The Song

I went to see The Song at the movie theater with Alan and two other couples last Friday when it opened.  In the interests of full disclosure, I will admit that my interest was first piqued by the fact that my distant cousin, Ali Faulkner, had a leading role.

I keep thinking about the movie, however, and that raises it up a few notches from just going to see my cousin in a movie.  I'm also looking forward to watching (and discussing!) it with my teenagers.

In a nutshell, the movie is about a singer who gets married and his love for his wife inspires a song which rockets him to stardom.  He begins to travel more and their marriage is tested, each of their characters are tested, and they have to decide where to go from there.

But it's about so much more.  I keep reflecting on the many messages and themes woven throughout the movie and the more I think about it, the more I like it.

I love the way Scripture was woven through the story.  I recognized passages from Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon, and think some were from Proverbs.  This was incredibly well done.

I love the idea.  I really, really love the general idea of the story.  The main character, Jed King, is the son of David King.  David. . .as in David of the Old Testament.  David was a famous artist who made some big mistakes--such as seeing a friend's wife skinny dipping, betraying his friend, and experiencing the friend's death.  Does this story sound familiar to anyone?  Then David's son, Solomon. . .er, I mean Jed. . .is determined not to repeat his father's mistakes.  He asks the Lord for wisdom.  And he experiences all that the world has to offer before declaring them vanity, vanity.

I look forward to discussing with my children the importance of seeking a man or woman of integrity to marry.  Integrity and strong character.  Who will they be when the trials of life come?  How will they handle adversity, temptation, mistakes?   Who they are is so much more important than being whisked off your feet or flattered by attention and charming words (or songs).

I look forward to discussing with my children the importance of "leaving and cleaving"--of transferring your loyalty from your family of origin to your spouse, even while honoring your parents.  Marriage is to be held in honor and the marriage bed undefiled, and this movie provides a good opportunity to discuss this.  Unfortunately, the marriage bed is a prime place to practice selfishness, and it's good for people to have the proper expectations and attitude before going into marriage.  This was tactfully handled, but as I have discussions with young christians, I think some of the points that come up in the movie are good for people to consider and discuss prior to marriage.

The forbidden or "strange" woman of Proverbs 5-7 is fleshed out in the character of Shelby Bale and she comes right out and reveals her worldview to Jed.  "Remove your way far from her!" you'll want to shout, but alas, Jed is one of those people who doesn't learn from the mistakes or teachings of others--he has to take the field trip.  Oh how I hope and pray my children will choose to learn from the wisdom of those who have gone before rather than insisting on learning the hard way.

While there were times I thought the movie dragged a little, and I wasn't a fan of the music, I still liked "The Song."  For it was the song--the story--of living and loving and falling and growing and being picked up.  It's about being human and about being forgiven.  It's a life story of redemption that I can relate to.