September
5 September
One boy's wish changed a man. One man's wish changed the world.
WISH MAN, US, 2019. Starring Andrew Steel, Kirby Bliss Blanton, Tom Sizemore, Frank Whaley, Julian Curtis, Robert Pine, Fay Masterson, Steven Michael Quezada, Bruce Davison, Jason Gerhardt, Dale Dickey, Christian Ganiere, Chris Day, Larry Wilcox, Danny Trejo. Directed by Theo Davies. 107 minutes. Rated M (Mature themes, violence and coarse language).
While there is a sense of the presence of God, it is not an explicitly faith film though its story line has resemblances. It is a strong values film, with the storytelling in the emotional American style.
The film is based on a true story. The central character, Frank Shankwitz, established a foundation, described in a Google entry: ‘Make-A-Wish was founded in 1980 and headquartered in Phoenix. The organisation operates through its 59 chapters located throughout the United States. Make-A-Wish also operates in nearly 50 other countries around the world through 39 international affiliates.’
The film opens in the backblocks of Illinois and then moves to Arizona, Prescott. The screenplay veers between the story of the young Frank, his living in a caravan with his harsh mother, resentful of her husband, disappearing with Frank when the husband threatens to sue for some custody. She and Frank move to Arizona and Frank gets some local jobs, being befriended by a store owner. When his mother disappears, Frank has to stand up for himself and learn to assert himself. When he grows up he becomes a motorcycle cop.
There is some drama when he pursues a couple driving recklessly, violence ensuing, and the need for his calling for help, the difficulty being that the officer who comes to help is antagonistic to Frank. In the violence, Frank is knocked out, not breathing for three minutes but then reviving. This has quite an effect on him, although he is hard-headed, not wanting to be dependent on anyone, either in hospital or out of it.
He has a sympathetic boss and there is a new officer, Kitty, who is seconded to look after Frank and his recovery – with mixed results. However, as expected, a bond does grow up between the two.
There are three dramatic strands. There is a false report about Frank and the violence with the couple he stopped on the road, their suing, and the antagonistic policeman and the boss conspiring with the couple to blame Frank. Frank is saved by a lawyer, a friend of the young rookie who works with Frank and is the target of Frank’s putdowns. Frank is vindicated. Then there is the issue of the disappearance and some scenes with Frank’s father, living in Chicago, reading a report about Frank and making contact, leading to a tearful reunion (and a touch tearful for the audience as well).
The key strand is the request by a little boy dying of leukaemia to meet the motorcycle cops, influenced by the popular TV series of the time, Chips, and Frank, initially unwilling, of course, bonding with a little boy, his being welcomed, badges, helmet, on the bikes. The little boy dies and Frank goes to the funeral, moved by the fulfilment of the little boy’s wish – and, so, the origins of ‘Make a Wish’.
Frank Shankwitz himself was an adviser on the film, and persuaded people in Prescott to provide locations for the filming and some crowdfunding for its completion.
The cast includes quite a number of veteran American character actors, but the central role is taken by Australian, Andrew Steel (and the rookie is played by Australian Justin Curtis). Kitty is played by Kirby Bliss Blanton.
Some tough moments and situations, some emotional moments, and an affirmation of faith and hope in human nature and values. https://wonder.watch/wish-man
12 September
Camino De Santiago Faith Walk with Kristin and Peter is a new documentary that follows husband and wife Kristin Dickerson and Peter Fleisher as they embark on Spain's ancient 500-mile pilgrimage to the remains of Saint James, apostle of Jesus.
CAMINO DE SANTIAGO – FAITH WALK WITH KRISTIN AND PETER, US, 2022. Featuring Kristin Dickerson, Peter Fleisher. Directed by Peter Fleisher. 103 minutes
Walking the Camino has become popular over the past 20 years in English-speaking countries. It is the pilgrimage path from the French foot of the Pyrenees, across the Pyrenees and travelling northern Spain to the city of Santiago, the Cathedral where, allegedly, the apostle James is buried. It has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries.
