This interconnectedness is not the result of mere coincidence. These interlaced vignettes point to the reality that, even when the random and chaotic events of life fail to make any sense or suggest any larger purpose, a greater interconnectedness envelops us all.īut there is more.

Indeed, as the film’s numerous montages repeatedly weave in and out of the lives of the film’s nine principal characters, a profound wisdom emerges that seemingly defies logic. In his lovely book, Useless Beauty, Robert Johnston suggests that “the need for a wisdom that goes beyond cultural values is at the heart of Magnolia” (p. My hope is that, rather than ignoring what we cannot figure out, we find the strength to stare horror in the face long enough to realize that we are simply looking at ourselves. And all we are asked in return is to have the courage to not look away. Rather, it offers a mirror into which we can look, reflecting back to us an image of our broken selves and our fractured communities. Magnolia does not attempt to directly answer any of these questions. It raises a number of questions that are nearly universal in scope but nevertheless have very real and immediate resonances: in a world marked by violence, chaos, and darkness, can we speak of hope? Is it even appropriate to do so? What does community look like – what does family look like – when we have wounded one another beyond measure? How do we live in response to the finality of death? But as I read it again in light of this tragedy, I am reminded why Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia continues to haunt my imagination.

I wrote the bulk of this article long before the recent shootings in Newtown CT. Regardless of how perfectly a painting or a poem or a sonata is crafted, art that transforms is art that continues to address new and ever-changing circumstances. Part 1 on the marimbas of American Beauty can be read here and part two on the on-the-nose use of music in Watchmen can be read here.įor more thoughts on the spiritual and theological significance of music in film, check out Kutter’s upcoming book, Scoring Transcendence: Contemporary Film Music as Religious Experience (available January 2013).Īuthors Note: No work of art stands the test of time simply because of its formal qualities. This is the third in a series of articles that will explore the musicality of film and how a deeper understanding of film music might grant us insight into the spiritual dimensions of both film and filmgoing.

Heavy rain game and magnolia film