What Do you Do with Your Noah?
Have you ever been let down by people you hoped would be the epitome of compassion and understanding? Can you imagine what it feels like to have an entire world change very quickly and not feel supported by those same people?
If this is familiar, then perhaps you can relate to the story of Noah. I don't mean the story in the Bible; I mean the 2014 film version starring Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly. As a kid, I loved the biblical imagery of Noah building the ark with his family and then taking care of animals inside the great boat until the floodwaters subsided. However, as an adult, I can't help but read this as a terrible tale of genocide on the human race at the hands of an angry god. This story is pretty dark. I was excited when I heard that Darren Aronofsky was developing a movie inspired by the story. I understood then that his intention was not to tell a tale that catered to religious audiences. He intended to tell a good story without watering it down to make it palatable for religious people. If you come from a Judeo-Christian background and accept that this movie does not intend to teach the Bible, you may perhaps appreciate this story on a different level. I loved the monstrous rock creatures known as the "Watchers," and I hope you will come to dig them as well!
Darren Aronofsky's 2014 film "Noah" explores several ideas that have great value for us now. The movie tackles enormous ideas around history, faith, sustainability, humanity, and family. This film is dark. It does not resemble any typical Sunday school lesson at all. Nor was this the intent of the director. Instead, this story explores the idea that a life full of conviction without compassion produces results we may not be prepared to accept. But first, a brief synopsis of the movie.
In the film, Noah is a man of steadfast conviction and teaches his values to his children. He loves his family, and together they live peacefully, secluded away from the rest of humanity. The Earth is still young, but it is being ravaged and consumed by the people of Earth. Noah and his family live as caretakers of the planet and preserve life wherever they can. Early in the movie, Noah begins to have visions of a great flood that will destroy the world. His visions are frightening and lead Noah to believe that God is angry with the world and wants to eliminate most of it. His visions also reveal that God wishes to spare Noah and his family, and therefore, they must build a great ark to save themselves and Earth's animals. Events in this story lead Noah to lose all hope in humanity and believes that civilization must die. With great conviction, he accepts that God has assigned him the task of ensuring that only the animals they save in the ark must go on after the flood subsides. This change begins to drive a wedge between him and his family, who wish to help restart humanity again.
Noah remains steadfast and accepts that God is the ultimate authority, and his obedience is required to stay in good standing with the creator. Throughout the movie, his family challenges Noah and begs him to be flexible and compassionate while carrying out his mission from God. Noah's son Ham asks to be allowed to bring a wife onto the ark. His brother Shem has a wife, and he too would like to have a companion on the ark. He meets a young woman in distress but fails in saving her due to Noah not lending a hand in a critical moment.
As Noah's resolve gains strength, so does the degree of his isolation from his family. His wife and children all fear for their safety in his presence, and they have no means of escape. Noah's daughter-in-law Ila is expecting a baby, and he has declared that if the child is a girl, he will kill her to prevent humanity from continuing. As I said, this movie is dark.
In the final act, the family ends up receiving two baby girls. Ila attempts to flee with the babies but is stopped by Noah, intending to follow through with his mission. The cries of his new granddaughters move him to his breaking point, and he chooses to let them live. He kisses the foreheads of the babies and returns them to their mother. He believes that he's failed God, and when the floodwaters subside, Noah goes into a deep depression. He becomes drunk on wine from the vineyard that he plants and remains separated from his family.
In the final scenes, you see his family make two choices in dealing with how they feel about Noah. The trauma caused by Noah is too much for his son Ham. It's clear on his face that Ham wants nothing to do with Noah and his religion. "I don't belong here" is one of the final lines of dialogue he says before leaving his family and journeying into the unknown. Watching his son depart, now a broken man Noah grows in his understanding of the pain that he caused his son. Finally, his remaining family chooses to begin the work of allowing him back into their lives. Noah receives grace that he does not deserve, and the movie leaves us with the hope that they will work things out.
What I find interesting is that the director of the movie does not seem to cast judgment on either of the family's choices. He doesn't prescribe one answer for the audience to accept. In this story, it's easy to be sympathetic to Ham's response, and very few will fault him for leaving. The director is careful to show that Ham's choice is not a reflection of his maturity. This separation has happened because of Noah's unwillingness to compromise for the sake of his family. While Ham's choice is sad, it's not unreasonable. For him, his best option was to leave.
Darren Aronofsky offers a similar treatment to the rest of Noah's family. Once Noah surrenders his conviction and comes to terms with his responsibility for the suffering he caused, they reach out and welcome him back. In him, they see a man no longer willing to hold onto his religion at the expense of his family. Instead, he wants to be a part of their lives. They open the door for him to engage in the new world together as a family. They are no longer the same family they were before the flood, but they choose to continue life's journey together. Their response to Noah, while difficult, is shown to be a response that's acceptable given the circumstances.
The last two years have revealed a great deal about how we all respond under pressure. I'll speak for myself here. I've watched how some in the church have responded to various front and center issues over the last two years, and it's never been more clear that I'm on a completely different page. I speak an entirely different language, and like Ham in the film, I sometimes feel like "I don't belong here." Christians who don't believe that systemic racism is real. Believers who believe Covid-19 vaccines are the mark of the beast. Or those who follow Christ who continue to degrade members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community and use God to validate their behavior. We will all need to make decisions about how we want to re-engage with people of firm conviction. If you're a Christian and the religion of your faith community has lacked compassion and understanding, let me be the one to encourage you that it's ok to leave if your faith community is not a safe place. I believe in unity, but not at the expense of your health: physical, mental, or spiritual. Get out now and live your life. Find a community where you will be safe.
But, on the other hand, if your faith community is on a journey and taking steps to change, they may need you to stick around and help move forward. I continue to be amazed at the compassion, willingness to learn, and change evident in the lives of people of faith. That gives me a lot of hope. I see people all over that are eagerly anticipating a hopeful future. There is a new world coming. It's colorful, unique, and full of opportunity. I'm also reminded that I was a very different person 20 years ago, but my journey has introduced me to new people and new ideas, and I've been changed hopefully into a more compassionate and understanding person. People can change, and they need enough of us to make space for them when they are ready. I'm happy to continue in life's journey with them. I hope you are too.