This past Friday we saw the Erwin brothers' new film, October Baby. Not a great film but certainly a good one. Significantly better with its lack of overt moralizing than, say, Courageous. Like Courageous, October Baby was directed by self-identified evangelical Christians. Both movies also shared a promotional platform of churches and evangelical organizations.
Unlike Courageous, however, October Baby didn't end with a Billy Graham-like altar call. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to disagree with October Baby's message, the healing power of forgiveness. The circumstance giving rise to multiple acts of forgiveness--an abortion--received relatively little attention and no condemnation. As far as genres go, girl-coming-of-age story fits best.
And, I suppose the NYT didn't overtly disagree with the message of October Baby. But with some snarky asides, scare quotes, and a gratuitous paragraph given over to Naral Pro-Choice America, one might think otherwise.
Regardless of the suspicion in which films inconsistent with the mindset of NYT writers are held, the bottom-line commercial success of October Baby and films like it cannot be ignored. And for pointing out this fact the NYT should be thanked.
Unlike Courageous, however, October Baby didn't end with a Billy Graham-like altar call. Indeed, one would be hard-pressed to disagree with October Baby's message, the healing power of forgiveness. The circumstance giving rise to multiple acts of forgiveness--an abortion--received relatively little attention and no condemnation. As far as genres go, girl-coming-of-age story fits best.
And, I suppose the NYT didn't overtly disagree with the message of October Baby. But with some snarky asides, scare quotes, and a gratuitous paragraph given over to Naral Pro-Choice America, one might think otherwise.
Regardless of the suspicion in which films inconsistent with the mindset of NYT writers are held, the bottom-line commercial success of October Baby and films like it cannot be ignored. And for pointing out this fact the NYT should be thanked.
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