|
FILMS
Sony
Robert Duvall as Felix Bush, Lucas Black as Buddy and Bill Murray as Frank Quinn in "Get Low," a film that underscores the importance of confessing one's sins.
'Get Low' offers an uplifting message about confession
Although the title of “Get Low” (Sony) refers to the living funeral a Tennessee hermit wants to plan for himself, it more accurately describes his journey deep into his past that results in a healing confession of his sins.
 The film presents a man, Felix Bush, who has wrestled with guilt for 40 years, making himself a hermit in a jail he claims to have built as payment for his sins. As the film makes clear, one is not able to pay for one’s own sins, but must seek forgiveness from God and brother. “Get Low” paints a powerful picture of such redemption.
The story of the films begins with the introduction of Bush, played masterfully by Robert Duvall, as a hermit living in the backwoods of Tennessee. Still alive, he comes to town seeking a funeral for himself. He connects with Frank Quinn, a funeral parlor director played by Bill Murray, who dreams up a “funeral party.”
Bush wants everyone with a story about him to come tell it in his presence. What begins as a playful premise turns more serious as it becomes obvious that Bush is wrestling with some demons. Turns out he isn’t a social outcast, but articulate. A past flame, played by Sissy Spacek, slowly fills in his past.
Duvall, Murray and Spacek all offer incredibly nuanced performances. These three actors are clearly some of the finest working today and to watch them advance each of their character’s agendas in this 1930s setting is nothing short of beautiful filmmaking. Watching this group perform together makes a $10 ticket seem like a good deal.
Beyond that, the message is powerful. Bush carries the guilt of his secret sin with him for more than 40 years, locking himself up in a self-imposed jail. When he emerges, Bush is dismayed to hear the spiritual leaders of his community tell him that it is not enough to pay for his sins himself, he needs to ask Jesus for forgiveness.
At one point he asks in frustration why he should have to ask Jesus for forgiveness when he didn’t do anything to Him. The answer to that question isn’t spelled out, exactly. But, as his funeral party becomes a public confession, the audience sees Bush offered the peace he has sought for the past 40 years.
“The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible,” according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church #1455.
Bush wastes his time seeking a new future without having made a confession. He is contrite, but tried to pay the price for his sins himself. Finding peace isn’t something he can do on his own — he must reconcile with others.
“Get Low” is a wonderful film on many levels, but for Catholic audiences in particular, it is a terrific testament to the importance of confession and reconciliation with others. The importance of community in the spiritual wellbeing of one another is a high point. |
