Reality Bites

So yesterday I mentioned that I watched two movies that sparked my blog renaissance. I want to talk about one of them today. I think this one more than the other one is more unusual in that you wouldn't think of it as an inspirational movie on the surface. That movie?

Reality Bites

Never heard of it? Probably because it was released back in 1994, but regardless is still one of my favorite movies. (Well, it is the 90's, which is I still believe are the golden years even though i was in grade school through most of it.)

Anyway, in Reality Bites, the movie is about four college friends Lelaina, Troy, Vickie, and Sammy as they try to figure out their lives and future ambitions post college graduation. As a recent college graduate, I couldn't help but relate to a story about people whose ideals are so much bigger than their actual job prospects.

Case in point is Lelaina, played by Winona Ryder. Lelaina is an assistant to a TV producer and is struggling to realize her ambitions as a producer of her own TV show. So when she's fired from her job and has no way to showcase her talent for making movies, she feels lost and stuck. She goes through phases where she applies for jobs that she's overqualified for, she refuses to settle for less, and finds that no one will hire her. Generally, she has always been the caretaker, been the person obsessing about the details and has her whole life planned out, until she hits this point of uncertainty where, because she's thrown off, she loses all of her confidence.

I feel that I could definitely relate to Lelaina. I feel that I had a lot of high hopes coming out of college where I would just easily transition into the next phase of my life. I thought that I would find my niche or find my way to show my passions and ideals so easily. But it hasn't turned out that way. I'm frustrated, because I can't find a job. I'm frustrated because I have a lot of goals and dreams and here I am about to interview for a simple retail job. Not exactly what I expected. And I feel my worry is sometimes like Lelaina's. I am afraid that all of my ambitions and high grades, and leadership positions all are for nothing. I'm afraid of the identity I've created for myself in being successful and being a caretaker and that I am nothing without this success. That I am only as good as I am successful. And uncertainty makes everything seem confused.

But the response in this movie comes in her friend/love interest Troy. The dialogue in this scene is maybe a little cheesy, but I love it.

Leilaina: "I worked so hard, you know. I guess I just sound pathetic. All this work just meant something to me. I just don't understand why things cant go back to normal after the end of the half-hour like on Brady Bunch.

Troy: "Things don't work out like that."

Lei "I was going to be something by 23."

Troy "All you have to be is yourself."

Lei "I don't know who that is anymore."

Troy: "I know her...and I love her. She breaks my heart again...and again...but I love her."

See, there is a story told through this movie. Its a story that's rooted in the same place as all the rest of the great stories out there. Our story is not rooted in our identity, in being successful, rich, famous. There is so much time spent worrying about all of these things that don't matter. The only thing that matters is love. Unlike in Reality Bites, our story is rooted in God's love for us. Nothing else matters. Reality Bites in an unexpected way showed me how important it is to not to let our lives or "stories" get wrapped up in an identity crisis. Because for those who know Him, our identity is already secure in Christ. Its secure in an endless, unconditional love.

So me telling a story isn't about the content of the story itself, as I always feared and let myself worry about. It isn't about how successful this will be or if I'm telling a story right. As long as there is love behind it, and I mean well-intentioned, meaningful love, then any story that you live out or create is going to be successful, because the story doesn't define you. Its the love that comes from the story.

Next post, I'll talk about the other movie that got me thinking about story...