2008-02-08 07:21:42

PURPLE STATE ROADSHOW: DAVIDSON COLLEGE SCREENING

Filed under: Reasons To Believe, purple state roadshow
Posted by: John

I have too much to say about last night’s event to be able to put it into words just now, but I’m still a bit in happy shock.

We had twice as many people as expected, almost 200 in a hall meant to seat 100, so it was standing room only, with people on the floor. The morning radio show drew at least a dozen folk who came an hour early from Charlotte to get good seats. We had lots of students and lots of people from Lake Forest Church, so a real mix of beliefs and dispositions.

The setting had profound relevance. We had sat in that very hall as students and received the education that we then argued about in our dorm room. I can’t overstate the sense of continuity and what it meant to both of us.

After the movie, there was great applause, and most of the audience stayed for the question and answer, which didn’t ever veer into confrontation or hostility, maybe because the Davidson atmosphere doesn’t really foster that sensibility, or maybe because the more alienated members of the audience didn’t feel like speaking out in that atmosphere.

Charlotte is Craig’s hometown, and that will explain some of the attendance, but not all. The morning talk show on NPR was the key. Looking forward to New York, I’m guessing the Leonard Lopate show might have a similar impact on the New York Theater Workshop. Depending on the number of RSVP’s we get, we might think about opening the show up to the public there.

But I wish I could convey the atmosphere in the room, which was once again unforgettable. One elderly woman in a wheelchair spoke up in the question and answer and said that Craig and I had more in common than we had differences, and that was the point of the movie, and that’s what we needed in the country, that all great civilizations respected certain basic principles without which they simply collapsed. Her voice shook with emotion, and when she finished talking, the room burst into applause. And Craig said, ‘That’s why I made the movie.”

Another woman, Lori, told me afterwards that she had come to the evening in the wake of a personal tragedy, that a close friend with a small child had in the past week become sick and died, and she was grappling with the question of evil. When Craig spoke about his sister and I talked about Bosnia, she had related personaly. “That’s where I’ve been for the last week,” she told me. And that’s why she had come.

What a strange experience, this Purple State.We’re receiving two radically different responses to the film. On the film festival circuit, we have been universally rejected. Not a single film festival board has deemed us worthy of competition, not even the all Christian Heartland Film Festival. But when we screen it for audiences, we end up with these crowded, electric evenings, in which people watch in rapt attention and then stick around afterwards to ask questions and talk about their lives.

It’s a titillating bifurcation, but what does it mean?

Last night, after that incredible event, I came home to a note from the Sonoma Film Festival, a version of the exact same boilerplate that we have received everywhere. No thanks, not interested.

We make no great claim about the quality of our movie. Audiences do that. They always have. Our screenings land somewhere between a town hall meeting, the floor of the New York Stock Exchange and a tent revival. For the first time, I’m beginning to think that the movie will reach a much bigger public, and that we are going to have the immense satisfaction of embarrassing almost every film jury in the country.

Comments (6)

6 Comments »

1. John, I was there last night and enjoyed the movie; I could see the moving playing on a cable system at night like Starz.

   My wife and I, a purple marriage, are stil discussing the points. I am very surpised that this movie , especially with where are in the calendar of presidential elections, does not get viewed more broadly. Thanks for the effort and passion. It is still making me think.

   Comment by Chris Brown — February 8, 2008 @ 2:55 pm

2. I was in the audience last night at Davidson and was sincerely wowed by your efforts. I think the film voiced many of the theological and life questions we all have. We either choose to not think about them or we get lost in the depths of their answers. The problem is even when we choose to think about them the questions are so big, so hard and so unanswerable that we are utterly lost. I guess thats when we have to make a choice. Either we choose to believe and trust that God is in control, or we dont. What I found most interesting last night is that both John and Craig both agreed that there is a force called “evil” out there. It is a tangible and powerful enemy. I question that if they can both recognize this particular force, then doesnt it then make sense that there is an equally or more powerful counterforce of love? I humbly submit that I believe that force of Love is God. I purchased two CDs last night. The first I plan to keep and share with my friends. The second I plan to give to the Dean of the Seminary which I am enrolled in. I will attach a note that says “If I can answer even half of these questions confidently then I will feel prepared for the ministry” Thank You for a wonderful evening.

   Comment by inger — February 8, 2008 @ 3:09 pm

3. John and Craig, My wife and I really enjoyed the screening of your movie at Davidson College as well as the Q&A afterward. While the two of you disagree about religion, you seem to agree that the religious right is wrong. Unfortunately, the Republican Party and most churches continue down that wrong path. Hopefully, your efforts will persuade some of these folks to examine their religious and political beliefs – beliefs that seem contradictory and hypocritical to many of us. Good luck with the film. It’s just a matter of time before the critics and film festivals catch on. GC

   Comment by Greg Carr — February 8, 2008 @ 5:26 pm

4. John and Craig, I am one of the members of the audience who came because of the NPR spot. Very glad I had the radio on that morning! Your conversation is one I am currently having with my father and which, sadly, is not going very well. It is comforting to see two different viewpoints speak to each other intelligently and with compassion. I hope my father can see your movie… that is only the beginning of my hopes. Thank you.

   Comment by Allison — February 11, 2008 @ 9:37 am

5. My significant other (who is an Episcopal priest and a Davidson grad) and I were privileged to attend the screening last week. You inspired a GREAT series of conversations through the weekend!

   The interesting thing is that both of us felt more at home with your “journey” than we did with Craig’s—even though Craig is clearly in the progressive Christian camp in which we locate ourselves. There was something about your struggles that resonated for both of us.

   I am not surprised that your film has been rejected by both secular film festivals and religious ones. Craig is not a Fred Phelps—so the secular community doesn’t see enough drama. And you are not the evil atheist who would be a good foil for the overtly “religious” community.

   But for those with “ears to hear,” this film is an important landmark. It shows—like the lady you mentioned noted—that people of good will, no matter what their faith commitments may or may not be, can find common ground and treat one another respectfully. Thank you for that.

   Regards,
   Paige Baker

   Comment by Paige Baker — February 11, 2008 @ 9:38 am

6. Nice! Thanks!

   Comment by Ron — February 20, 2008 @ 6:43 am

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