Change Your Image
director-nikki
Reviews
Higher Ground (2011)
Gentle and Deserved Critique of the Church.
Higher Ground is a beautiful and stirring tale based on a personal memoir about a woman who, after growing up in a Christian church, starts asking questions about what she's been taught. She delicately steps around the admonition not to preach to men, quietly disobeys the order against exploring her spirituality, and finally, at a turning point, learns that it is OK to be sad and angry at God, that she does not have to sing "It Is Well With My Soul" when it honestly isn't.
Though the film's critique of the church is firm and sharp in many places, its observations are fair, loving, and certainly earned. Besides being a thoroughly enjoyable film to watch, Higher Ground is an excellent starting point for dialog. Those who are other than Christian, even perhaps those who dislike Christians, may be able to put voice to their concerns in a new way, and can maybe be led to see that most Christians are honestly just trying to be the best they can be. Christians can take the critique as a mirror to hold up to their own congregations, looking for areas where perhaps they are inadvertently hurting others or themselves. To those inside the church, I would suggest that this film is a God-given opportunity to examine yourselves, to open your eyes enough to realize that the church is not infallible, and perhaps take the prompting to apologize for areas in which you and the church have failed to represent Christ accurately.
Religious or not, whether you seek dialog or just pure entertainment, Higher Ground is an excellent choice. It is worth every minute, a fun way of looking at a serious topic, and it will always stand out in my mind as an exceptional piece of art.
Food Revolution (2010)
A fresh look at the tie between fresh food and good health
Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution is a new take on connecting diet and health in a concrete way. The entire season is spent inside "America's unhealthiest town," based on rate/age of death. Jamie is so impassioned about the subject that he would rather help the citizens up than look down on them. Along the way he does step on a few toes and must be shown where his statements become insulting, but everyone is able to apologize and move on. The families and schools with horrible eating practices are encouraged to identify the weakness, grasp the scope of the problem, and then make positive change. The show preaches moving forward, not shame of the past.
The proposed diet changes in the show are not about losing weight, they are about eating healthy – weight loss is a consequence of healthy diet and exercise. Jamie is about using real, fresh ingredients to make nutritious food. He's forced to deal with the issue of money in the school and help hammer out a budget, though the show's biggest weakness is in this area as families may still be left wondering how to afford this better food.
Americans, and many other Westerners, need a place to be able to go and say, "I need help. I don't know how to cook, I don't know how to feed my kids in a healthy way," without any shame. Jamie Oliver's food revolution is a great first step. Anyone who needs help should start here to see that you are not alone. Anyone who wants to help should start here to understand the depth and breadth of the problem.
Obesity is an epidemic in today's world. Pointing figures, placing blame, and wondering "what if we had done things different" is not going to get us anywhere. This show is concerned with starting today and looking towards the future. It's slightly political, slightly spiritual, and completely honest.