8 “Futility of futilities,” says the Preacher, “all is futility!”9 In addition to being wise, the Preacher also taught the people knowledge; and he pondered, searched out, and arranged many proverbs. 10 The Preacher sought to find delightful words and to write words of truth correctly.
11 The words of the wise are like goads, and masters of these collections are like driven nails; they are given by one Shepherd. 12 But beyond this, my son, be warned: the writing of many books is endless, and excessive study is wearying to the body.
13 The conclusion, when everything has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person. 14 For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil. 📚 Ecclesiastes 12:8-14 NASB
Introduction
I watch two very similar, but also very distinct YouTube channels. They both discuss deeper meaning in mainstream movies and TV shows. However, one group is focused on this topic from the lens of therapy and filmography, while the other group looks at the topic from the spiritual lens of being believers in the Bible. One channel focuses on topics such as character growth, interpersonal relationships, and family dynamics, while the other channel addresses things like gnostic themes, occult symbolism, and appearances of an inverted gospel.
I’m going to step through a comparison of videos they did on the same movie to illustrate the importance of balance and not completely closing yourself off from people who have differing opinions and beliefs than you.
Two Channels, Two Viewpoints, One Movie
It would have been nice if I had found commentary from the two channels that discuss the same movie or show where I had actually seen the content. That would have given us another layer of dimension and discussion! Unfortunately due to the size of their archives, I couldn’t think of any thing they both discussed on their channel. As i was combing through their content, I realized they both reacted to Pixar’s Soul—a movie from 2020 that I have never seen.
CinemaTherapy’s Reaction to SOUL
CinemaTherapy is a YouTube duo (who sometimes invite others to join them) consisting of two friends: one is a licensed therapist and the other, a filmmaker.
Highlights from the Reaction
- Both got more out of it on a second watch than they did in the first viewing
- Theme is “what is my purpose”
- Visualization of how everything fades away as he’s playing the piano
- Our greatest fear is a life un-lived — he doesn’t want to die when his life has just begun and he’s halfway through his life (midlife crisis); convo about how inadequate we feel at tackling our dreams. The belief that I’m destined to fail is a perception; its not truth
- Bad attitude and apathy masking a fear (22, the character scared to go to Earth)
- Perspective of a scene—the first time we see it its sad and depressing of him eating pie alone, tucked in with memories of him failing but at the end of the film it repeats and he remembers life and living and the pie was delicious; he was happy
- Joe feels like his life was meaningless (one of the guys relates to this)
- Side discussion about diversity in movies and being able to connect to character (side conversation from being able to relate to the character and how it helps majority kids develop a worldview that doesn’t relegate minorities to side characters)
- Find your purpose vs find your spark—he thought his purpose was playing the piano but he was actually great at teaching (shown in the scene where a student says they only came to school for his class)
- There are our passions but theres also what are we good at, not always the same
- You don’t have to be a roaring public success to be fulfilled; there is fulfillment in having a life of integrity and goodness
- Discussion on the “confrontation” between the mom and son. “I’m afraid if i die today my life will amount to nothing” So the mom gives him his dad’s suit and tells him she’s proud of him. Emotional story about parental desire to try to protect child from failure. 12 year old heard “you’re not talented enough” What he needed was a parent who was excited for him to do what he loved; support and love in my purpose—even if i got my purpose wrong
- End of movie the person tells them his spark isn’t his purpose; “the meaning of life is life” being grateful to be alive. The purpose of life is to live it
- Sometimes the first pass over something doesn’t give you the a good impression, but when we give it a second glance outside of expectation we appreciate it for what it is
- Let go of what we want to appreciate what is
Little Light Studio’s Reaction to SOUL
Little Light Studio is a YouTube channel consisting of multiple people who bring their Christian belief to table to expose occult themes and other problems within the movies we often consume blindly.
Highlights from the Reaction
- Gives brief summary of the movie
- First Pixar movie to feature an African American protagonist
- Director says he is a christian but doesn’t see himself making a christian movie
- Movie takes place before we are born, less tradition on that—they talked to different traditions and religions anyway
- Moonwind is a character who helps lost souls find human bodies. Levitate in lotus pose; discussion of chakras and yoga
- Teaches to practice new age meditation; candles for occult ritual
- Teaches we were pre-existing souls in Heaven before (LDS belief)
- Director included religious themes even though he said he didn’t want to
- Joe Gardener; average joe gardener=keeper of the garden (Adam was the keeper of the garden)
- Jerry is omnipresent; all the counselors are like God; means “sacred name”
- Why would anyone want to leave perfect environment? gnosticism teachings that Adam and Eve were enslaved and Satan was trying to free them from their prison. Stray from perfection to embrace a life of sin.
Points of Interest
The only thing both channels discussed was the fact that the main character was black—that says a lot about where we are in the US right now. The points that Little Light Studio makes are completely left out in Cinema Therapy’s video (I don’t know the religious beliefs of Cinema Therapy’s hosts), and the points Cinema Therapy’s video are completely left out of Little Light Studio’s video. Yet, both make points that are worth discussing. in conversations it’s important to be able to understand that even if you don’t agree with something, its still possible to have worthwhile conversations about things. Also, realistically, if you are a parent with children, it is probably better to have a balanced conversation that to ban your child from watching movies.
References and Footnotes
- Cinema Therapy. “Therapist Reacts to SOUL”. YouTube. April 3, 2021; visited May 2023
- Little Light Studios. “SOUL New Age Agenda EXPOSE | LED lite”. YouTube. February 4, 2021; visited May 2023
- Apologies about the sound quality. The A/C in my apartment is very loud unfortunately
Other Episodes This Season
