CONVERSATIONS WITH GOD

US, 2006, 109 minutes, Colour.
Henry Czerny, Vilma Silva, T. Bruce Page.
Directed by Stephen Deutsch.

Conversations with God is based on the spiritual books by Neale Donald Walsch. Instead of being a documentary or a presentation of the conversations, the film is designed as a biography of Walsch with his thinking and his communications with God inserted into the narrative. This makes for more effective drama. The film will make an impression on those sympathetic to religion and spirituality. It will not be particularly persuasive to those sceptical about religion, about God, about religious experiences.

Henry Czerny is very good as Walsch. The film opens with him giving a lecture and fielding questions about his books. Audiences will either respond immediately to him or, as with one of the questioners, raise issues. The film is not afraid to dramatise scepticism – even in the character of Walsch himself. However, he has had profound religious experiences, whatever the nature of his listening to God (dramatised in the film with Walsch’s own voice). His books have sold in the millions and have been very effective in helping people in their spiritual journeys.

The film has flashbacks, to an accident where Walsch broke his neck in the 1990s, his inability to get a job, his living on the streets, attempt to work as a DJ, desperate having his experiences which led to conversations with God and the writing of the books. The film also focuses on the publication, the deals, especially with Putnam. Interspersed are various meetings, seminars – especially the bookshop, with a woman who challenges him because of the death of her adopted son. He gives her an answer – which may or may not persuade, and he then expresses amazement at where the answer came from. This episode is typical of the way the film handles the issues of people who believe in what Walsch is saying and the scepticism that many others would bring to listening to him.

One of his best lines is the answer to a question about how he would describe God after his experiences: he says, “You got me all wrong.”

1. The impact of the film and its message? Belief? Meaning of life? Positive perspective?

2. Neale Walsch and his experience of God? His experience of people? His writing of his book? The popularity and influence?

3. A true story, the aftermath of Walsch’s God experience?

4. The power of positive thinking, power of spirituality?

5. The American setting, Oregon? The towns, the roads, the parks, the streets, the radio studio? The contrast with the auditoria, the bookshops? The world of the 90s?

6. The film produced in 2006 – and Walsch’s experience since 1994? His credibility?

7. The framework of the film: his talk, the introduction to Walsch, Henry Czerny’s screen presence? The audience, the questions, the affirmations of faith? The critical questioner? The nature of his scepticism? Walsch’s answers? His rapport with the crowd? His own questions to himself? The talks interspersed throughout the film? The episode in the bookshop, the mother with the grief of her son’s death, Walsch’s answer – and his later puzzle where his answer came from?

8. The accident, Walsch waking in hospital, his broken neck, the effect, his going to the bottom of life? The job interviews, the manner of the interviewers? His own resignation? His becoming more desperate?

9. The tent, in the park with the vagrants? The man in charge, his help, stipulating the rules? Fitch, his friendship, his comments about difficulties in making friendships, and leaving them? The African American friend? The recycling, getting the money, particular territories? The request to go to the toilet and the rough reply? His being hungry, the supermarket scene and the woman paying his bill, the boy watching Walsch eat hungrily? His growing desperation?

10. The providence of seeing the advertisement, making the phone call, the drilling on the road and difficult to hear? His meeting with Leora? Coming to the station, the DJ and his being busy, his getting the job? The irony of the radio station closing down, bankrupt?

11. Neale on the bus, the talkative young woman, the later talk in the park, his advances, her reaction?

12. Getting his apartment, the phone call from Leora? His being alone, the questions to God? God’s answers, Neale’s voice? His writing everything down, the many pads of writings? The quotations? God saying that “you got me wrong”? Issues of love and fear? The question of what would love do in a situation? The experience of writing, Leora and her typing, her being moved?

13. Audience response to the conversations with God? For atheists and agnostics? For believers? For people with no choices? The possibility of living their life as they wanted them to – and responsibilities? A difficulty for people in dire circumstances to respond to these conversations?

14. The book, the rejection slip, his daring the publisher to read it? Being taken up on the dare by Bob? The printing of five thousand? The meeting with the representative from Putnam, the deals, the million dollars, a million and a half dollars? Neale and his giving money to Leora? Her being overwhelmed?

15. Leora, her character, her relationship with her boyfriend, her work in the radio station, typing Neale’s manuscript, getting the money, doing up her house? Becoming his agent – the episode in the shop with the grieving woman? People comforting the grieving woman?

16. The cinema device of showing Neale’s other self, the final confrontation – and the two walking off together?

17. The results of Neale Walsch’s life experience? For himself? Sharing it with others?