jacobsahms

Matt Chastain's film about a reporter who goes "undercover" to expose the true nature of church is incredibly funny - and poignantly shows how church can get it right. Fully aware of all the ways church can get it wrong, Chastain's script delivers in ways that people who've been in small groups will chuckle knowingly and people who haven't will realize what they've been missing all along. In the end, having entertained us, Chastain will also leave us mulling over what it means to be a person of faith - or even a person who wants to leave an impact on the world. Now, we have to sit back and wait to see what he's going to challenge us with next.

I watched this film a few months ago and was impressed by the powerful dual story lines. The world of the wandering ronin is its own shade, with a historical/epic feel; the world of the architect in LA has its own feel. Anyone who longs to understand a higher calling than "getting by" will find some interesting proposals expressed here. No one has to agree with all of them, but recognizing that we're meant for more than what we can see and that there's more going on than we often understand? Those are priceless discussion starters if we're honest with ourselves. In the filmmaker's first attempt at narrative storytelling, he's captured the allegory of Story while also generating a tale that feels like real-life, too. (For the record, I love C.S. Lewis and The Princess Bride -- both of which shine direct light on our lives while also depicting a greater world than what seems obvious.)