Authors-choice: Hope & Revival

I once saw a movie called “Once” and it made me very happy. One of the things I loved about this movie was the beauty of the friendship between the boy (Glen Hansard) and the girl (Markéta Irglová). Their friendship was not reduced to mindless sex like friendship between boys and girls in Hollywood movies often are. In one of the more memorable scenes, they went to the boy’s place and after introducing her to his Father, the boy took her up to his bedroom to enjoy some nice song he had written. When it was time to go, the girl wouldn’t bulge when the boy’s passion got the better of him and he asked, almost pleaded with her to stay the night.

“I really must go now,” said the girl

“Please stay”

“What!” the girl asked shocked.

“Please stay the night ‘ the boy repeated sheepishly

“Fuck this’ the girl said, and stormed out.

The next day they patched things up when the boy apologized for the insult and they go on to make a truly beautiful music.

The producers of this movie won my respect because of the girl’s character. She reminded me of the modesty and self-respect which young girls in time past used to have and which today they have almost entirely lost. She carried her femininity with such dignity and grace that would put to shame many young girls. Today, a girl would share romantic moment with a boy; she, immodestly clad and having an alcoholic drink. She does not know his last name, and she would  have sex with him before the evening is out. Tomorrow they may part and have nothing to do with each other thereafter. This is the type of culture Hollywood has created and it is now everywhere.  It is ironic that this movie was made in Ireland. I think they have a lot to teach Hollywood about making decent movies.

Hollywood has made us into sex addicts and sex revolutionaries. Our values and sense of right and wrong, as Peter Kreeft says, are all standing on their heads. Now, because of sex you  can steal another man’s wife. You cannot betray your lawyer without being severely penalized, but you can betray your wife because of sex. You cannot kill bald eagles or blue whales without being a criminal but you can kill your own children as long as you do it a second before the two blades of the scissors meet in the middle of the umbilical cord rather than a second after, or a second before the body emerges from the birth canal rather than a second after… all because of sex. What kind of logic is this? Perhaps, perhaps this is why this movie that was shot for only €112,000 (US$150,000), was successful, earning substantial per-screen box office averages and the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song and the soundtrack as a whole also received a Grammy Award nomination, all because it shows us what true values we once had, and what true society we once had, but now lost.

Here is the sound track of Falling slowly 

The movie;