I went to see Saved! the other day with some friends, and I actually really liked it. It was better than I thought it was going to be from some of the comments I had heard. It actually seemed pretty much right on to me. Many people probably think this is a movie made by non christians to make fun of christians, but that’s not the sense I got at all. Sure there’s some poking fun at christians, but it’s a kind of a laughing at our idiosyncrasies rather than malicious humor. I think there had to be someone with some “inside experience” in order to have done such a good job with the tricky subject matter. I also think that christians are the ones that this movie is directed towards. Just as a joke about a scientist would most likely be lost to a general audience, I think that non-christians have little to get from this movie. Christians on the other hand, I think could use this opportunity to learn and be honest about our faith.
The main character starts out at the beginning of the movie in group of friends who are all stereotypical christians. They believe (though it’s unstated) that they know everything about being a christian—they have all the answers and know exactly what a christian looks and acts like. Some of the characters demonstrate that loving someone is to be sacrificed if it gets in the way of “acting christian”. However the main character, though with good intent believing she is doing what Jesus wants her to, makes a mistake. Soon all the perfect world comes crashing down and the Sunday school (or christian school in this case) answers don’t add up anymore. She becomes confused and disillusioned. Much of the rest of the movie has her and other characters struggling between the stereotypical christian ideals (and the people following them) and a faith that more closely relates to real life. I think the “moral” is totally summed up in the last line of the movie: “What would Jesus do? I don’t know, but in the meantime, we’ll be trying to figure it out together.”
listening: Perfect Circle, 30 Seconds to Mars, Lacuna Coil, etc.
