MILIIONS

During the past winter, I spent a lot of time watching movies. My plan had always been to write reviews of my favorites, such as DOUBLE INDEMNITY and BRICK, but my cramped hands wouldn't allow me to type and I never got around to it. This morning, however, I watched a movie in which the lead character, Damien, reminded me so much of me that it brought tears to my eyes (and no, it wasn't THE OMEN--even though, strangely enough, the lead character's name is Damien and he's a Christian mystic). Throughout the movie, Damien sees Saints everywhere: they are guiding him. His mystical experiences differed from mine in content, but his intention in life is the same: at one point in the movie he says to a Patron Saint--"I just want to be good."

The name of the movie is "MILLIONS". It's about this young English lad who's family thinks he's a bit loony because of his mystical inclinations (save for two scenes in the movie, they don't see or hear the Saints that Damien interacts with during the rest of the film and don't quite understand his being spiritually bent). That's not to say that he is not loved: MILLIONS is a wonderful story about familial love. The story unfolds with Damien, his older brother Anthony, and his father moving from one part of England to another.

One day, while sitting beside some railroad tracks in a cardboard fort made from moving boxes, a large bag of money comes crashing down from the sky and lands on his fort. Damien believes the money was sent to him from God and wishes to share his 'millions' with the poor. He shows his older brother the money and, right away, Anthony begins thinking of ways to invest the money to make a profit, for example by purchasing real estate. We are immediately introduced to the different personalities of these brothers.

The filming is extraordinary--eye candy if there ever was such a thing. Alex Etel, the young lad who played the role of Damien, is by far the most talented child actor I have ever seen. How do you get a child to look as though he sees everything everywhere as Divine? During the film's conclusion, the whimsical look in young Etel's eyes brought tears of joy to mine. Brilliant. Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later) creates a visual story completely in sync with the story being told, yet he manages to leave enough room for the viewers imagination to take flight as well. There's one scene in particular where Damien crawls into bed with his father after stating "I don't like having my own room". I cannot recall ever seeing a scene in which the acting, directing, lighting, and music are so perfectly choreographed. I rewound this scene several times to catch every nuance.

(For a beautifully crafted, indepth review of MILLIONS, click here.)


This movie reminded me that it is vitally important to remember that we are all good; we should never allow ourselves to forget that--never allow ourselves to lie to ourselves. Goodness is an innate trait each of us carries within our hearts. Some of us get blinded by the 'vanities' of the world; and by the labyrinth of the caverns of the mind. It's so dangerous to give our power of knowledge away--and by 'knowledge' I am referring to the spiritual knowledge.

Yesterday; I received a catalog in the mail from the Vedanta Society. On the first page I found the following quote. It's relative to the movie MILLIONS in that it resolves the conflict between Damien and his brother in that no matter what actions nor paths either boy chose to take, they were still, ultimately, on the path to Truth:

"Right and Wrong Conduct: All ethics are merely a means to the end of finding God within ourselves. "Right" action is action which brings us nearer to the knowledge of God. "Wrong" action leads us away from that knowledge. Our ideas of "good" and "evil" are therefore only relative values and must not be used as an absolute standard to judge others. All of us have our own problems and our own path of development. But the goal is the same for all."

"'Wrong' action leads us away from that knowledge." That is the part of the quote that cheered me up. The medications I'm on make it difficult for me to think clearly, and I obsess over things that are not necessary--nor productive--to obsess over. The above quote reminded me that following and listening to this obsessive train of thought is a 'wrong' action. Listening to the 'chatterbox mind' is a direct train out of the town of freedom in our lives (both mental and physical freedom).

Getting back to MILLIONS; we all know children are blessed with innocence. This movie is a celebration of the many personality types that live together (or try to, at least) -- and shows the place and importance of the mystic within the scheme of things. While subtly addressing the loneliness of the mystic, it ultimately celebrates the joy of this open-hearted, compassionate person.

This movie has the power to remind us of our innate goodness; I believe it may also have the power to ignite the fire of this recognition in those who never believed it to be so.

MILLIONS illustrates the epitome of the word 'bhakti' (love and devotion).

Enjoy! And, as always, please let me know what you think about the movie.

Warm regards,
Bhakti

tags:Jaibhakti, Bhakti Brophy, Millions,Danny Boyle, Bhakti, Divine Love, Alex Etel, mysticism, Vedanta Society