Metaphysical Reviews

Yesterday Suzanne and I went to see A Wrinkle in Time. What an interesting movie! It’s based on the “un-adaptable” 1962 novel by Madeleine L’Engle, which is still in print.

Meg Murray (Storm Reid) is a thirteen year old girl. Her parents (Chris Pine and Gugu Mbatha-Raw) are brilliant physicists who have been working on an astrophysical theory of tesseracts, which can wrinkle time and let one travel across the Universe. While exploring this theory, Meg’s father disappeared. It has been four years, and Meg is going through all the normal problems of adolescence. But she wants to find her father.

Meg’s younger brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), who is always referred to by both names for some reason, has made contact with a powerful entity known as Mrs. Whatsit, engagingly played by Reese Witherspoon. Mrs. Whatsit confirms that tesseracts are real and that Mr. Murry has “tessered” to a faraway part of the Universe. She suggests that Meg and Charles Wallace can find their father.

They encounter two others, the quote-spouting Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling) and the eldest of the group, Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey.) The three reveal themselves to be astral beings and they lead Meg, Charles Wallace, and Meg’s friend Calvin (who has a crush on Meg) to find Mr. Murry. Calvin has issues with his own father, so he looks forward to the adventure.

Along the way, they encounter such entities as the Happy Medium (Zach Galifianakis.) It is revealed that their father has been captured by the It, an “evil” entity that, as Mrs. Which explains, “represents all of the greed, anger, pride, selfishness, and low self-esteem in the world.” It lives on a planet named Camazotz, which is where Mr. Murry is being held.

Meg’s determination to find her dad lands them all on Camazotz, where the Mrs. depart, saying that the energy of the It is diminishing their light. Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin are left to find Mr. Murry. But some strange things happen to Charles Wallace along the way, which only dissipate due to the persistent love of Meg.

Do they return to Earth? Is all well that ends well? How will the adventure end? For that, you’ll have to see the movie.

What do we learn from A Wrinkle in Time? Well, for one thing, the power of love to overcome the appearance of evil. Love is the most powerful force in the Universe.

For another thing, we learn of the power of a determined mind. The travelers land on Camazotz due to Meg’s insistence on finding her father. And it is by the force of her determination that they move through all the obstacles and traps the It sets up for them. A Wrinkle in Time reminds us of the power of mind.

And we have to walk through the storms, through the obstacles, through the traps, if we’re to achieve what we set out to achieve. We must be willing to face the It in our lives and keep on going. We must do what we are here to do, regardless of what it takes. We do so through the power of Love.

All in all, quite a fable for our times. We really enjoyed the movie and I would recommend seeing it. It’s an enjoyable couple of hours and you’ll feel quite inspired when you leave the theater.

Readers of this space know of my love for musicals. The Greatest Showman is a musical story of the life of P.T. Barnum. It is a different work from the Broadway musical Barnum. I enjoyed both.

The film tracks Barnum from his unsuccessful ventures through the establishment of his circus. (It makes you wish he were here to revive his circus, which is now out of business.) he recruits all kinds of freak acts and makes stars of them. This meets with great objections from the “proper” members of the community.

Eventually, Barnum brings jenny Lind to America and becomes the toast of society, but he has to return to his circus. Ultimately, he leaves his circus for his family.

By today’s standards, one might argue that Barnum is exploiting these performers, but they sing a song of gratitude to him for treating them like humans instead of freaks. It’s quite moving.

Can we treat people like people with dignity, no matter how they show up in our lives?

I recommend this movie.

A while ago, Suzanne and I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi. It’s an excellent movie. It continues the saga from where The Force Awakens left off.

You may recall that the prior film ended with Rey handing Luke his light saber. Now, she requests that he train her as a Jedi, but he refuses, saying it’s time for the Jedi to end. Eventually, Rey’s persistence wins the day.

While she is training, she is connected in mind to Kylo Ren. They begin talking. Rey goes to meet the Supreme Leader. Kylo Ren reports that “the Force is strong with that one.”

