so doing, discover a way of communication that can be transmitted throughout time and space, effectively bonding humanity together in a way that it previously was incapable of being.

            

Part of the reason why the movie works so well is because it is told out of order in order to emphasize the key theme of the movie: Would you still embrace the journey your life is on if you knew the ending? As the film opens we are introduced to Louise and her daughter. We watch as her daughter gets older and matures. We see an argument between the daughter and Louise during the daughter’s teenage years. We see other major moments in the daughter’s life. Eventually we see the daughter and Louise in a room with a doctor. The two of them receive bad news and eventually the daughter dies from an incurable disease. 

            

From here, we see Dr. Banks alone in her home, presumably recovering from the grief of losing her child. Throughout the rest of the film, she works with another scientist named Ian Donnelly (portrayed by Jeremy Renner) as they work to make a breakthrough in this strange new language that the alien visitors have presented to them. Eventually, Dr. Banks begins to dream in their language and is able to translate the language for herself. As she becomes “fluent” in the language she starts seeing things that haven’t happened yet. She sees the fact that her husband will eventually leave her over the news of her daughter’s illness. 

            

At the climax of the film, Dr. Banks tells Dr. Donnelly, “I know why my husband left me.” To which Donnelly replies, “I didn’t know you were married.” It’s at this moment that the film becomes clear. Dr. Donnelly is her husband and her daughter hasn’t been born yet. She has been able to perceive the outcome of her life through this strange language that the alien visitors have given them. The question the audience is left asking is, “Why would she go through with all the pain and heartbreak that she witnessed if she knows how it will end?” The final line in the movie spoken by Dr. Banks offers us an answer. “Despite knowing the journey and where it leads, I embrace it. And I welcome every moment of it."

            

What a fantastically interesting statement to come out of a major Hollywood release. Arrival upholds a shockingly pro-life message as it points to the fact that, no matter the outcome of one’s life, life still has value at every stage along the way. Even though Louise’s daughter will eventually be diagnosed with an incurable disease, that doesn’t undermine the value that her daughter has as an individual. Importantly, the pain that we experience in life doesn’t subtract from the love which a parent has for their child either. Just because we can’t shelter our loved ones from pain and from suffering doesn’t mean that we deprive them of the experience of life. This is what makes Louise’s decision to still have her marriage and her baby so powerful. Despite knowing how the whole situation plays out, Louis recognizes that the love found between her and her husband, and between the two of them and their daughter is worth any of the hurt that may come along the way as well.

            

On top of being a surprisingly pro-life movie, I also love the focus on language being something that unites us. Our ability to communicate is what helps us relate to one another and it helps to bind us together culturally. This too is reflected biblically. John identifies Jesus as the Word incarnate in his gospel account. In other words, Christ Jesus is the Word spoken at creation that gave order and meaning to the world even as it was void. Speech then is how God speaks order into the world and creates the very fabric of the world around us. How fitting that it should be speech, language, and communication that once again unites humanity in the world that Arrival crafts. 

            

So, despite this being another film by Denis Villeneuve that didn’t necessarily dominate at the box office, I think it’s an underrated gem and certainly worth a watch, especially from a Christian perspective. It answers the question of whether or not the journey is worthwhile if it ends in a tragic way with an emphatic “Yes, it is absolutely worth it.” In an era where we are told that it is better to avoid pain and suffering at all costs, Villeneuve presents us with a story that reminds us that life is worthwhile, beautiful even, despite the tragedy of the world we live in. And, importantly, he presents us with characters that demonstrate to us that the love we share and experience in our families, and in our interactions with the world around us, triumphs over the loss we are forced to share with one another. 

 

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The Reverend David Keating is pastor at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.

 

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