Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Letters to God, An Interview with Writer Co Director Patrick Doughtie

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Patrick Doughtie the writer and co-director of Letters to God. The interview flowed as a natural conversation and was a little different for me because of my own personal appeal to the movie.

Letters to God is based on Patrick’s son Tyler. I had my own experiences with a little boy named Tyler Graebener who died from cancer when he was 9. I did a lot of work with Tyler over the years and will be forever impacted as a result of my witnessing of the tremendous courage and example of this little boy. Letters to God is a personal journey and story of Patrick’s son who succumbed to a rare form of brain cancer. There is something about the honesty, and life of a child that teaches lessons and has value. Letters to God is a movie and story that shares the wisdom of a child. While there are liberties taken in the story, the lessons, the examples, are very much a part of the reality of Tyler.

As I did a little research on the film I had a spiritual experience. Without me knowing, I discovered some associations with the film. Among those associations included is music from the band Stars Go Dim. I have gotten to know these guys over the last year or so and was surprised to discover one of their songs on the soundtrack for the film. I also discovered that Patrick is based out of Nashville, a city where I have many friends and once lived near. There is also the common concept of both of us losing a loved one to cancer, both who happened to be named Tyler. While much more personal for Patrick, as it is the story of his son, the research still brought back memories for me of the little boy I loved named Tyler. I was reminded of the boy I loved named Tyler and of how movies can impact the lives of people like I had once written of Tyler Graebener.

Patrick shared with me ‘the story of Letters to God is about a little boy who has cancer and writes letters to God, and was inspired by my son. The film version shares how he impacted people and it touches on his childlike faith. In the story he has an impact on a down and out postal worker.'

I asked how different the story was from real life and Patrick responded: ‘A lot of the conversations between the son and mother are actually conversations between me and my son. The movie is really Tyler’s cancer story wrapped in fiction. The letters are a metaphor of his life and his love for God. In real life, Tyler was his own letter to God. He was the messenger who had to share the story. Actually, I later found some letters that were passed off into the production company. There are a lot of fictional characters in the movie but some, like one of the little girls is based off a friend he met at St. Jude’s Hospital.’

One of the things I appreciated is the work being done to help raise awareness and help agencies that do work. As a part of the work being supported by the web site and movie include, charities such as, Hope Kids, The Arnold Palmer Hospital, and Give Kids the World Village. The web site for the movie, www.letterstogodthemovie.com also has a site link that allows individuals to share their own stories. It doesn’t take long to realize the impact this movie has had on multitudes of grieving loved ones.

In regards to the stories that have been shared, Patrick shared: ‘The stories have been phenomenal! There have been on a daily bases Facebook messages and others at my own web site www.patrickdoughtie.com others forward messages to me that deal with things they have heard. The one thing that sticks out in my head was my thought that if just one person comes to Christ through the story then the entire experience was worth it. There is a woman who contacted me through Facebook and she gave me permission to use her story. She was diagnosed with leukemia at 14 and was considered cancer free for 5 years. For all of her life she was agnostic and didn’t believe in God. She is now 28 and was recently diagnosed with a new kind of cancer with no cure. Her mom asked her to go see the movie, she went reluctantly and came out and messaged me. She wanted me to know that she wanted to live the rest of her life for God and the next week would be the very first time she ever stepped foot in the church.’

Patrick continued with his thoughts, reflecting as he told me; ‘I wanted to see one person come to Christ and impacted by the story, but instead I have seen hundreds of people who have gone through similar circumstances and the story has provided hope.’

Having some experience in knowing what it feels like to garnish some success due to work with such a personal subject, I reluctantly asked how it felt to try and balance everything, including the success with the personal experience of losing his son, Patrick had thought of this before, but was gracious to answer the question freely; ‘Ultimately the entire process has been healing. I went through a period of depression and into a slump for almost 2 years. I was mad at God, I asked the questions of why, it’s not fair, and I started thinking back of when I was in the hospital looking for him. The church I was in gave me the book The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren and I started seeing a purpose for everyone. I saw Tyler’s purpose as being on the planet to impact the people he impacted and had an effect on. It’s a roller coaster of emotions. I am blessed that I have been used by God in this manner, there are so many that have lost children that don’t have an opportunity to make a movie about their child. Each one of them touches people in their community and their family’s lives. There is definitely a purpose in each person’s life.’

