Saturday, April 21, 2007

A New Favorite Film



I finally watched Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School this week. Wow! I was skeptical about the movie, but a friend insisted I had to see it. Whether intentional or not, it is one of the most amazing representations of worship and liturgy I have ever seen. The main character bakes bread for a living (large sacramental clue), but his life is empty and meaningless until, through a series of providential circumstances, he arrives at Marilyn Hotchkiss’ Ballroom Dancing and Charm School. There, he enters into a life comprised of patterns, repetition, and rules that bring about freedom, rhythm, and joy in his life.

The film is filled with sacramental imagery and theological allusions as well as portrayals of substitutionary atonement, forgiveness, the moral foundation of rules, the bride of Christ, providence and sovereignty, and the rituals of worship. It is a fascinating movie with a keen eye for good filmmaking. **Warning—There are a few coarse bits of language.

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