March 10, 2023
ANOTHER LOOK at the film, “I can only Imagine,” 2018, 2 hours. SHOULD YOU SEE IT? Yes. The content addresses a much-overlooked solution to what has become a societal sickness today — our family life experiences.
There are not many moments in any films, anywhere, that capture a transcendent moment — a moment that goes beyond mortal space and time and imparts a spiritual, heavenly, beauty so fragile and rare, it is to be treasured. This film does that. The final scene in “Places in the heart,” with Sally Field, is another, for instance, is so powerful, it could stay with you for decades, but to me, that was the only one. In “I can only Imagine” I counted three such moments making it remarkable.
A film with a PG rating outdoes Places in the Heart.
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There are so many traps a film like this could fall into, and by “like this” I mean one that purports to describe true spirituality in an honest fashion and with clarity, avoiding self aggrandisment the pursuit of fame; hitting the “Big Time,” and so becoming a run-of-the-mill “success” film, all in the name of Christ.
Mixing “worldly” fame with spirituality has never worked well in real life, or in films. Such films ring hollow, and they are ultimately empty, like clouds without rain. The promised payoff is tainted somehow. Not this one. I recommend it for those who would never darken the doorway of a church — as I once was — to find an answer to life’s questions.
I also think this is for those who missed “I Can Only Imagine” the first time out because, well, they never liked the song. This film is about far more than a single song, and shouldn’t be missed for concerns about “Hollywood-ization” of faith movies, as I did.
WHAT FILM’S THEME IS “I Can Only Imagine” LIKE, and NOT LIKE?
In the NOT LIKE category is “That Thing You Do,” another music story with Tom Hanks. That’s a fine movie, but the ending of the lives involved is completely different, and not just on the music level, but on the personal level.
The similar film that springs to mind is “Walk the Line” the story of Johnny Cash. In this spiritually under-stated film, is the example of broken-ness and of a flawed family, and a man redeemed, day by day, year by year, by continually turning to Christ.
The spiritual message of “I Can Only Imagine” is not “Your big break is going to come some day” if you just keep going, but that spiritual transformation — character transformation — and heart transformation for those plagued with demons of disapointment, failure, rage and regret (and those nearby negatively touched by it) is not impossible - it's actually probable.
