Reel Spirit Movie Project
November Film Discussion:
Contact
On Thursday, Nov. 18th, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. Eastern, CSW’s Reel Spirit Movie Project will discuss Contact (1997), the next film in our series. Starring Jodie Foster and Matthew McConaughey, this film explores what it means to make “contact” with ourselves, others, and life beyond Earth. An atheist scientist and a charming pastor wrestle with the relationship between science and faith and explore what it means to pursue truth. One of the film’s concluding nuggets of wisdom is that “in all our searching, the only thing we’ve found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.”
This month, our film discussion will be led by Flora Brooke. Flora recently joined CSW as our Assistant for Communications & Administration. She comes to us through our partnership with the Blue Ridge Service Corps, a community of young adults in Henderson County devoted to community service, spirituality, and social justice. Flora is from northwest Oregon, and a recent graduate of Portland State University where she focused on Judaic Studies.
Special Guest! This month, CSW and RSMP are pleased to welcome Haynes Brooke, who was in Contact’s cast. From his website: “Haynes Brooke is an American film and theater actor whose credits range from blockbuster features to intimate stages. Known to many as the centerpiece of several national ad campaigns, he is also a writer, musician, improviser and filmmaker. Haynes is an AmSAT certified teacher of the Alexander Technique.” Among other roles, Brooke acted in Fried Green Tomatoes (1991), The Long Walk Home (1990), and our movie for this month, Contact (1997). In Contact, Brooke plays Drumlin’s aide.
There is no charge for this event, but participants are asked to consider a donation to Center for Spiritual Wisdom, a non-profit organization. To make an online donation, please go to the Center’s Donate page. To register for this event or to receive additional information, please email Cindy Decker at communications@centersw.org. Registrations will be received on a first-come, first-served basis. After registration, participants will receive information about the film and a dedicated link to join the discussion.
The format for discussing films on the Reel Spirit Movie Project is both evocative and engaging. The facilitator for the discussion creates a guide that focuses on key themes in the film, and we send this guide to all registrants. Participants begin by watching the film on their own. We follow with a scheduled 2-hour online facilitated discussion that the Center leads and hosts through Zoom.
For more information about Contact, see IMDb here. This film is available on, among other places, Amazon, Netflix, and YouTube, and you can see the trailer on YouTube here.
Stay tuned for other movie discussions planned by the Reel Spirit Movie Project, including About Time, our December selection.
photo credits: photo above from IMDb and photo below from Haynes Brooke
