Faith in Film — Devil

Tonight we look at a difficult film, "Devil," which was advertised like a straightforward horror movie but turns out to be something else. It's written by M. Night Shymalan, and it follows some of his familiar trademarks while looking at the idea of redemption and forgiveness.

Discussion Questions:
1. Did this movie work for you, why or why not?

2. Have you ever experienced a deep loss? How did you respond in that situation?

3. Have you ever experienced a situation that made it difficult for you to offer forgiveness?

4. How does it feel to forgive? How does it feel to be forgiven?

Thoughts:

This was not a movie that many people saw. It came out late in the summer of 2010 to little fanfare. By the time it was released, the name M. Night Shymalan didn’t have the creative weight it used to, and this was a small movie that came out during a season of blockbusters. Yet it offered a unique vision into a concept that was both engrossing and fascinating. The film is grounded in the idea of religion and wrestles with some weighty concepts throughout its short running time. All that is woven into a short, confined horror film. That is where the creativity of construction — not just of the story but of the film craft — comes into play. Everything comes full circle and is important in the telling of this story.

The film takes place almost entirely in an office building and, more specifically, in an elevator where five people are trapped. The reason they are all trapped together slowly becomes clear, and the reason that certain people are there to witness the whole thing becomes clear as well. This is a fascinating film that follows closely to the model that Shymalan uses in his films, as he came up with the story, but it narrows in on a specific religious concept. This is a film that forces you to deal with the idea of loss, how we respond to loss and, more importantly, how we face the idea of forgiveness. And, this film goes in a very unexpected direction, which is what makes it a cut above film that usually pervade this genre.

This film begins with a verse, Peter 5:8, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." That sets up a story that focuses on the devil, confession, and forgiveness. Though Shymalan isn't a Christian he nails the theology in this story, creating a powerful look at what it means to confess and what it means to be forgiven.

Interestingly, "Devil" ends up in in a similar place as "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," which seeks to sort of back door the idea of God by showing the audience The Devil and demons. But in this case, it comes on the heels of a powerful story of redemption, and is thus more effective — at least for those who saw it.

"Devil" is a little film that wasn't much of a hit, but it's fascinating to watch. Shymalan, for all his faults as a filmmaker and storyteller, is good at finding an emotional vein that resonates with me. I hope it resonated with you, too.