Jennifer & I watched Cry, the Beloved Country this evening. I heartily recommend it (though not for small children).

Set in South Africa in the days leading to Apartheid, it tells the story of two men, a black priest and a white landowner, whose lives are brought together through a crime. It is a deeply moving film of pain, sorrow, and redemption. The acting and photography were also quite excellent.

What I found most compelling about the film was the depth, authenticity, and character of the people in the story. The picture it portrays of life is not pretty, but it is real. Life happens, people commit great sins, but life goes forward, and that is how the characters of Cry operate. They request mercy, grant forgiveness, show compassion, and move forward with life through great tragedy.

I particularly liked the young minister, Theophilus Msimangu. He treated the older minister (Rev. Kumalu, one of the principle characters) with respect and deference and laid down his life to meet his needs and help him find his family. He also had a healthy view of God and himself, responding to Rev. Kumalu’s comment “you are kind” with “I am not kind. I am selfish and sinful. But God has laid his hand on me.” He was also quick to seek forgiveness when he spoke hastily and unkindly, and towards the end of the film revealed more of his pure heart as he chose to leave the world and his possessions to devote himself to prayer that the greatest fear of his life might be averted: that “when the whites turn to love, they will find we have turned to hate.” He cared not for himself, but rather for the needs of Rev. Kumalu, for the peace of his land, and that his brothers would not grow so hard that unity would be impossible.

It also has a healthy and fairly theologically sound portrayal of the church and Christian life. The characters wrestle with reconciling faith in a merciful God with the pain and injustice filling their country, with the allurement of sin, and with the inconsistency of claiming the name of Christ while abusing and trampling upon fellow man. I was quite pleased to see such an accurate, faithful, and positive portrayal of the faith.

In closing, I wish there were more films like this. Well made, clean, and accurately depicting real people dealing with real problems. My hat is off to the makers of this movie (or, rather, it would be if I had a hat).