The fourth post in the series “Stories Save My Life” is written by Seattle indie director, Kevin Sabourin. You may’ve seen his work on the outstanding PBS series, The Artist Toolbox, and next year, if you love independent film, you’ll hear about Fetch, which is currently in post and set to debut sometime next year. Follow the film’s Facebook page to keep tabs on it!

I’ve known Kevin for years and one of the best things about him is how passionate he is for a good story. Naturally, his post is going to be centered on filmmaking and story. It’s perfect that his post, which discusses the impact of Star Wars on his life, falls on Star Wars Day, and no, it wasn’t planned. 

I hope you enjoy the article and leave comments below talking about your favorite films and why you think they impacted you the way they have.

Thanks, and May the Fourth be with you.

-Sarah

Just Give Me a Straight Answer!

Guest Poster: Kevin Sabourin

Whenever you ask somebody what their favorite movie is, you can never get a straight answer.  First comes the knee jerk response with something like “Star Wars” or “Lord of the Rings”… Then after a moment of silence comes a rattling list of four or five more absolute “favorite” movies.  “I’d have to say Shawshank Redemption, orRebel Without a Cause… well no… that’s not my favorite but definitely in my top 5… no top 10!” 

And on and on it goes.

But as much as I loathe indecisiveness, I find myself in the same predicament when the question is posed to me.  And I think I’ve figured out why.

First we must start with the basics.  What is story?  Story is an account of a person’s experience, fictional or otherwise.  Let’s go one layer deeper.  Storytelling (specifically filmmaking) is an art.  What is art?  Expression.  Art is a human being creatively expressing himself through a given medium.  The reason we gravitate toward art is because when we hear others express themselves (and when we learn to express ourselves through our own art) we not only learn about our humanity, but we come to find we are not so alone in the universe.

And “Story” as an art form, being an oratorical experience, lends itself to the masses in a more obvious way than say “abstract painting.”  Not to say one is more important than the other, but it is obvious to see why movies have a broader appeal than some of the finer arts where the thematic elements are a bit subtler. 

On a side note, what’s interesting is that movies being the modern “storytellers” of our day, are actually communicating to us in a different way then the wise old sage around the fire telling stories.  In film, we can SHOW YOU the story, not just tell you the story.  Allowing our own intellect to piece everything together compounding the impact of the story’s revelation (i.e.: Chinatown).  The movies that give you the pieces and allow you to assemble the solution are more impactful then the movie that bangs the answer over your head (i.e.: Star Wars ep1-3)… but I digress.

So if in fact we gravitate toward stories that relate closest with our own human experience… When you ask somebody what their favorite movie is, you are (in a way) asking them about their own life.  The three films that have always been on top of my list are Star Wars: A New Hope, Rudy and 12 Angry Men.

What appeals to me about Star Wars is Luke Skywalker.  Here you have a humble farm boy who feels deep down that he is destined for something more, yet his Uncle Owen has doomed him to mediocrity in the desert of Tatooine.  The specific scene in which we see Luke’s plight is when he goes outside one evening after arguing with Uncle Owen and peers out into the double sunset.  The music, the cinematography, the acting, the scenery… all come together in this tender moment to convey a sense of longing.  Luke knows he’s destined for more than the hand he was dealt. 

George Lucas then creates an event (Uncle Owen & Aunt Beru die) and we see Luke reach deep within himself to go fulfill his destiny (stop the empire).  I saw this scene as a young dreamer while sitting on my living room carpet eating Butter O’s (Cheerios with melted butter because we couldn’t afford more milk) and Luke Skywalker became my champion.  When he fled his homeland, trained to be a Jedi and defeated the evil empire… it was if it were me.  It gave me hope that I too could escape and go on to do something greater.  Though I was not conscious of this at the time, it was a process happening internally nonetheless.

It’s not hard to understand why Rudy also became a favorite of mine.  To see Rudy (who came from a factory town where he was expected to follow his brothers into the trade) sitting on a bench reading his acceptance letter into Notre Dame, reminds me once again that this longing I have to achieve my goals is not being shared by myself alone.  Somebody else out there looked around at their life and said I want more out of it and they got it.

12 Angry Men appeals to me for a different reason.  I had a childhood which made “trusting” people difficult.  Truth was paramount to me.  Henry Fonda’s absolute dedication to find out the truth of the alleged murderer despite what his fellow jurors thought greatly inspired me. 

Here is a man that is so secure in himself his first loyalty is to the truth, not acceptance.  I watched this film in high school for the first time and it resonated with me like few others did.

Most people don’t go into deep analysis of why they enjoyed a movie.  They just watch a movie likeAmerican History X or Gran Torino and say “What a great movie”, not realizing it’s speaking to the universal values of equality and the ability to change one’s life.  But that’s ok.  The point of story is not to walk away with three talking points of how it impacted you.  The point is that the impact happened.  You’re heart was softened.  Seeds were sown that will no doubt be fertilized by other expressions of humanity (art) down the road.  And most importantly, for a moment in the story (if it’s a good story) you looked at one of the characters and said, “There I am.”

One of the reasons why I believe movies have become our society’s primary means of storytelling (and one of the highest grossing art forms commercially) is because of their unique compounding nature.   When you walk the streets of New York City and see the vast landscape of detailed architecture, it conveys a grand sense of majesty.  A boy’s choir can sing a hymn with angelic phrasing communicating control and harmony.  A model with the latest fashion sense can express innovation and rebellion.  One photograph framed perfectly with the right lighting can be worth a thousand words!  In a movie, you can have all of these art forms and more.  Movies are the melting pot of the arts, brewing a delicious stew (separate but cohesive) of intellectual and emotional stimulation.

So why can’t I give you a straight answer?  For the same reason a parent cannot tell you which child they love more.  They all bring something different to the table.  They all appeal to a different facet of our humanity that we cannot live without.  The moment we show favoritism toward one we are immediately reminded of another because both have equally put there proverbial arm around us when we felt nobody understood. We’d hate to overlook that type of loyalty!

Story is important because it reminds us we’re not alone.  Somebody else has braved this path before.  Anybody who has the honor to be apart of this delicate and beautiful process should feel proud of the hope they are bringing to the world… even if it’s just to a young boy sitting on the living room carpet eating Butter O’s.