The Sunset Limited: Hollywood's Trip on Christian Faith, LIfe, and Despair

[lorenzo neal]

I was up late one night flipping through the channels and came across a movie that had two of my favorite actors-Samuel L Jackson and Tommy Lee Jones, sitting at a table discussing deep philosophical and theological issues. The name of the movie is The Sunset Limited. Adapted from the stage play by Pulitzer Prize Winner Cormac McCarthy, the movie brings life to the real disparities of faith and life many people struggle with. The reader may be familiar with McCarthy’s other works like “No Country for Old Men and The Road." It’s not often that Hollywood would tackle the deep philosophical questions of suffering, life, and faith, but this movie does a great job. Jackson plays the role of a deeply religious man who while not fully understanding his faith, accepts it and questions it at the same time. Jones plays the role of an educated atheist man overcome with the despair of his existence. Both men existentially present arguments to counter the other’s faith both in religion and natural order and in my opinion, both are successful at convincing the other that each of their arguments amount to nothing more than fleeting fallacies.

 

The two characters, White and Black (respective to their ethnicity) are brought together by what appears to be a moment of chance as Black , a deeply religious ex-con, saves White, an apathetic and atheist college professor from a suicide attempt of jumping in front of a subway train named Sunset Limited. Upon returning to Black’s apartment in the slums of New York, the two engage in a deep dialogue of philosophy, faith, and life. Even the setting of their dialogue, a simple table in a one room slum apartment can be seen as a symbol for the need to simplify our environment so that we may engage our inner self.

 

To borrow from Sartre, since man is a created being, there is placed on him a heightened sense of responsibility in essence making a free man frustrated with the assumed burden to carry the weight of the world on his shoulders. He summarizes this by saying that whatever happens to the individual is wholly and sufficiently human thus there can be no accidents. This sense of individual responsibility is displayed with the initial meeting of the two men. In the very beginning dialogue of the movie Mr. Black says, 'What am I supposed to do with you, Professor?' and White says, 'Why are you supposed to do anything... 'Take action? There's only one action that would have any meaning, and that's to jump in front of a train.”  For many, it  would appear that White should have expressed appreciation for Black’s
concern for his continued existence this is not the case however as the two spend the next 90 minutes speaking on reasons of faith and existence.

 

As a Christian Existentialist and a preacher since my pre-teens, I enjoyed the despair presented by both men in the dialogue. Like many other people of faith, I’ve struggled with the seemingly disparity between my faith, my reality, and my actuality. I’ve had plenty of time to ask and answer the question of faith and doubt’s role in my existence and religious experience and expression. What is not clear to many is the necessity of addressing both faith and doubt in their religious experience so that they may better relate to their neighbor. It is through the selfless action of giving that we truly discover the actuality of our faith.  Black acted selflessly when rescuing and bringing White to his own home, expressing the essence of the message of Christ. Christ had many people desiring to follow him because of his
miracles and teaching, but few willing to be authentic disciples willing to die with him.

 

As a pastor, I really appreciated Mr. Black’s honesty about questions with his own faith when being pressed with hard questions by Mr. White. In the Black church tradition (ranging from the Pentecostal to mainline Methodists and Baptists), believers from the pulpit to the pew are more capable of sharing their story of conversion, healing, deliverance, or renewal to others without fully articulating key doctrinal concepts of faith and dogma. I can summarize this argument with the Christian hymn I Love to tell the Story. The first stanza and refrain of this hymn assesses the writer’s relationship with faith and life: “I love to tell the story of unseen things above, Of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love. I love to tell the story, because I know ’tis true; It satisfies my longings as nothing else can do. I love to tell the story, ’twill be my theme in glory, to tell the old, old story of Jesus and His love.” While sincere and expressive, it fails to adequately communicate the essence of the person’s faith. Where logos fails, many believers rely on the pathos to convey the essence of their religious experience. This is what a deeply religious Mr. Black does throughout the movie which is returned by sound arguments against the very same by the atheist Mr. White.   

For me, the most moving part of the movie was at the end. It is here that Mr. White comes to grip with his angst, despair, and dread and although presented with the alternative, chooses to leave in the same state of being. This leads Mr. Black to fall on his knees and cry out to his God-“I tried, you know I tried.” It is as if the ending is attempting to bring the audience to question whether or not efforts to prevent fate are worth it.  It certainly leaves the watcher with deep pressing questions that he or she may engage with his or her self that could press them to either draw closer or further away from faith and life.

I enjoyed this film for
its existential relevance, but also because it has two of today’s best actors
tackling roles that relate to the average person and are highly likeable.