Wave of Joy

Tonight I had the great pleasure of renting an amazing foreign movie from the iTunes Store that is still in theatres. It's a Norwegian film called the Wave. It's about a landslide that causes a tsunami, a giant wave that crashes down upon this remote little town. It's a great movie, a Hollywood disaster movie without the Hollywood - a bit refreshing to be honest. There were many parts in the movie that touched me or caused me to stop and think, but one of the most important came when the final remaining visitors and staff from a resort hotel were finishing loading onto their escape bus. The lead female protagonist worked at the hotel and her son was still missing so she turned back to the hotel because she refused to consider leaving until she had her son. Touching, but something we have all seen before. What came next was what really shocked me. A woman got off the bus and ran after the protagonist as she ran inside. Her husband, standing in the bus entrance yelled after her asking why she wasn't staying on the bus. The woman turned and simply said, "Her son is lost. Her son is lost, I'm going to help find her son." Or something to that effect - you know what I mean. I know it's just a movie written by screenwriters and brought to life by actors, but movies are a reflection of society and the culture from which it came. I think this movie can, in a small way, display how individuals in Norway think about helping others in times of crisis and putting others before oneself. The act itself wasn't what made it stand out so much to me, it was the way it was done and written into the storyline. A cultural or social practice reflecting into thought and therefore creativity and ideas, leading to its expression in art of all forms. If they made a movie about your life what would your character be like? What would the people you surround yourself with be like? What influences you? What influence do you have?

Now don't get me wrong, there are bad people in life and good people who do bad things too. In the same movie even there are many characters who selfishly try to extinguish others in order to somehow ensure their own future. That is the same everywhere though, the difference here was the act of kindness. It wasn't something I see normally in Anerican movies and films. I wish I saw it a lot more, it made me feel good and gave me a little more faith is some cultures and hope for others. Check out The Wave on iTunes if you want a great disaster flick,don't forget it is in subtitles and rated R. Let me know what you think, and remember - somebody's always watching and the best way to cultivate your own joy is to spread it to others. 

ITunes Store Link: The Wave by Roar Uthaug

https://itun.es/us/FVZFab