I couldn’t help but relate to what Patrick had said here. I had seen and experienced the same type of thing with my friend Tyler. In fact, I had asked the same questions, came to the same conclusions. I couldn’t help but think that the consistency of the message gave a type of guarantee that the message really was from God.

In my own personal experiences, I also realized, time has to go on, there has to be a future. I asked Patrick what the future included for him. ‘I am still writing and raising funds for a movie I am now working on. I have a screen play, actually several that I am developing in novel format and they are being pitched to the publisher. The book hit the NY times best seller list so that helps and doors open. I also write a political column and I also just signed with Single Source Speakers Bureau, all in all, life is pretty busy.’

While the movie is getting mass marketing from Wal-Mart among other retailers, the possible impact from the mega giant isn’t lost. Patrick shared, ‘Wal Mart is a huge outlet for us, they have picked up a couple hundred thousand copies, LifeWay is also promoting it pretty well, I haven’t spoken to the marketing team but am hoping they also put more advertising on television. I also know the movie has been released in other countries. Hopefully more people will know about the release. It is also available at Red Box.

I realized as we proceeded, a lot is happening for Patrick. I was impressed; impressed with a lot of things, from similar experiences, to the life his son must have led. I was wondering though, had his purpose, had his desires changed so I asked about his wishes for the future: ‘Honestly, my only wish and goal is like from the start; it is that as many as possible will see the movie, it isn’t really about the sales and all of that, I’m just hoping now that millions can see the movie, be touched by the story. How that helps, or if I make a lot of money doesn’t matter to me nearly as much as that Tyler’s story touches lives.’

As I concluded the interview, I could relate, relate to a real guy who has had to go through tragic events in his own life to make him who he is. I was challenged, in fact moved, the reality is, many of us, whether we realize it or not, do in fact have a purpose in life. We unfortunately come to the conclusions we do through difficult circumstances. All too often, many of us focus on the negative, the negative of how we relate to others, or how we feel about our circumstances. There is certainly a time for grieving as is illustrated in the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes, but there is also a time for healing, a time for joy, a time for living. It is in all of those times that we become who we are, and who we are will determine who we impact and the reality of maybe, just maybe we can be used by God to touch others with meaning and purpose. I think Patrick gets that, in fact, I am certain he does, thankfully because of the gift of his son, now many more, hopefully millions will as well.

The following is a video of an interview with Patrick, to see the video, just click on the video, if the video doesn't appear, click on the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCwZeX_om1U


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Friday, August 6, 2010

Winter's Bone

Independent film is normally done out of love. It is often made without the big budgets of studio movies, and there is an authentic touch of love and appreciation involved in the stories portrayed on screen. Often times those involved work for scale if there is any pay involved at all. There are hopes the film will take off and if there are financial rewards it often comes on the back end where profits come about due to the success of the movie. One of the things that help an indie obtain success is recognition on the Film Festival Circuit. Of those, there are none more respected than Sundance. Opening this week in limited release is a film that has garnished many Film Festival Awards, including the Sundance Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay. Winters Bone is a film of brilliance often ignored. One will discover here that there are ample movies being made on the indie circuit that is simply put, incredible.

Winters Bone is the story of a family in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Jennifer Lawrence is already garnishing Oscar Buzz for her incredible portrayal of 17-year-old Ree Dolly. Ree is the primary caretaker of her family. It is obvious that she has quit high school to care for her disabled mother a small brother and sister because her father has disappeared. He was involved in the manufacturing and distribution of illegal drugs, primarily crystal meth. Ree discovers that her father placed their house and property up as collateral for his bond after an arrest. She soon realizes the courts and bail Bond Company is going to take ownership of the property if the father doesn’t show up for court. In her search for her father and in the effort to save the family she starts asking questions, and going places she is told she has no business in. As a result, the story takes the viewer on a dramatic roller coaster ride based not on the thrills expected in big budget films, but in character development and story. Winters Bone slowly sucks in the viewer and has them enthroned until the movies dramatic conclusion.

