This "retreat" presentation is an outline that considers the 9 nominated films for Best Picture as well as two of the films nominated in the Best Animated Feature category through the lens of the Beatitudes, Works of Mercy, Deadly Sins, Catholic Social Teaching, the T.H.I.N.K. protocol, what it means to be a person of "character" and empathy.

1. A
Twilight
Re,lection
on
Oscar
Nominated
Films
2014
Sr.
Rose
Paca,e,
FSP
SisterRoseMovies.net

2. What
do
they
have
to
say
to
people
of
faith?

3. Criteria
Human
and
Gospel
values
• The
Bea7tudes,
Works
of
Mercy
• The
Deadly
Sins

4. Criteria:
Human
and
Gospel
values
Bea$tudes
Mt
5
Blessed
are
• the
poor
in
spirit
for
theirs
is
the
kingdom
of
heaven.
• they
who
mourn
for
they
shall
be
comforted.
• the
meek
for
they
shall
inherit
the
earth.
•
they
who
hunger
and
thirst
for
righteousness
for
they
shall
be
sa$sfied.
• the
the
merciful
for
they
shall
obtain
mercy.
•
the
pure
of
heart
for
they
shall
see
God.
• the
peacemakers
for
they
shall
be
called
children
of
God.
• they
who
are
persecuted
for
the
sake
of
righteousness,
for
theirs
is
the
kingdom
of
heaven.”

5. Spiritual
Works
of
Mercy

6. Mt
25

7. Beatitudes
Matt.
5

8. It’s
easier
to
,ind
the
sins
and
sinners
than
saints
and
beatitudes
in
cinematic
drama
and
comedies
but
it’s
a
starting
place

9. Deadly
Sins

11. Then
there’s
the
shorthand

12. The
bottom
line:
character
• Va7can
II
tells
us
that
the
spiritual
is
built
on
the
human.
• “Character”
is
built
on
the
value
of
“empathy”
• To
be
a
person
of
character
means
to
do
the
right
thing
even
when
no
one
is
looking

13. Empathy
• To
be
a
person
of
character
means
to
walk
in
the
shoes
of
another:
•
“How
would
you
feel
if
someone
did
that
to
you?”
• is
the
very
least
norm
for
being
an
authen7c
human
being

14. Entertainment,
story-­‐telling,
context
• To
be
all
these
good
things
you
need
to
show
the
shadow
side
• But
when
the
conflict
is
resolved
what
are
we
leN
with?
• (And
will
you
remember,
or
even
care,
tomorrow?
Does
it
even
ma,er?)

15. Criteria
Summary
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Empathy
Character
T.H.I.N.K.
Catholic
Social
Teaching
Deadly
sins
Works
of
Mercy
Bea7tudes

16. The
,ilms
•
•
•
•
•
The
Wolf
of
Wall
Street
American
Hustle
Captain
Phillips
Dallas
Buyers
Club
Nebraska

17. The
,ilms
•
•
•
•
•
•
Her
Frozen
The
Croods
12
Years
a
Slave
Philomena
Gravity

18. The
Wolf
of
Wall
Street
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Sa7re
“Greed,
for
want
of
a
be,er
word,
is
good.”
All
the
deadly
sins
Saving
grace?
An7thesis
of
bea7tude
Total
lack
of
empathy
(Ma,hew
7:12)

19. American
Hustle
• “Treat
people
the
way
you
want
to
be
treated;
didn’t
Jesus
say
that?”
• “My
father,
he
taught
me
that
all
people
were
good
and
to
be
good
to
all
people”
• We
hustle
for
respect,
love,
and
to
survive
–
but
how?
• We
all
make
choices
• It’s
all
about
“the
hair”
• Enough
deadly
sins
…
but
some
conscience
going

20. Captain
Phillips
•
•
•
•
A
movie
about
Davids
and
Goliaths
But
who’s
who?
What’s
the
bigger
picture?
Not
just
an
episode
on
the
high
seas
but
a
sign
of
endemic
injus7ce
between
the
rich
and
poor,
those
who
have
and
those
who
don’t

21. Dallas
Buyers
Club
Dying
and
death
Homophobia
Human
dignity
(though
it
doesn’t
start
off
this
way)
Broader
social
issues:
Big
Pharma
and
Government
vis-­‐à-­‐vis
medical
care
for
people
• Kindness,
respect
•
•
•
•

22. Nebraska
• Americana
• Dreams
“I
didn’t
know
he
wanted
a
million
dollars.
If
he
did
why
didn’t
he
work
for
it?”
• Family
• Greed
• Life

23. Her
• Samantha
• Aramaic:
Listener
• Hebrew:
Listener;
the
name
of
God
• Theodore
• Greek:
God-­‐given
or
God’s
GiN

24. Her
•
•
•
•
•
A
metaphor?
God
and
the
person?
Rela7onship
Human
dignity
The
meaning
of
life
“I
was
in
prison
and
you
visited
me”

25. Frozen
•
•
•
•
•
•
Family
Differences
Freedom
(family,
community
White
people
win
again
Causes
of
climate
change
:-­‐)
Paren7ng

26. The
Croods
•
•
•
•
•
What
it
means
to
be
human
Fear
and
survival
Consciousness,
innova7on,
survival
Family
(respect
within
the
family)
(They
ripped
off
Plato’s
“The
Republic”
380
BC)

27. 12
Years
a
Slave
• Injus7ce
• Human
dignity
• Equality
• Family
• Survival
• Hope
• Deadly
sins
• Bea7tude
• Owning
the
darkness
of
our
history
• Prejudice,
racism

28. Philomena
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Injus7ce
Lust
or
indiscre7on
of
youth?
Intolerance
The
common
good?
Truth
Adop7on
rights
Blessed
are
the
poor
in
spirit
Reconcilia7on
Misuse
of
power
Motherhood

29. Gravity

30. Gravity
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Survival
Over
coming
fear
Contempla7ng
life,
dying,
death
Prayer
Reborn
Life
Hope
The
beauty
of
crea7on
Harming
the
environment

31. What
do
the
Oscar
nominated
,ilms
for
2014
say
to
you
as
a
person
of
faith?
•
•
•
•
•
Bea7tude
Works
of
mercy
Deadly
sins
Character
Empathy

32. Which
,ilm(s)
does
it
best
for
you?