Hi Prof. Gose.

This is my analysis of the movie "Tender Mercies", which I saw today at Payson Library.

I would consider "Tender Mercies" a religious movie. Like you said in "Reel Values", this movie has elements of salvation. Examples of salvation are provided by the Church scenes in general, but particularly by the scene where Robert Duvall and Sonny are baptized. To me it came as a surprise, when I saw Robert Duvall being baptized. I would like to provide another perspective of the movie. The movie is religious in the sense that the church scenes as well as the baptism are external manifestations of religion. The movie, however, also addressed the human struggle during which people start to ask for or wonder about god and religion. Two scenes come into mind. The first one is after the death of Robert Duvall' daughter. Robert Duvall went to the funeral service, where he met his ex-wife who was in a state of sorrow, despair, and disbelief. Her question "Why did god do this?" expresses her non-comprehension of life. She could not possibly understand how someone could deserve something like this, for whom everything was provided for,and how someone so young could die. The second scene I would like to refer to is the scene shortly following where Robert Duvall is in the backyard. His wife comes out and Robert Duvall is also questioning life and why things happened the way they did. Why did his daughter die and not he when he was in a car accident. Why did he met her at a point in his life when everything seeemed hopeless. What these two scenes illustrate very well is the human pursuit to answers we are not capable of. Like Robert Duvall and his ex-wife realized, some things in life are beyond our control and when events beyond our control or explantion occur, the question of god arises. God like religion for many people is a concept we cannot fully understand nor control. So when events occur that appear non-comprehensive or uncontrollable, god seems a good place to start. I think everybody can relate to that because there comes a point in life when unexpected things happen. Mostly in instances like that people ask about god and sometimes from that become believers. One other apspect I like to discuss from the Rokeach's chapter is the section on family security because I feel that the movie is as much about family security as religion. Family security films are referred to in "Reel Values" as films that tend invariably fears, but also commitment and responsiblity. I think that "Tender Mercies" is about of fear. For Robert Duvall and his wife it is the fear if being alone. His wife lost his husband in Vietnam and was left alone early. Robert Duvall was divorced for eight years. Both experienced the factors that jeopardize security: war and divorce. Both needed someone new to obtain stabilty, something we all look for in one way or the other. For Robert Duvall and his wife stability was in the form of a family. The movie was very good because as a viewer I could not foresee what way it would go. I guess it could have gone many different directions, but I wanted to see the direction chosen by the makers of the film.