On the Friday of Thanksgiving weekend, visiting family and I decided to trek down to the Angelika movie theater for an afternoon showing of Hamnet. Based on a novel by the same name, the film is a meditation on the theory that William Shakespeare wrote Hamlet as a response to a profound grief he experienced in the life of his family.
This is not a review of this theory, the book espousing it, or the film adaptation (although I can confirm that all nine of us, ranging in age from 17 to 76 were interested in going, and that every one of us was crying at the end!). The movie, while beautiful, is not for everyone. The subject matter is intense. The plot unfolds slowly.
That slow pace let to one of the most interesting aspects of the experience. In our conversations afterward, a number of people in our group highlighted the contemplative story arc. And, while some were frustrated and confessed to fighting the urge to pull out their phones for distraction, each one said that, ultimately, they appreciated what was being asked of them. It forced them to pay attention. It made the emotional payoff at the end even more powerful.
As the first Sunday in Advent was arriving shortly after these conversations, I was interested in this reaction. We are in a season that asks us for patience; to wait for the birth of revelation as it grows in God’s time. This may be one of the most counter-cultural aspects of these weeks in our liturgical year: it is an opportunity for us to push distractions aside and focus on the alternative rhythm of God’s sacred activity among us.
Advent blessings,
2. Advent
