Faith in Film, Week 9

Movie can surprise you. I think that's something I really took away from my first viewing of "The Shallows," during a weekend in June 2016, when it was released. It was a little shark movie that cost about $17 million to make, ran 85 minutes, and featured only one real performer — Blake Lively. I went in not sure what to expect, and what I got was one of the best films of the year, and one of the bravest performances.

But what helps "The Shallows" stand out — and I'd call it the second best shark movie behind "Jaws" — is that it's a genre piece that transcends genre. Yes, she fights a shark for survival, but more importantly than that she's fighting against her own inner demons. And it's that last part that helps you invest in the character and the story in a real way.

Nancy (Lively) is on a journey of grief, one that's taken her away from her life and the future she envisioned for her self and into a remote beach to connect with her recently deceased mother. journalist Anne Roiphe said, “Grief is in two parts. The first is loss. The second is the remaking of life.” Nancy has felt that loss and you get the sense that part of her journey to this spot is in an effort to make sense of that loss and to move on.

Then she battles a shark. And while her literal fight to survive is compelling, more compelling is her struggle to find herself.

As Christians, we go through periods of struggle, too. And it can cause us to be down and to lose our way. But we also have hope in the midst of that struggle because we know that we don't struggle alone. 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 puts it like this, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” We might be pressed, perplexed and persecuted, but we’re NOT alone. And we are NOT destroyed.

Nancy wasn't either. And much as often happens for all of us, her painful and difficult experiences made her stronger and put her on the right path.

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

2. We all grieve differently. In this film, Nancy is grieving the loss of her mother and it sets her on a path trying to connect in some way. Have you ever had an experience like that, where you had to work things out?

3. When she’s on the phone with her father he suggests that if Nancy wants to honor her mother, she needs to fight like her mother. Nancy is lost and is, seemingly, running away. While awful, this experience reframes her challenges and helps her move forward. How can difficult experiences help shape us in positive ways?