"Most"

Today during both of our lunch periods we screened the short film "Most" in Campus Ministry.  This 2003 short film from the Czech Republic is really a modern day telling of the crucifixion and the sacrifice God the Father made with God the Son.  It revolves around a single-dad who brings his son to work at a local bridge one afternoon.  The father is in charge of lifting and lowering the bridge for boats and for trains.

On the afternoon the father brings his son, the bridge is put up to let a boat through but a train shows up early and before the bridge can be lowered.  The son notices this first and can't get his father's attention.  So the son runs over and tries to lower the bridge himself but he falls into the area with the gears.  At this point the father finally sees the train coming and he has to make the spilt second decision to lower the bridge and save the people on the train or leave it up and save his son.  He decides to lower the bridge and his son dies after getting caught in the gears.  The people on the train are completely oblivious except for a girl who is a drug addict.  She notices the father's angst from her window, drops the drugs, and later completely changes her life.  We see her at the end of the film with a child of her own and all cleaned up.  She runs into the father on the street and he realizes that his actions not only saved lives but helped make a new one.

"Most" is a very powerful film and you can actually watch it online (see below).  It's a tragic and depressing film on one hand, but just as the crucifixion wasn't the final ending, this film has a happy ending as well!  What I especially like about it is that it's not preachy or religious at all.  But, you totally get it.

Take a look: