I'm not generally a movie-goer, but this year, I've viewed 3 movies (2 in theaters) I highly recommend. All 3 were on my 2026 bucket list. Last month, I wrote up a whole movie review for my favorite movie of the year, A Great Awakening. It was powerful! Definitely a must-see! I saw it twice in the theater and would have happily gone again, if it had remained in our local theaters longer. To be honest, I might even consider purchasing the DVD eventually.
I was anxiously awaiting May 8th, the release day for the Netflix movie adaptation of Shelby Van Pelt's outstanding book, Remarkably Bright Creatures. The big draw was Sally Field playing the main human character, Tova Sullivan. Man-oh! Man-oh! It did not disappoint. When I wasn't laughing, I was wrecked with tears. Once again, I found myself raving about the movie to anyone who would listen. I watched it again on Wednesday night with my youngest son. He loved it! I hope to watch it some weekend with my husband (a very reluctant movie-goer).
Sometimes readers worry that a movie will not live up to the book (because so many don't deliver). This fit those rare occasions when the movie actually hones the book and conveys the essence clearly. The movie cut away much of the background information for the drifter character, Cameron. But, in doing so, it gained strength for the bond between Tova and Cameron. My heart ached with the grief they each carried (Tova for her dead son and Cameron for his dead mother), grief that deepened their friendship. Add in the excellent narration of Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus, and the relationships resonated abundantly. I did see a few readers on Facebook mourning the loss of things like the missing house key, but the majority are raving about how well the adaptation communicated Van Pelt's intended story. The emotional impact is strong, characters well-developed, and take-away profound.
My third favorite movie of the year is another unexpected one. When I first heard the premise of Remarkably Bright Creatures, I didn't think I'd like the novel because it includes, well... a talking animal. Seriously. But some storytellers can pull off talking animals. On Tuesday ($6 day), Sean and I went to see The Sheep Detectives. Sean's girlfriend was bummed when she found out because she had wanted to see it, too. Thankfully, it will show later at the $5 theater near her.
I was expecting a humorous little talking animal tale about a flock of sheep solving the mystery of their shepherd's murder. I loved the idea that the shepherd read to his sheep each night from mystery novels, assuming they couldn't understand because they were only sheep. This movie was fun and entertaining, yes. But, it also led to a great deal of deeper thought about biblical metaphors. The movie stirred reflection on how we, as sheep (sometimes as shunned winter lambs), often go astray. The shepherd saves us from danger and destruction. He calls us by name.
The movie addresses deep concepts amid animal hijinks. The sheep must contemplate leaving the safety of the fold, consider death and grief, and wrap their heads around the concept of God. Sean and I tried to communicate the clever scene discussing God, but couldn't remember it enough to do it justice when regaling my husband. I found a movie reviewer who captured the scene well. I didn't feel like it made light of God or led to nonsensical views. Personally, the whole movie made me think about God and our relationship to Him. Here's how Daniel Blackaby reviewed the God-explanation scene:
"There is a humorous moment in which the sheep walk through the church grounds, and one sheep tries to explain God to the other. God is a shepherd, but also a lamb. He also “damns people”, but this only leads the other sheep to assume God must be giant beaver. God is invisible, but he is also bread, and people eat him every Sunday, says the one sheep to his increasingly confused friend. Some viewers may feel this dialogue makes light of God or equates faith in him with nonsense, but I found the honest questions endearing."
The movie is family friendly and could open up conversation about the deep scriptural metaphors portrayed in the movie. God is, indeed, "complicated," but I welcome even humorous tales that drive home spiritual truths. The writing is incredibly clever and witty. It holds appeal to children and adults alike. Good shepherds, bad shepherds, beloved sheep, wayward rejected sheep - we each can find God and ourselves in this story. May I be an attentive sheep and listen to my Shepherd.
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