“Our need for friendly giants”
I saw Spielberg's adaptation of Roald Dahl's "The BFG" a couple of weeks ago and enjoyed it very much, despite it taking a little while to really get going as a story. Mark Rylance does a tremendous job with the giant. Not only is he friendly, he is warm, funny and touching and is well matched by young Ruby Barnhill. Jeffrey Overstreet has written a lovely appreciation of the film from the point of view of humanity's deep-seated dreams of "a benevolent presence in the cosmos". "In a world of absent fathers, disappointing leaders, and churches betrayed by corrupt leadership, it’s no wonder that even adults get teary-eyed when they watch these childlike ideals of faithfulness and consolation. We want someone who transcends human limitations but who is also capable of intimacy. We are inclined to look for someone who will catch us when we fall—but who can also catch a falling sky... Never underestimate the power of a story about someone who watches ov...