The film A Tale of Delight is just that--it's a tale of joy and the search thereof. Psalm 16:11 says that the "fullness of joy" is in God's presence, so a search for joy is really about a search for God. The story is strongly influenced by the idea of Christian Hedonism, which says "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him." All people are looking for God, because he's wired us to search for joy--which can only be truly found in him. Though this film isn't explicitly Christian, it definitely alludes to this need for God as the true source of joy in the midst of suffering, and I'm exceedingly pumped to be a part of that. But I have to admit, there are a few scenes that might cause some of my loved ones to take pause.
If you've seen the trailer for A Tale of Delight, you'll notice that, first of all, there's kind of a lot of kissing going on between myself and a man who is decidedly not my husband. Just so we're clear, this is what actually happens: there's a whole lot of kissing. I'm in my bra or underwear at the barest moment. We're in bed. There's no nudity, but sex is implied. Also implied in the trailer is an extremely disturbing and violent scene, which will be more graphic in the actual film.
For a lot of my friends and family, the lingering question in the back of your mind might be, "Why does Heather, as a Christian, think it's okay to kiss some other guy in her skivvies for a camera? Or support violence?" That's a totally valid question. First of all, thank you so much for your love and support--thank you for taking the time to wonder this. I'm grateful for your concern and appreciate the care you've taken as I've taken on a rather weighty role. In answer to your question, I think it's more than okay. I don't think we should ever just do things because it's merely permissible--what's the benefit in that? "Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial" (I Cor. 10:23). I don't think God grudgingly allowed me this, I think he took true delight in it and wants me to do so as well. Really! If you're shaking your head, stay with me. Let's take on the issues that might be bugging you one at a time.
Issue #1: The man I'm kissing is not my husband. This is true. The most obvious response to this is--we're acting. If this weren't for a film, if this weren't in the script and arguably an important part of the story, if I just kissed some guy, that would of course be wrong. But this was very planned, very intentional, and for a very specific purpose. However, the more important response is this: Thomas (my husband) was okay with it. With every role I'm ever offered, Thomas has veto power. I have willingly given this to him, out of deep respect and love for a man who has faithfully, lovingly, and devotedly supported me more fully than I could have ever imagined in every single endeavor I've attempted. He has practiced more lines with me, gone with me to more auditions, given me more helpful feedback, encouraged and lifted me up whenever I've felt self conscious, and generally believed in me much more than I could ever have reasonably asked. If there's a requirement for a role that makes him so uncomfortable that he actually asks me not to take it, well then, for him I wouldn't take it--regardless of whether I agreed with his reasoning or not. Our marriage is more important than my career, and it always will be. That's part of what I think getting married means.
Issue #2: I'm in my bra and underwear! And It's public! Anyone can see it! This is true, and anyone who grew up in a conservative Christian church might have the ever present "don't make your brothers stumble" phrase echoing through their mind. All the issues behind that phrase would take up another blog post, so here I'll just address the foremost. Consider this: if I was in my underwear and my house caught on fire, it would not be wrong or sinful for me to run outside without getting more clothes on--even if there were lots of men outside. Of course, I would do my best to cover up--my purpose would not be to attract, arouse, or tempt any of those men in any way--or cause them to stumble. But escaping the fire alive would take a much higher priority than censoring my bare body. I would expect those men to do their best to be noble. It would suck if there were creepers out there who might use the opportunity to take a good, long, inappropriate look. It would be terrible if I caused pain to close friends who ended up being tempted. But escaping the fire would still take priority over preventing any of that. Right?
A movie is certainly not as urgent as a life-threatening fire. I'm not arguing that. My point is that in certain situations, it's possible for something to take a higher priority than preventing others from lusting. We make this decision every day, and everyone has a different line--which is why the definition of modesty depends on the culture you live in. I believe that if a film, a piece of art, or a story (or all three combined) glorifies God, then it takes higher priority. Just as with the fire, my goal in the film was certainly NOT to attract, tempt or arouse anyone--that's what we call porn, which I'm not okay with. But it was clear from the script that for the most effective story, this amount of skin was actually necessary, and that necessity took priority over preventing lust. Once you watch the movie you can decide for yourself if you agree.
Issue #3: This scene supports the morals of having sex outside of marriage. First of all, that's not necessarily true--the characters in the movie are married. But even if they weren't, it's still important enough to the story that I would have just as willingly taken the part. When telling a story, sometimes sex is involved, and sometimes it's essential to that story. If the story is for God's glory, then telling it truthfully is that much more important. That doesn't mean showing sex is always necessary--usually it isn't, even though a lot of times sex is added to movies just for the sake of sensationalism. It's hot! It's edgy! Sex sells! This, however, is really, really not one of those times. You'll just have to trust me on that--and see the film to decide if you agree.
Issue #4: What about violence! It looks like there will be violence. I have more questions about violence!! As with issue number three, this is another hot topic that's often added to films purely for the sake of being edgy and sensational. Again, this really isn't one of those times. This movie does have an attack scene that I imagine will be extremely uncomfortable and definitely on the graphic side. But this violence has a specific purpose--and it's not just to make things edgy. We're trying to help people understand Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), a mental illness that often goes untreated and ignored. When someone suffers from PTSD, violent memories can attack them unexpectedly. Their friends and family often do not want to accept this, they don't want to think about the horrible things that the victim is forced to dwell on, and often they turn a blind eye. If we were to cut out the violence from the film and simply imply it with a wimpy off-screen scream, we'd be doing the exact same thing. We'd be doing an injustice to the people who suffer through memories like this every day. The violence isn't outrageous or gratuitous, but the story is about a man suffering with PTSD--it wouldn't make sense not to include the central aspect of his suffering. Just like the issue with the fire, sometimes there's something more important than keeping people comfortable.
I think our director put it best when he wrote, "Although dark, this film does not seek to wallow in misery or romanticize pain. It seeks to transend by creating conversations on lasting joy for those who love someone deeply suffering." This movie is not about death--it's about redemption. I've seen suffering, and I know how hard joy can be to come by. We're all looking for it, and hopefully this film will help open doors to encouragement and togetherness in a battle that is so often fought alone. I believe that art has the power to change lives and glorify God in ways we might not expect. I believe that God will use this piece of art, too, if we keep on pursuing it with Him in mind.
A Tale of Delight is a completely local, independent film, and we need help funding the rest of the project. Please consider making a donation (you'll get some great perks!)--go here for more info - Make sure you like A Tale of Delight on Facebook to get more updates and help us spread the word!
