Reading a book is a solitary act. Watching a movie may be as well. But combining them, as Kathleen Norris and Gareth Higgins do in A Whole Life in Twelve Movies: A Cinematic Journey to a Deeper Spirituality (foreword by Jesuit Fr. James Martin), can seed fruitful conversation and fulfill the human need for “art that’s steeped in the mystery of life, offering hope without denying real human suffering.”
Both authors are spiritual seekers of long-standing distinction. In addition to The Cloister Walk, in which she wrote about her year as a Benedictine oblate in a Minnesota abbey, Norris has probed the overlap of spirituality and daily struggles in poetry, essays and memoir. Higgins, born in Northern Ireland, is a peace activist and storyteller, the driving force of The Porch, a prolific author, founder of Wild Goose Festival and a movie buff. They make a good, if initially surprising, pair.
Chapter by chapter, the authors reflect on 12 phases of the human journey from womb to tomb, in the context of a carefully chosen movie. Trusting each movie to resonate as a unique, visceral experience, the authors take turns examining the impact of each movie. The essays are not formulaic, but fresh — with personal insights and experience, social, historical and artistic considerations, their individual interpretation of the movie and spiritual grasp of the theme.
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With thanks to National Catholic Reporter and Ken Stone, where this article originally appeared.
