Reflections on Interstellar: A Reason To Give Thanks

Reflections on Interstellar: A Reason To Give Thanks I wouldn’t really tag Interstellar as a Thanksgiving movie but the more I think about it, the more I realize the heart of the movie is about being grateful for the people in our lives and for the Earth we inhabit. It’s about people in an extreme situation and how the love of family and self-sacrifice motivates the human spirit in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Acclaimed director, Christopher Nolan (Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy), once again dazzles our eyes and tickles our minds with his latest film starring Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Chastain. In typical Nolan style, we are forced to stretch our common understanding of the way things are. When the things that should be constant, like the laws of science, go askew, the indomitability of the human spirit remains strong. The survival of Earth, consumed by blight, is threatened. A routine dust storm hits and Cooper (McConaughey) and his 10-year-old daughter, Murph (Mackenzie Foy), find patterns in the settled dust. Decoding the dust, they follow the coordinates to a secret facility where scientists and engineers secretly look for a way to save the world. They’ve discovered a wormhole that leads to another galaxy. As a former NASA pilot, Cooper is asked to fly the Endurance, in the hopes of finding a new home for humanity. Nolan uses the concept of relativity and the warping of space-time to create the film’s central tension. Cooper has to choose between his love for his kids and the future of the human race. If he goes, his children will be much older than himself when he gets back...if he gets back. Murph begs him to stay, but he can’t let his kids perish on a dying Earth if he can help stop it. He promises Murph he’ll come home and that promise drives every choice he makes. At Interstellar’s core is the relationship between father and daughter. Although some of the dialogue is scientific (it is a sci-fi movie after all), there are poignant moments in the film, all stemming from interactions with family: Cooper’s goodbye to Murph, Brand (Hathaway) receiving the news of her father’s death, adult Murph (Chastain) vehemently arguing with her brother, Tom (Casey Affleck), about whether or not their father will ever come home. One scene shows the astronauts attempting to come to a consensus. Brand begins a scientific discussion about the nature of love to justify her input. She says, “Love is the one thing we are capable of perceiving that transcends time and space.” Thanksgiving is a time to celebrate the love of family and friends and all the gifts God has bestowed on the human race. It can be a joyous time for many, but it can also be a painful time for those in broken family relationships. Cooper and Brand in Interstellar knew what it meant to give and receive love. Seeing this film moves me to pray for all families, especially those suffering from damaged relationships. May they find healing in God’s unconditional love and experience forgiveness and love from family members. Sister Hosea Marie Rupprecht, FSP Pauline Center for Media Studies East