Eventually, Luke projects himself holographically and stops an attack on a rebel base (which has Leia and Rey, along with Poe Dameron, Fin, and others present.)

At one point in Rey’s training, Luke asks her what the Force is. She says it’s something the Jedi use. Luke corrects her and tells her that is everywhere, in and around all.

That may be the key point of The Last Jedi. The Force is in and around all, it can be used for good or evil, and we get to choose. Sounds very New Thougth to me.

We enjoyed this movie. If you can catch it, do. As Yoda would say, “Like it you will.”

Recently we went to see The Star. It’s a retelling of the Nativity story from the perspective of the animals. While faithful to the mainstream Christian telling of the story, it puts a humorous spin on the familiar story, attempting to make it lighthearted.

The movie starts at “Nine months B.C.” It shows an angel telling Mary that she is to bear a child. The message is overheard by a mouse named Abby. Abby attempts to tell the other animals what is happening.

Meanwhile, we see a pair of mill donkeys, one younger and one older, chained to a wheel, going around and around, milling. The younger one dreams of escaping to join the Royal Caravan. He feels that is important, and he does not feel that milling is an important use of his life.

When he finally escapes, he injures an ankle. He is treated by a woman who names him Boaz (Bo, for short.) That woman is Mary. In spite of Mary’s kindness, Bo and his friend Dave (a dove) plan to escape to join the caravan. Eventually, the call goes out for the census and Mary and Joseph depart for Bethlehem, leaving Bo and Dave behind.

At the same time, the Three Wise Men arrive at Herod’s palace with their donkeys, Felix, Cyrus, and Deborah, who are keeping a running commentary on the proceedings. They talk of the new King. Herod determines to find the child and have him killed. He sends one of his most vicious warriors, accompanied by two bad dogs named Rufus and Thaddeus. They have interrogated Abby, so they know where to look. Bo and Dave realize that Mary and Joseph are in danger.

On their way to warn Mary and Joseph, they encounter a sheep named Ruth who is following the star that has been seen in the sky. The three of them set off to save Mary and Joseph and the child, and complications ensue. At one point, the group breaks up. Bo has a critical choice to make.

Eventually, they reconnect and they cross paths with the Wise Men. Mary and Joseph are saved, and their baby, Jesus, is born in a manger, surrounded by the Wise Men and their donkeys, Bo and Dave, Ruth and her flock, and others.

The movie gets there by way of some wonderfully silly humor. You’ll enjoy it.

There are a couple of takeaways for me from The Star. First, there are several situations in which characters find the need for forgiveness and receive it. It reminds us to forgive, even when we find it difficult.

But the more important takeaway, for me, is that sometimes when you’re pursuing what you think you’re supposed to do, what you think is important, something bigger takes hold of you. When it does, you need to follow it.

The characters in The Star are “following yonder star”, which is leading them to the birthplace of Jesus. What is your star? Are you willing to dedicate everything you have to following that, wherever it may lead you? That is your life’s work. That is what you’re here to do. Let it take hold of you and follow where it leads.

And enjoy the movie.

In the 1975 Broadway musical A Chorus Line, there is a scene where one of the main characters, Cassie, is asked by the director why she is still trying out for the chorus when she has been a lead. She answers tellingly, “I’m a dancer. A dancer dances.”

Felicie, the heroine of Leap!, would understand. Felicie is an orphan in an orphanage in Brittany in nineteenth-century France. The only thing she has left from her mother is a beautiful music box with a ballerina dancing in it. She dreams of escaping the orphanage and becoming a great ballerina. Her best friend Victor also dreams of escaping the orphanage. He dreams of becoming a great inventor.

Victor rigs up a device to fly away from the orphanage. It doesn’t quite work, but it lands them in a truck headed to Paris for a farmer’s market. Upon their arrival in Paris, Felicie and Victor get split up, but they stay in touch and help support each other as they navigate their way through their new situations and towards their dream.

