Film watching helps form audience appreciation

It was difficult enough for Pastor Todd Burpo to deliver his religious sermons before his regular Sunday crowd in hometown Imperial, Nebraska. It was even more difficult to wrestle with his conscience that teetered between right and wrong, especially when the issue involved his four-year-old son, Colton.

The Burpos were a typical couple with their beliefs and biases in practically everything except religion. But when their son had to be rushed to the hospital, survived the difficult stomach operation and later started talking about God and Heaven during the time he was being operated on and had an out-of-body experience, the couple faced a different kind of challenge.

As Colton recounted the details of his visit with God in Heaven, Todd and Sonja didn’t know how to deal with this turn of events. All these had been written by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent in Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy’s Astounding Story of his Trip to Heaven and Back. And this little piece of non-fiction, which won the best in its category from the New York Times bestsellers in 2010, has been turned into a movie.

The process of converting book to film, however, is a more difficult challenge, since one has to be faithful to the book particularly since it is a true-to-life account and will be portraying actual people and events.

In the movie, for instance, the couple awaiting the results of Colton’s operation separately find themselves praying to God. Sonja cannot accept the findings of the doctor that it would be better for them to be ready for the eventuality that their son will die. She calls on friends to pray for her son to get better. Pastor Todd, on the other hand, is aghast that God will allow this to happen to them, to let their son die. In a loud voice addressed to God, he shouts out his displeasure and disbelief.

The child Colton sees all these happening from his vantage point outside his body, and tells his mom and dad exactly what he saw — mom crying and calling on friends to pray for Colton, and his dad shouting and getting mad at God.

Todd and Sonja are played by Greg Kinnear and Kelly Reilly, and their son Colton by Connor Corum. Director is Randall Wallace who had to clear each item in the script that might be cause of any controversy.

As we watched the movie on Black Saturday, opening exactly at the same time as Vhong Navarro’s comedy film Da Possessed, we thought to ourselves that both were taking a risk in opening on this date. A true-to-life religious film at the end of Holy Week, and a comedy starring the most-talked-about person in showbiz coming out with his first film after all the ruckus? We were curious as to the outcome and therefore watched both films back to back.

Strangely enough, both screenings were full but had distinctly different audiences. We found ourselves joining the riotous crowd of Da Possessed that we thought was very well directed (by Bb. Joyce Bernal no less). It was fortunate also that Vhong’s leading lady Solenn Heussaff appeared exceedingly game for anything, including those sexy tumbling scenes that really drew applause from the audience.

When it came to Heaven is for Real, a slightly larger crowd welcomed us — this time older, quieter, more concerned with the story of this young boy Colton who went to Heaven and met God there. Believe it or not, everyone watching the film wept when Colton spoke of who else he met in heaven, like it was the most ordinary thing on earth to experience.

It was certainly a unique Black Saturday for us. We got to see how film watching helps form audience appreciation. It also exhibited the immense power of film over television where the music, lights and dialogue are of better quality, what particular scene went good or bad, and what one should watch out for in terms of special effects.

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