I AM DAVID

4 STARS – Inspiring

“I Am David” follows the life of a young 12 year old boy from his experiences in a 1950’s slave labor camp in the Soviet system to his redemption and restoration in the world to which he escapes.  It is a triumph of compassion, where the kindness of strangers reveals the ability of love to conquer evil.

David (Ben Tibber) not only is suffering from the cruelty of the gulag following World War II, he barely has any memory of a world other than the harshness of slave labor.  Separated from his mother and father at an early age and left to die in a prison camp, David only has vague flashbacks of his earlier life, and those images are burned in his memory, filled with the pain of watching his mother being dragged off, he assumes, to be killed.  David cannot smile, if for no other reason than the fact that he has never had modeled in front of him any experience of joy or love.

For the slightest reason, the brutal prison guards would make an example out of some poor soul by either beating them in public or shooting them in front of the other inmates to instill fear as the greatest motivator in their lives.  It is in the midst of one of these incidents that David witnesses a remarkable act of compassion.  A young man named Johannes (Jim Caviezel) steps in to take the place of young David when a petty theft of soap has taken place.  Johannes gives his life by being executed in front of David in order to save his young life and give him a chance to survive.

Without giving away the plot, David has been set up to escape from the camp that very evening, and Johannes’ sacrifice paid the price for his opportunity.  All David has to his name when he sneaks into the countryside is a small compass, a little bread, and an envelope that he is committed to carry by whatever means possible to Denmark.  His destination and rationale for going there are left as a mystery to young David.

Along the way David has to overcome his fear of an outside world of which he has little knowledge.  Money is an unknown commodity to him.  So is the use of silverware.  Every stranger is dangerous in his eyes, and could be another form of the evil he has experienced his whole life.  When a family takes him in and shows him a great kindness, giving him food, clothing and a bed to sleep in, he runs away out of fear that it is a trap.

Throughout the story we experience the contrast of pure evil and pure love, and we see David struggle with the psychological impacts of both.  Perfect love may cast out all fear, but it requires a relational transformation.  It doesn’t come about in some magical or superficial way.  It is only in working through his personal pain that there is hope at the end of David’s long journey.

The one person who does break through to David is Sophie (Joan Plowright), a widowed woman who, in old age, has only a memory of her only son who died while still a child himself.  Sophie takes David in and slowly lets him experience her trust and love, a lesson he learns through her sharing of her own loss and pain.  For the first time, David knows someone who has lived through death and come out the other side stronger, loving and kind.  For the first time, a smile means something good rather than masking a devious prelude to some harsh torture.

This is a story for families, but also a great example for any seeker of good to overcome any evil.  What happens to David in the end is symbolic of spiritual redemption. 

 

Discussion:

1. The power of evil to enslave us is seen in its most graphic form in this film.  Have you ever experienced a similar enslavement?  What happened to your ability to trust?  To have joy?
2. The nature of redemption is that someone must sacrifice themselves to a great or ultimate extent.  Have you ever had anyone sacrifice for you?  Have you ever sacrificed for another?  What happened then?
3. The wisdom with which Sophie allows David to heal matches the meaning of her name.  How often do you seek people try to heal others without patiently, wisely allowing God to heal them first?  What happens when we try to force a person to grow?
4. The power of a redemptive story such as this is in its universal application to all of our lives.   How is this story similar to and different from the sacrifice Jesus made?

Our friends at REEL SPIRITUALITY, Rob Johnston and Barry Taylor have created a study guide for use with this film.  It is in PDF format and can be downloaded by using the icon below or clicking here:

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Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary.  Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman is pastor of the Free Methodist Church. For more reviews: http://www.cinemainfocus.com.