Documentary and the Gospel

Documentary and the Gospel is a wonderful opportunity to share Gospel principals without being preachy at all. The sense of giving a voice to the voiceless and “portray and appreciate ordinary people in their ordinary circumstances” is exactly what Jesus did when he came to earth. Even his own example of being born in humble conditions relates to this voiceless people in this world.

Dean Duncan  described what a documentary should have as means of its ideals and purposes. I believe there are some interesting interaction between his point of view and the scriptures he quotes relating to this matter. As I already mention,  the scriptures that mention the born of Christ and the way the writer described that moment. There is a poetic approach as well as observational on the description.

The documentary New York Dolls  tells the life of this punk rock star who is converted to the LDS church. The approach of the documentary is so simple  and clean. Even though the subject matter had some important relevance on the history of Punk, he is such an authentic character that can be relatable to anyone who has found a new faith after a tragic event. Although all the cool stuff and the legendary people talking about Arthur, I felt very touched by the portrayal of this humble and honest person.  I think that this documentary helped to have a better understanding of one of the quotes that Dean Duncan explained, “documentary demonstrates that tribulation is a blessed lot, because it is only in passing through it that we find transcendence.” I spent time with this subject and became to understand his own transcendence in this world in a way that the rolling stone magazine or an obituary couldn’t have portray.

Something else to highlight about Documentary and the Gospel is about the inspirational power that documentary can have. How a story or some images can lift our spirits and make us ponder about divinity and the meaning of life. Is the case of the film After Life, that even though is not a documentary it serves in many ways as how the gospel is related to documentary. The topic was big, and it could have been a way bigger production, but the way is documented this film made all the difference putting much more relevance in the content than the production itself.  As in the Manifesto is mention the scripture of I Kings 19: 11-12, there was a really still and small voice who invite us to reflect upon our happiest memories. I actually liked the film so much that I used it for my last talked in sacrament meeting in which I referred about the importance of serving others as means of being happier and closer to God.

In conclusion, documentary and the gospel are a wonderful opportunity to inspire and to admire the simple things in life. Make as ponder about deep themes without falling in anything cheesy or intend to be overly dramatic, although life can be overly dramatic sometimes.