A Whole Life in Twelve Movies
A Cinematic Journey to a Deeper Spirituality
About
Come to the movies with two celebrated spirituality writers--American poet and author Kathleen Norris and Irish storyteller and peace activist Gareth Higgins.
In A Whole Life in Twelve Movies, Norris and Higgins invite readers along as they discuss acclaimed movies that can help us better understand our lives--from before birth to death and beyond.
Featuring 12 films, including 2001: A Space Odyssey, Malcolm X, and Babette's Feast, this book is perfect for individuals or groups to watch and discuss movies over the course of a year. Each chapter recommends additional films and includes discussion questions ideally suited for churches, small groups, and book clubs.
As readers watch and read, they will journey through the human life cycle and explore themes of existence, goodness, belonging, vocation, identity, success, generosity, dealing with conflict, and what it means to be human. The book outlines a cinematic path toward a deeper spirituality and a more meaningful life for people across the faith spectrum and seekers alike. It includes a foreword by James Martin, SJ.
Contents
Foreword by James Martin, SJ
Introduction
1. Waiting to Be Born
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
2. Childhood
What Maisie Knew (2012)
3. Community
The Seventh Fire (2015) and Smoke Signals (1998)
4. The Breaking and Remaking of Self
The Fisher King (1991)
5. Vocation--Meaning in the Ordinary
Paterson (2016)
6. Vocation--To Step into Your Own Shoes
Malcolm X (1992)
7. Relationships
Make Way for Tomorrow (1937) and Love Is Strange (2014)
8. Overcoming Success
Faces Places (2017)
9. Generosity
Babette's Feast (1987)
10. Transforming Conflict
Wonder Woman 1984 (2020)
11. Death and Beyond
After Life (1998)
12. Waiting in Silence
Into Great Silence (2005)
Epilogue: It's Still a Beautiful Day
For Further Viewing
Endorsements
"As a fan of Kathleen Norris's Cloister Walk and Dakota, I loved reading her honest engagement with various films in this book. Higgins and Norris add to a conversation that the filmmaker has begun and draw from their experience of life to give these humble films more depth. I wish there was more writing about films like it. I feel my perspective about the world widening through it."
Lee Isaac Chung, director of Minari and Twisters
"In A Whole Life in Twelve Movies, Norris and Higgins do what they do so well: weave together stories and commentary that remind us what it means to be human, to long for love and connection, and to search the world around us for moments of kinship as we carry grief, joy, healing, and longing inside our own hearts. Art is powerful, and in the pages of this book you'll find an incredible guide into one of the most effective forms of art--film--to explore our connection to ourselves, spirituality, and one another. Whether you're an avid movie watcher or hoping to dive into these films for the first time, please read this book and let it lead you into curiosity and wonder. You'll be so glad you did."
Kaitlin B. Curtice, award-winning author of Native, Living Resistance, and Winter's Gifts
"This book is a loving embrace of a new way of seeing--which used to be an old way of seeing. With eyes and souls wide open, Norris and Higgins dare to engage cinema on its deepest and most meaningful levels; they dare to believe in it as art. Most scandalously of all, they dare to believe movies can teach us how to live better, if only we'd allow them to. This book is a treasure."
Scott Teems, writer-director, Rectify, Narcos: Mexico, and The Quarry
"There are few pleasures as distinct as viewing a great film, then chasing it with a spirited chat with a friend. This book is loaded with that lovely feeling. A rich format and rich set of films; Norris and Higgins make excellent tour guides who can lead us into the vast landscape of world cinema."
Josh Jeter, producer of Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life
"Norris and Higgins seem to engage movies for the same reason I do: in the faith that better is possible and that good stories show us the way. Their experience of said stories and which stories have the most meaning for them are, of course, different from my own. But isn't that the gift? In the movies they have invited us to, I get to experience the world through their eyes, and my own experience is broadened. What will we choose to do with the broadening of our experiences? This is the charge these two movie lovers so deftly set before us."
Melvin Bray, equity designer and author of Better: Waking Up to Who We Could Be
"Reading this beautiful book is like having an endlessly fascinating conversation with two friends about film, when those two friends are always wise, thoughtful, and funny and have inspiring things to say about the movies they love. . . . For me, the first thing I want to do after watching a powerful film is see what others have to say about it. At heart, it's a desire for conversation, for learning, and for being challenged. This book is an answer to those common desires."
James Martin, SJ (from the foreword)
The Authors
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Kathleen Norris
Kathleen Norris is an award-winning poet and the author of five New York Times bestsellers, including The Cloister Walk and Dakota: A Spiritual Geography. She speaks regularly at colleges, churches, and teaching hospitals, and is on the...
Continue reading about Kathleen Norris
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Gareth Higgins
Gareth Higgins (PhD, Queen's University Belfast) is the cofounder of multiple spirituality festivals, including Wild Goose, The Porch Gathering, and Movies and Meaning. He edits The Porch Magazine and is the author of How Not to Be Afraid....
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Reviews
"This might win our award for the most unexpected book of the year!"
Byron Borger,
Hearts and Minds Books