Hope

Hope is a wonderfully poignant and touching film which goes to the essence of what human existence is all about. It’s about clinging onto “pure emotion” when all seems lost.

There’s a universality about this film that appeals to me – whether the filmmakers intended Hope to be a metaphor for God is ultimately up to the viewer. The images of Martin Luther King and John and Yoko, which emerge in a burst of colour, are particularly evocative, as is the minimalist piano soundtrack by renowned New York composer Philip Glass.

I recently showed the short movies that are being reviewed and discussed by Campfire to my year 10 Biblical Studies class. To say the least, we were all captivated and saddened by the movie on hope.

The movie is incredibly compelling as it takes you into the life of a man who is all alone in a hospital bed and on the verge of death.

The movie leaves the viewer in no doubt that he had his fair share of trials and failings in life, yet despite this he is esteemed for having extraordinary hope in life. The movie is creative in the way that hope is portrayed as a lady who is surprised at how often during the man's life she was shared with other people through his actions and attitudes.

The tragedy of the film, which is what makes it so compelling to watch, is that this man who had seemed to bring extraordinary hope to so many others throughout his life is devoid of hope at the most crucial time in his life; his death.

You are left at the end with a dark, empty feeling of worthlessness as what in life seemed to be so optimistic, in death comes to naught. A man, alone, on his death bed, without any hope about what lies before him.

As a Christian I believe that we all have the opportunity to die with the hope of life. I hope that people who watch this film will be challenged to consider that! We don't talk much about it in our culture. Those who are still living speak about death very clinically and without much thought about the reality of what lies beyond our short time here.

What hope is there for someone at the end of their life who is about to die? Is it that people will remember them well? That if God exists he must be a God of Love and Love alone? That surely there will be no one who has tried hard in life in hell?

The Christian faith tells the truth about the only reliable foundation for hope that exists in our world. The Bible testifies to hope that won't desert us at death.

Hebrews 10: 22-23

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

In a fallen and broken world, how can we have hope? In a world where all who are born die, how can we have hope that our existence will in any way be meaningful and extend beyond the death of our bodies? The Bible testifies that the very one who's air we breathe and world we live in has acted in human history to bring salvation and Hope to the lost through the death and resurrection of his Son Jesus Christ so that we can have the assurance of eternal peace and life with him. It is a hope that does not disappoint us on our death beds because the one who promises it is faithful.

Hebrews 6:18-19

God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged. 19We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

It is hope that Jesus Christ has secured for us and is on offer to all who will call upon his name.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

I was moved and perplexed by Hope. I grappled with the nature of hope. Is it simply a helpful defence mechanism to help me cope with the pain of life, a defence which disappears when I most need it, or is there here a glimpse of the incarnate One who journeys with us until we move into a richer understanding after we die?

Thanks for your comments with regard to my film. There are some interesting thoughts there - and also in the study guide.

For me, what was interesting about writing this film was the ambiguity. We always assume that some things are positive (hope) and some things are negative (giving up).

This film is about challenging that simplistic view. Sometimes people hurt themselves and those around them by sticking to a point of view - far beyond which it is useful. Sometimes your emotions become your own prison.