In America

This weekend, I finished the movie In America. I recommend it.

It's delightfully human -- a down-to-earth yet somehow ethereal view of life's struggles through the eyes of a child. It showcases the struggles of being an immigrant to America and of just being human. It was the "just being human" part that struck me -- and following a good sermon this morning that began by reminding us of the realities of being fallen people living in a fallen world, I'm tuned into the way that In America answered the "How should we live?" question. I don't agree with the answer, ultimately, but I appreciated some of the common grace truths of how laughter, tears and companionship encourage us to persevere. I was also amazed at how this movie subtly highlighted questions about God -- something as simple as a father refusing to kneel when his daughter wanted to say her bedtime prayers.

Anyway, my thoughts aren't comprehensive enough to make for a full-scale review of the movie (and I probably should have watched it all at once and not in several 20-30 minute sessions), but it's a thoroughly enjoyable movie, especially if you like movies that tend toward the artistic side of things.

Caveat: there's one sex scene that's not explicit but is artistically-enough done -- and pretty extended -- that you get the picture.