In 2011, Emilio Estevez popularised the Camino for American and world audiences with his fiction feature film, The Way, starring his father, Martin Sheen. And, there have been many books, film documentaries. This film is an American experience.
Husband and wife of 10 years, Kristin and Peter (bushy-beard and looking like a bushranger) decide to take the time to reflect on their lives and make some spiritual decisions. However, they also took a camera and, to great visual effect, a drone. Which means that this is a record of the Camino which is highly personal but also extraordinarily visual. On their return from Spain to the US, the couple worked on editing the film, incorporating a great deal of talk to camera during the pilgrimage but also taking the opportunity of reflecting on the experience and its aftermath eight months later.
Kristin and Peter have a basic kind of faith, not church-focused, indications of Jesus in the Gospel, but using God-language. This is a very human/spiritual pilgrimage that many audiences who have no religious affiliations can appreciate.
On the one hand, we are invited, especially by Kristin, to share what happened at each phase of their walking, burdens, some illness, some emotional crises, wise advice from fellow pilgrims, some music and singing, wise words from a priest, welcome by some nuns at one of the centres, Kristin’s self-reflection on spiritual crises, spiritual growth. And, she is supported, genially, by Peter.
On the other hand, this is a rather beautiful travelogue. Each step of the way is recorded, particular days of the walk, always the name of the town visited, special features such as churches, monasteries, statues, cathedrals, a cross of iron in the countryside, the variety of welcomes at the hostels. So, an extraordinary range of pictures of the countryside, mountainous, plains, small towns, bridges and aqueducts, monasteries and church interiors.
One of the advantages of listening to Kristin and Peter if an audience is contemplating the Camino, is that they can understand something of what will happen, spiritual growth. The other is the advantage of viewing so many places, so many landmarks, that the countryside of northern Spain comes alive.
19 September
The wounds and traumas from absent and abusive fathers are profound.
THE STREETS WERE MY FATHER. US, 2021, Featuring Carlos Colon, Louis Dooley, Leslie Williams. Directed by Don Albert. 72 minutes. (Mature themes)
Three American men take the opportunity to tell their life story to camera, articulate and moving in their presentation of themselves, great honesty, and some visuals as background to their stories.
The intention of the documentary is clear with the information and statistics presented at the end. The information highlights the number of prisoners in US prisons, more than two million, and a high percentage of them male. And there are statistics about prisoners, those in juvenile detention, runaways… And how the high percentage of these did not have fathers.
And this is a key theme as the men recall their lives, absent fathers, harsh fathers, fathers murdered in drug deals… The director also made a documentary two years earlier, I Never Knew My Father.
The three men tell their stories from the vantage point of the late 2010s. They are able to tell their story with emotion, but more objectively, enabling the audience to understand how they felt as children, their home situation, opportunities for education or not, the impact of fathers and father’s absence, inadequacies of mother’s care, the attraction of gangs and life in the streets in their mid-teens, greater involvement in the gang life, stealing, violence, drug dealing, and, with two of them, murders.
Initially, the conversations have no major religious focus. It is only in prison when they reflect on their lives, having served long years of sentence, t opportunities arise to reflect on their future, better lives, the religious dimensions, the discovery of some presence of God, even God becoming a father-figure.
The men have strong, persuasive and convincing personalities as they speak to camera.
The men have served long sentences, become more religious, becoming more involved in ministry to prisoners, and a scene of forgiveness and reconciliation by the father of a murdered man.
This is obviously a documentary for reflecting on men, the role of a father, absence, consequences and crime, reflection on prison life, possibilities for rehabilitation. The language of the film is focused on Jesus and God’s Word, rather than the experience of church.
Obviously, a film for those in prison, those with social concern and care, chaplains, and a film for family and friends of those in prison.
26 September
MAN OF GOD – the story of a Greek Orthodox saint. Click here for review.
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