Let there be Moonlight: Oscar flicks get sermons at Vancouver church

It's Oscar season, and many movie-goers are flooding theatres to try to catch up on the seven films that were nominated for the highly coveted 'Best Picture' award.

Every year, millions of people watch the Academy Awards with the hopes their favourite film will bring home the gold. Reverend Gary Paterson says our obsession with film is actually turning the cinema into a place of worship.

"I firmly believe that people are doing their theology at movies," he told host Rick Cluff on CBC's The Early Edition. "Fewer and fewer people are actually getting out to church."

But that doesn't mean there aren't important lessons to be learned from movies like Arrival, Moonlight, and La La Land. In fact, Paterson and his colleague reverend Dan Chambers are hosting a series of sermons on Oscar flicks, exploring scripture through the lens of cinema.

La La Land

The series kicks off Sunday, Jan. 29 at St. Andrew's Wesley United Church with an examination of the crowd-pleasing La La Land.

The film stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as two up-and coming artists — one a jazz musician, the other an actress — looking to make it in modern day Los Angeles.

Paterson's sermon parallels the overall theme of the film: the thrill and the agony of chasing your dreams.

"What does it mean to follow your dream? What's the cost of following your dream? Are you going to be able to stick to it, or do you just 'grow up' and let go of your dreams?"

Manchester by the Sea

Paterson says La La Land will require a more uplifting sermon, but afterwards, they'll dive into the more troubling terrain of Manchester by the Sea.

The Casey Affleck film follows a man trying to recover from an unspeakable family tragedy that leaves him feeling utterly guilty, and a hollowed out version of the person he once was.

"I'm entitling the sermon: "Is redemption possible?" said Paterson. "You have a wish that the main character would resolve his guilt and come out of the shell that he's built around himself — and he can't."

Affleck won a Golden Globe for the role, and is currently in the running for the Best Actor nod a the Oscars.

Moonlight

Paterson says the unfulfilled wish for a happy ending is something that persists in Moonlight.

The film tells the tale of young African-American who struggles with his identity while growing up in inner-city Miami.

"You watch the trajectory and you wish for a happy ending, that the two particular characters would embrace and fall in love. And you're left with, "well, maybe not.'"

Much like Manchester by the Sea, Moonlight does share a glimmer of optimism once the curtains rise, even though the future of the protagonist remains uncertain.

"I think that's as good as it gets. Maybe we need to survive on the taste of glory, the intimation of immortality and love, and the hint of possibilities that are enough to keep us going," he said.

"The film has deep issues and questions that people are always living with and dealing with — and so does scripture. Can we bring those two together and see what happens? It's that creative rub and mix that delights me."

With files from CBC's The Early Edition

To listen to the full interview, click on the audio labelled: La La Land, Moonlight and other Oscar flicks get sermons at Vancouver church