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CURRENTLY IN MOVIES
Remember who you are

Gordon Matties

A Walk To Remember Directed by Adam Shankman Warner Brothers, 2002. 1 hr., 40 min. Rating: PG

I’m intrigued by movies that portray Christian characters in a contemporary setting. That’s done well in A Walk To Remember. Jamie Sullivan (Mandy Moore) is a high-school student whose faith thoroughly informs her life. Although we are not offered insight into how she has come to terms with the difficulties in her life, we recognize her as a person of integrity and with deep moral conviction. She isn’t obsessed about appearances and has little concern for what her peers think of her. She respects her widowed father (Peter Coyote). Although she looks good (even without trendy clothing) and thinks well of herself, she is teased mercilessly by the cool kids, and with painful consequences. She even befriends one of the guys, Landon Carter (Shane West), who, because of his behaviour, is required to volunteer for the school drama. Since “befriending someone she doesn’t like” is one of her 50 goals, she agrees to help him learn his lines. More than friendship creeps up on Jamie and Landon. And yes, there is a tragic twist that brings out the best in everyone.

This is not an artistic movie, nor does it avoid clichés. Its relational, character-transforming plot, however, makes it well worth family viewing. Two days after watching the movie with my family, I asked my children (Jesse, 11; Zoe, 13) what they liked about it: “They didn’t make the girl totally stereotypical. You shouldn’t judge people before you know them. It was emotional. The characters learned to recognize their mistakes.”

The movie raises questions about what we value, what motivates us, what we’re afraid of and what we love. It invites us to ask, What makes Jamie different from the others? and How do people change? A youth discussion guide suggests that the movie depicts a character “living intentionally, living contrarily, and living infectiously” (www.interlinc-online.com/docs/walktorememberguide.pdf).

A Walk To Remember is an exploration of the power of faith, hope and love, and of the transformation that comes when Paul’s love poem (1 Corinthians 13), quoted several times in the movie, is embodied in life.

Gordon Matties is associate professor of biblical studies and theology at Canadian Mennonite University in Winnipeg. He has his own web page on faith and film, cmu.ca/library/faithfilm.html.

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Last modified October 3, 2002.

© 2002 Mennonite Brethren Herald.
Published by the Canadian Conference of MB Churches.
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