Maya, Martina, Denzel and Dakota-- Setting Me Free.......


Tonight Tim, Maik, and I went to see Man on Fire, the new Denzel Washington movie. The story lacked the hook to reel me in. About a fourth of the way into it my mind began to wander off into other fields, such as worrying about paying bills, organizing a trip, making french toast and contmeplating coming to a point where I can finally tell myself, "Well, here you are. Waco. I guess this is it for the next 50 or 60 years. It's a bitch, but it'll do."

But then Denzel and Dakota Fanning just pulled me in. Ann Lamott, when speaking about character in her book on writing, made the comment that some characters demand your attention. She quips that she could spend an entire day watching Anthony Hopkins do something as mundane as washing the dishes and be totally mesmerized. Denzel and Dakota, the cute little girl that first caught my attention in "I Am Sam," are quickly becoming those characters for me.

In the midst of all my worry about my life these two actors did something extraordinary, but I couldn't quite put my finger on it. Cognitively I understood that they were in front of a camera, reciting dialogue that was written down on a script, becoming fictional characters in order to tell a story and to entertain. The connection I was feeling was something much deeper than just a movie watcher interacting with actors. It was close to being a spiritual experience that would just have to remain a mystery.

And then I remembered the CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards from the other night. Just before Martina McBride gave a truly inspired performance of her new song she was introduced by Maya Angelou who came out of the closet as a true country music fan. (Yeah Maya!!!!) In her deep, pastorlike voice, she made the comment that if she were to be any singer in the world, she would want to be Martina McBride. Her admiration for the singer stemmed from the fact that, and I'm paraphrasing, "When Martina McBride sings, she sings from the depths. And in voicing her songs she never gets bogged down with just the facts. She sings truth. It is song and melody and tone that comes out of her mouth, but it's so much more. It's truth." And I couldn't agree more. When I experience a Martina McBride song, I experience what can only be called truth. Much in the same way that people have an emotional connection to Ani Defranco, U2, and Coldplay, I feel like I at least get a sliver of a view of the Holy when I hear Martina McBride.

And in the theater, I came to the realization that Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning were doing the same thing to me. They both grabbed me by my shirt collar and forced me to listen to them. What were they saying? I have no clue. But I do know that somewhere buried deep within their craft was Truth, and it took root in me and forced me to deal with it.

Thinking about Truth in such an abstract way is dangerous, I know. It's dangerous because, eventually, I'll be forced by someone to give an account for what I really believe Truth to be. "You talk about Truth. You say that Martina sings it and Denzel and Dakota portray it, but what is it?" Hidden in the question is another question, "Truth is Jesus. Truth is the Bible. Truth is God. Don't you believe that, or are you a liberal or a mystic?" All I can say to that is "Yes, maybe, and maybe."

Jesus said "I am the Truth." I don't see in that statement, or in the life he lived, where Jesus gave a rats ass about what the facts were when it came to ideas of Truth. He was Truth. To diminish Truth in such a way to where it could be stated propositionally would be to diminish him. Facts you can get a hold of and analyze and understand. Truth is much more elusive, and yet much more embrace-able, than mere facts.

I don't claim to have an adequate knowlege of art and cinema, as may be perceived from this post. But I do know what I felt. So go ahead, try to argue with my experience.