I was going to write about a book for this update, but I just saw a movie I have to tell everyone about.

The first review on the back of the box says, “The perfect antidote to The Passion of the Christ.”  If that doesn’t get you interested, are you sure this is the site for you?

Forgiving the Franklins is an unapologetic look at darkest parts of small, Christian communities.  (It’s supposed to take place in the South, but I didn’t notice anything distinctively southern about the events of the story.)  It takes a look at what might happen to a family that follows the spirit of Jesus’s message instead of what some evangelicals say it is.

The Franklins start the movie as a stereotypically repressed family–a mom, a dad, a son, and a daughter.  On the way to a church function, the family car is hit by a truck.  Everyone is thrown clear and all but the daughter are sent into a coma.  Dad, mom, and son all experience the same dream, in which Jesus tells them the true meaning of the cross and removes from their minds the shame of original sin.  When they wake up, they discover sexuality and a new frankness about their religious life.  The parents experience sex with their eyes open for the first time.  The son has sex for the first time.  Unfortunately, the daughter does not share their newfound freedom.  When she sees all of them walking around the house naked (or as I came to call it, “Eden-style”), she faints and runs to the overbearing arms of her godmother, the mom’s best friend and town gossip.

Thrill as the parents have to argue for the custody of their daughter!  Gasp at the reaction of the Christian Parents’ Association when the family walks out of church during a fire and brimstone sermon!  Gawk as the dad’s employers try to ruin him when he tells them they should talk to their wives about sex!

As you may suspect, this flick is a tragic comedy.  It’s pretty low budget, but I think the acting and most of the story hold it all together.  Most of the dialogue had me rolling on the floor, but if you grew up in a small Christian community, some of it may be a little close to home.  I know some of it was for me.  The ending leaves some things unresolved, but besides that, it’s a fun look at how Christians relate to religious life and God.

There is a considerable amount of nudity in this one, so don’t watch it with your parents.  Unless your parents are the Franklins, in which case they won’t mind.  That’s just the kind of parents they are.