Felicie wanders into the Academie National des Artes, where she sees a great ballerina before getting mistaken for a thief and nearly arrested. This simply reminds Felicie of her dream of becoming a great ballerina. Meanwhile, she winds up getting attached to a cleaning lady with a cane.

Victor, meanwhile, has hooked on as an apprentice to a sculptor who is making a large statue to send to America. While at work, he continues to work on his wings.

After a lot of training and hard work, Felicie winds up competing against the daughter of a very wealthy patron of the arts for the privilege of playing Clara in a production of The Nutcracker. Both are asked why they dance. Felicie answers that she dances because it’s what she has wanted to do since she was a little girl; it’s how she expresses herself. It’s her dream.

A confrontation ensues with the other girl’s mother, who is determined that her daughter must have the part. Eventually, she is saved by Victor’s flying wings. His invention is working!

Leap! is about dreams. It’s about pursuing your dream at all costs, about surrendering and working to achieve that which is yours to do, about following that which drives you, no matter what it takes to get there.

Leap! is sweet, fun, adventuresome, and inspiring. You will not regret spending a little while in this world. I highly recommend it. Inspire yourself and go see Leap!

Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp,

Or what’s a heaven for? – Robert Browning

The best stories are not really about their characters, but about us.

Suzanne and I saw the opera L’Amour de Loin live from the Metropolitan Opera.  It’s a relatively new opera for just three characters : Jaufré Rudel, Prince of Blaye; a Pilgrim; and the Countess of Tripoli, Clémence.    They were brilliantly sung by Eric Owens, Tamara  Mumford, and Susanna Phillips, respectively, along with the always-wonderful Metropolitan Opera Chorus.

The opera, composed in 2000 by Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho with a libretto by Lebanese librettist Amin Maalouf, is based on a centuries-old legend.   It is set in Aquitaine in the 12^th century.

Jaufré has been dreaming of a “faraway love” whom he has never met.  He writes poems and songs to her.  His friend The Pilgrim, a world traveler, hears his songs and poems..  The chorus tells him that no such woman exists, but The Pilgrim says that she just might.  However, she remains a dream, an ideal.  Although Jaufré can think of nothing else, he also believes he will never meet her.

The Pilgrim goes to Tripoli and tells Clémence that a prince-troubador sings of her, his “love from afar.”  At first, Clémence is offended, but then   she begins to dream of her “faraway lover.”  The Pilgrim, returning to Aquitaine, tells Jaufré that his “love from afar” knows about him.  Jaufré decides that he must meet her.

Jaufré and The Pilgrim set off on a journey across the sea to Tripoli to meet Clémence.  Jaufré is both excited and terrified of this meeting.  Although he is eager to meet Clémence, he is worried that he might be disappointed and the meeting could ruin his image of her.  This conflict and anguish makes Jaufré quite ill, and by the time he arrives in Tripoli, he is dying.

When the ship arrives, The Pilgrim tells Clémence that Jaufré has arrived, but he is near death, and that he wishes to see her.  Jaufré is carried in unconscious, but revives in Clémence’s presence.  They declare their love for each other, then Jaufré dies in Clémence’s arms.  This sends Clémence into a rage at Heaven, but she finally decides to go into a convent and prays to God, to her “faraway lover.”

This opera is about love.  It is about romantic love and Divine Love.  It is about passion that drives us to reach for the object of our desire, the thing we are passionate about, regardless of the consequences – even if we have to give our lives in the pursuit.  It is about following our star, no matter how far it takes us.  What is your star?  What is your “love from afar” that won’t let you not pursue it?  What is the thing you cannot not do?  And are you willing to let it drive you, no matter the cost?

The story of Jaufré and Clémence reminds us to listen and follow this, that no matter the cost, the pursuit is always worth it.  And sometimes, when you catch it, it really does live up to your vision of it.  There is no better time than now.