Midnight Clear is a movie about tragedy on Christmas Eve and restoring meaning to one's life after broken relationships or the difficulties of life. It is one of the most depressing movies I have ever seen.
Despite that, it was really inspiring. Today, I want to be more focused in my ministry on meeting people's small needs. The little loving acts are oftentimes the most meaningful. The youth minister in the movie had lost his focus; he was worried about being hip rather than real. That gas station owner was frustrated that he had made a dead-end investment when he bought the gas station and could not see a way out of his investment. A wife struggled with her vegetable husband. A man struggled with losing his job and not having any visitation with his children. A grandma faced the loneliness of old age and the abandonment of her children. It was a menagerie of loneliness and through it, Midnight Clear weaves an interesting story of these lives and deliberate acts of kindness and generosity.
From Kirk the gas station attendant:
You know, you think about that one thing you can contribute. What's my thing? That I make a good pot of coffee. Most of my customers don't care about gourmet coffee anyway; they want gas and a styrofoam cup of pennies by the register. That's about it.
In another conversation he stated:
My mom had a stroke...It's funny though. I'm grateful for that time. It's easy to take care of someone who gives back or says thank you. Taking care of someone who doesn't even know what you are doing. It makes you figure out what kind of person you are.
Each life seemed to be filled with meaninglessness. Because it was a movie, they were made meaningful through love and taking care of little needs, but it made me think that a little love can bring more meaning to the lives around me. Isn't that one of the true meanings of Christmas?
Midnight Clear deals with heavy issues of alcoholism, suicide, and Christmas caroling. It's a heavy movie, but aren't all movies that have Christmas caroling?
It receives one check off the entertaining barometer because the dialogue gets too corny at times. True, it might be realistic because my dialogue frequently gets corny, but I expect a little more out of a movie. It never goes overt about Christianity, and that made it an exceptional Christian movie rather than a sermon disguised as a movie.
Entertaining: 4/5
Inspiring: 5/5
Ethical Thinking: 5/5
Worth searching for and watching despite not being known.
Midnight Clear
