Overcomer
Director: Alex Kendrick * Cast: Priscilla C. Shirer Olivia Brooks, Cameron Arnett, Shari Rigby, Aryn Wright-Thompson, Denise Armstrong Jack Sterner, Caleb Kendrick (2019. 119 minutes)
The movie’s title is drawn from 1 John 5:5. “Who is he that overcomes the world, but he that believes that Jesus is the Son of God?” The movie is about what being in Christ means to the Christian—finding one’s real identity in Christ. A person’s identity is not to be determined by the prevailing cultural norms but the eternal standards set by God. Basketball coach and history teacher John Harrison faces a letdown at the point when prospects are not good for his prestigious team since a number of local families are leaving town along with their employer who is shifting the firm to another town. John’s salary is cut by ten percent. In her attempt to retain the sports activities in the school, the principal suggests that John raise a cross country run, though he is skeptical and disinterested. John has the staunch support of his prayerful and patient wife Amy. Only one girl named Hannah Scott turns up for the selection. She is an unpromising athlete in the beginning, since she is asthmatic and habitually steals things. However this becomes a life changing experience for them all. The couple takes up the seemingly unpromising task of preparing Hannah for the biggest race of the year. Hannah lives with her grandmother, who has told her that her parents are dead, though it is only a half truth. During a hospital visit, John stumbles into a man named Thomas Hill, lonely, acutely diabetic, blind and confined to bed. John learns that he had been a long distance runner and had lived a riotous life once and is now transformed by repentance. John gets tips regarding athletic coaching from the man and also comes to learn that Hill is Hannah’s father. Hannah is initially reluctant to meet her father but soon learns to forgive him and visits him frequently. In its wake she has a growing awareness of Christ and the abundance of life that He offered her. She returns the things that she stole and her life takes a new turn. She trains hard, improves her record and at the climactic moment of the State Championship race, she gets help from her dying father and afterwards she recollects how she discovered her true self. A story told with great conviction.
Penguin Bloom
Director: Glendyn Ivin * Cast: Naomi Watts, Andrew Lincoln, Jacki Weaver, Rachel House, Leeanna Walsman, Lisa Hensley (2020. 95 minutes)
Based on a real-life story of Sam Bloom, happily married mother of three boys who was a world traveler and a champion wind surfer, the movie tells us the story of her spirited struggle with a debilitating accident to become world para surfing champion twice. A sea loving family the Blooms is taking a holiday in coastal Thailand when Sam falls from the terrace of their hotel, sending her crashing to a concrete floor twenty feet below. For the sportswoman this was the end of her world, confined to her bed and wheel chair with a broken spine and unable to enjoy outdoor life. Sam feels most frustrated at the thought that she is no longer able to be the caring mother that she used to be in the house. Into this word arrives a little magpie—a nestling found by her children while paying on the beach and, against initial discouragement from the mother, they keep it as their pet. They name him Penguin on account of his black and white colours. For Sam the bird is a nuisance since it makes a lot of noise, destroys glassware, dirties the floor, etc., and would not have it anywhere near her. But one day she is forced to admit the bird into her room when the children are away. The bird tries to connect with her and she gradually grows to like it. Further Sam begins to identify herself with the bird. This psychological identification helps her struggle to return to life as much as possible. Remarkably the bird is very sensitive to Sam’s moods and seems to understand her situation well, informing the family in her own way, what is happening to the mother. Noah’s asking the bird whether she missed her mother strikes a chord in Sam’s heart. She begins to care for the bird and she gradually steps back into her mother’s role. The family one day takes her for a surprise gift of a seaside trip where she is introduced to Surf coaching expert Rachel—a humorous woman who sets Sam on the path to mental and physical recovery, eventually to become a renowned surfer around the world.
Prof Gigy Joseph
To subscribe to the magazine, click Subscribe
