If you could not read a book for Lent how about looking for Christ through the medium of film? Below are six film choices to watch. There are different styles and levels to these choices, sometimes the religious themes are obvious and others not so clear. The idea is during Lent to watch all or any of these movies and have a conversation with yourself, God and other people in your family, friends or church.

Passion of the Christ (2004)
Certificate 18 Dir. Mel Gibson

Not for the squeamish, this depiction of Jesus’ last days, with flash-backs to his wider ministry, gives a vivid glimpse of what Jesus endured. The film is sub-titled as the words are in Aramaic, but you will be amaze how this medium manages to tell the of the ‘Passion’. If all the congregation were able to watch and take in the wonder of this film, Easter would be an enhanced experience.

Lion King(1994) Certificate U
Dir. Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff

Disney for Lent? Look at what is offered in the story. A King destroyed, a baby seen through the eyes of eventual salvation and a resurrection theme. (Also the spiritual theory of Hakuna Matata!) On one hand watch an animated story and enjoy, on the other hand make connections and ask questions for this film can also be seen as a parable.

Man Of Steel (2013)
Certificate PG Dir. Zack Snyder

The planet Krypton is dying. In the last days before its final destruction, a prominent scientist, Jor-El, readies a spacecraft and sends his infant son, Kal-El, across space to the far away planet Earth. Discovered by human couple Jonathan and Martha Kent , Kal-el is raised as their son. How will the inhabitants of Earth react when they learn of Kal-El’s true origins? Particularly when his presence on earth seems to threaten their very way of life?

The Tree Of Life (2011)
Certificate 12 Dir. Terence Malick

This intimate yet epic story follows Jack O’Brien, the eldest son of a fractured Texan family. The cataclysmic force of nature in Jack’s life is his complex, rigid and authoritarian father. The poetic and visually breath-taking film spans decades, giving glimpses of Jack’s life as a child, all the way through to his adult life and beyond in a philosophical examination of what it means to be human.

Princess Mononoke (1997)
Certificate PG Dir. Hayao Miyazaki

From the world renowned Studio Ghibli comes this masterpiece of animation. Young warrior Ashitaka receives a wound in battle that refuses to heal. Searching for a remedy for the injury, he leaves his village for the forbidding forests of the west where he finds a human enclave battling with divine powers. The film depicts the clash between the natural world and its gods, the rise of humans and the beginning of modern civilisation.

Take Shelter (2011)
Certificate 15 Dir. Jeff Nichols

Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, Curtis La Forche, a young husband and father, questions whether to shelter his family from the coming storm, or from himself. As he tries desperately to stay sane, his actions become more and more erratic, placing his livelihood, marriage and health in jeopardy. But the question remains, are Curtis’ visions real and prophetic, or is he beginning a decline into mental illness?

The Resources – prayer cards, books ,CDs , DVDs, patterns and material and bible study note are available from the parish office, at Sunday Service or can be purchased off of the internet.