Debra Granick, the writer and co-director does an incredible job of researching the topic of which she is presenting. While the Ozarks are a beautiful area, we have seldom seen the reality of Ozark living among the poor as is presented in Winters Bone. While not all families are involved in the drug trade, in fact far from it, what we see is a way of life presented that is a part of the life of many, a way of life often either forgotten about or ignored by the general populace. The reality is, there are many that live the lives presented. From those dependant on the land for food, whether meat or crops, to those who live in abusive and difficult situations. One of the things Jennifer Lawrence does in her portrayal of Ree is show us a strong female character. Not since Sally Fields portrayal of Norma Rae have I seen such a strong, real female character. We see the character played brilliantly, but the direction, editing, and cinematography certainly add to the credibility of this film.

One of the strong, thought provoking points presented in Winters Bone is the strength of family. We see the importance of family and the responsibility to family. While many may have forgotten about this concept, we see a portrayal where the poor value and honor this tradition, largely due to their own realization that they have little, it isn’t possessions they want, it is the love of family. We see it as Ree goes from one family member to another trying to find out about her father. She questions their commitment to family as she searches for answers. In her search she reminds her extended family of the importance of family. In the process, she converts many of those around her to the things that are important. The process isn’t easy; there are sacrifices made and consequences for her actions. Not everyone wants or respects the closeness and value of family, but Ree has a commitment she won’t compromise on. She understands her own need to sacrifice in order to see to it that her younger siblings have the chance she never had. She has them practicing spelling and math as she walks them to school, and teaches them not just about love, but how to live. Her example reminded me of an old missionary concept where; ‘it is better to teach a man to fish than it is to give him a fish. When you give him a fish you feed him for a day, when you teach him to fish you feed him for a lifetime.’ As I left the theater and reflected on Winters Bone, I wondered, do we really value family enough to make sacrifices, even the hard sacrifices that shows we love our family?

Winters Bone is a tremendous film, while a little slow, especially at the start, the character development is needed to draw the viewer in, and that, it does. By the end of the film I was sitting on the edge of my seat, anticipating and wondering what would come next. Much of the credit has to go to the cast, while much hype has deservedly been given towards Jennifer Lawrence; I was personally drawn into the character of Teardrop, played brilliantly by John Hawkes. I will likely see this movie again just to watch this artesian paint a masterpiece. This is an independent film that deserves an audience. During the summer hype of many major releases, this is one that deserves an audience, especially if the viewer wants quality acting, and quality story. I anticipate it may get lost in the Oscar Buzz to come about at the end of the year, if it does, it is a shame, it deserves all of the kudos it gets.

On a scale of 1 – 10, while not quite perfect, not far from it a very deserving and enjoyable 9

To see the following videos, just click on the video, if the video don't appear click on the link:

Comments from the Director Writer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-xangQaLTg


The following is the official trailer for Winter's Bone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bE_X2pDRXyY&feature=related


Click here to follow The Virtual Pew on Twitter

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You can also Help The Virtual Pew by shopping on our web site or at Amazon, click here to shop at Amazon and help The Virtual Pew, it won't cost you anything extra, but we get a small percentage of the purchase.

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Click to visit and join the new group The Virtual Pew, at MySpace. Become a part of a different kind of Christian group, check out the page for more information,all welcome, including those who are not followers of Jesus.

Click to visit the Virtual Pew Website and become a part of that ministry.

Click to subscribe to my blog

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Click to visit Mary Jane Furches' new MySpace Page

Now for those that do not know, make sure you check out the numerous articles and blogs by checking out the archives. If visiting The Virtual Pew or MySpace they are archived on the left hand side of the page. Scroll down to where you see newer or older listed under archives and then click there. There are hundreds of postings so make sure to check out the archives. You can also contact me for a free e-book pre edit version of The Keystone Kid at mike@thevirtualpew.comYou can visit http://www.thevirtualpew.com/ and on the front page down on the left side you sill see our store. Your purchase provides needed funds to The Virtual Pew. If you do not see something to purchase you can click on the search engine, (do not put anything in the search box at this time). You will be taken to Amazon where you can search for anything you desire. Hopefully you will consider a gift to The Virtual Pew.

Now I get asked this quite often, Can we repost your blogs or articles? The short answer to that is, what an honor that you would ask, and by all means, spread the word.Here is our contact information

The Virtual Pew
P.O. Box 17731
Wichita, KS 67217

Click on the following links to learn more about The Virtual Pew

Donations to The Virtual Pew

The Virtual Pew

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