SAVED!

US, 2004, 92 minutes, Colour.
Jenna Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit, Heather Matarazzo, Eva Amurri, Chad Frost.
Directed by Brian Dannelly.

After the success of The Passion, some publicists rushed articles to the press about religious films being popular again and headlined Saved! Either they had not seen it or they had their tongues firmly in their cheeks. Yes, the film is about Christianity. No, the film is light years away from The Passion – except that most of the characters in Saved! would have been the first to buy tickets. It is about Born Again Christians.

Actually, the film is really Mean Girls all over again in Born Again clothing. It targets the more righteous than thou kind of Christians, parodies their behaviour and makes quite a few satiric digs at the double standards of many professing believers who justify whatever they do, (good deed or bad whim) by attributing it to Jesus. To that extent, the film can serve as a bit of an examination of conscience concerning authentic faith and charity.

Jena Malone is the devout student who misinterprets what Jesus would want her to do to help her gay friend and finds herself becoming disillusioned, especially with her prom queen friend, Mandy Moore, who is ruthlessly religious. Add devout friends, pious teachers, Martin Donovan as the cheery pastor and Mary Louise Parker as Jena’s mother and you have a mixture of comedy, critique and some serious questioning of what it is to be a true Christian.

1.A religious film? Religious themes? Religious communities, ethos, religious faith, motivations, behaviour? Religion as a cause? The film as serious, satiric, a critique?

2.The Maryland settings, the community and homes, the school, sport, classes, prom nights…? Ordinary yet different?

3.The musical score – and the religious songs and the lyrics?

4.The strong cast, the young actors?

5.The critique of the religious rite, some ridicule, some serious criticism, the highlighting of double standards, the highlighting of intolerance, not understanding moral issues, sanctifying issues? Moral issues in black and white?

6.The Jesus language, Jesus as personal saviour, Jesus as motivation? What Jesus would do in situations? The visual images of Jesus? The hallucination for Mary in the swimming pool and Jesus swimming underwater to her? The Gospel parallels? The Gospels as ideology or spirituality?

7.Mary and her earnestness, voice-over, her age, at school, religiously devout, her devout mother, the bond between them? The pastor and his revival sessions, the friends speaking in tongues? The friendship with Hilary? Hilary as dominating? Roland in the wheelchair, his sarcastic comments about his sister? Mary’s friendship with Cassandra? The effect of Patrick’s arrival in the school? The importance of her friendship with Dean? Surface normal?

8.Dean, his secrets, communicating them with Mary underwater, his being gay? The moment of Jesus swimming? Mary wanting to help, the rationalisations, the attempt at a cure, the sexual encounter, Mary becoming pregnant? Dean being taken to the Mercy Centre? Mary’s pregnancy and her telling Dean, his return to the prom with his boyfriend?

9.Hilary, her personality, dominance, narcissistic, selfish, in class, with the pastor, with the teachers? Fashion? Her friends and her entourage including Thea? Her relationship with her brother? Her creating mischief? Her condemning Mary, condemning Dean, condemning Cassandra? Her singing the religious songs? The graffiti? The photo of her being fat, her appeal to the principal? Her wanting to sabotage Mary and her friends? Her anger at the prom? Her comeuppance, driving the car, into the images of Jesus?

10.Roland, in the wheelchair, the remarks about his disability? His saying he was not a believer? With the group, supporting Mary, his friendship with Cassandra?

11.Patrick, his father, his being on mission? Coming to the school? Mary and her infatuation? His response to her pregnancy? His relationship with Hilary and her dominance? Helping, taking Mary to the prom?

12.Pastor Skip and Mary’s mother, the meeting, the separation, the discussions about kissing, standards, seeing God as punishing them, issues of God’s will?

13.Hilary and her entourage, especially Thea? Thea finally denouncing her and forcing her to tell the truth?

14.Cassandra, her story about being a stripper? A Jewish girl at a Christian school? Speaking in tongues at the revival meeting? Friends with Mary? The discussions about being Jewish, Christmas and Hanukkah? Her drinking? Friendship with Roland, helping Mary?

15.Mary and her pregnancy, hospital, the tests, her interpretation, the response of the different girls, of Roland and Patrick? Her mother accepting this? The discussions about the Gospel parallels and the invention of such a story?

16.The build-up to the prom, Hilary and her hostile activity, the graffiti? Her reaction to her photo of her being fat? Mary and her friends going to the prom, the showdown, the principal suggesting that everybody stay? Hilary and her outburst?

17.The end, the happy ending?

18.Issues of Christianity, the Christian rite, beliefs, morality, the Gospel? The intolerance and the forming of a sect mentality? Its consequences for young people, their moral decisions?