A boy grows up without a father and finds himself shiftless and devoid of meaning, manhood, and mission. Another young man, facing racial discrimination because of a mixed marriage, finds himself wrestling with emotional immaturity. Finding themselves in the same work environment, facing imminent danger and opposition, their shared struggle gives them a new sense of family and redeeming new direction.

On the surface, this isn’t the synopsis you’d expect for a phaser-fast sci-fi action movie like Star Trek, but it’s truly the underlying narrative warp of this film’s story engine. Engage this film with us Friday night in North Seattle as we look at more points than Vulcan ears and see if J.J. Abram’s latest installment of the Trek Universe torpedoes or takes flight.

In contrast to young men wrestling with reaching manhood, last month for Film and Theology we looked at an aging man finding redemption in Gran Torino. You can access the recap and audio exploration of this film below.

“Death is bittersweet. Bitter in pain… but sweet in salvation.”

I passed on Gran Torino when it hit the theaters last year, making some assumptions about the pace, content, and preachiness of the film. Thankfully, Clint Eastwood directed and starred in a film that does an incredible job dealing with all the great divides – color, class, culture, and even age – with a story that never feels like an afterschool special.

“You seem to know a lot about death… don’t seem to know a lot about living.”

The film deals with an unrepentant man who is a judge of everyone and everything, including himself. The film doesn’t transform the character of Walt Kowalski into culture’s view of an enlightened individual, but he does come to understand grace, not just cognitively but efficaciously. There is also an interesting metacommentary in the film; while the character of Walt Kowalski lived by the gun, Clint Eastwood has made a living off of the gun from spaghetti westerns to Dirty Harry. While his love letter to the western saw his classic character riding off with gun in hand, Unforgiven, Gran Torino shows what happens when a man lays down his gun and picks up the cross.

Listen to the message here by clicking the image above, or download it by right-clicking HERE. Choose from other options by visiting the Mars Hill Media Library.

Cinema is a modern day pulpit; people flock to their local multiplex and find themselves moved by a worldview expressed in narrative, influenced by directors and screenwriters and who affect how we feel, think, and act. Monthly film viewings at the Lake City Campus are followed by an expository exploration of narrative themes and spiritual parallels.