Where the Wild Things Are

Andrew and I went to see the Wild Things movie this weekend. I had been really excited to see it since it came out. I had heard that it was not a kids movie a while ago, but still had high expectations.

The movie dealt with some intense questions. I can only really explain it by summing up the plot:

Max, the kid, gets mad at his sister and his mother, and runs away to where the Wild Things are. The wild things want a king who can keep them together, and keep the loneliness away, which Max says he can do. He tries, but the wild things end up disagreeing, angry, and back where they started. Max then sails home and his mom gives him dinner, and falls asleep.

The movie has lots of intense emotional conflict, with anger, fear, and sadness. Kids, as well as adults, have to deal with the issues of separation, loneliness, change, and even death. The wild things want a king who will deal with those things. One of the characters eventually says "I don't think there's really a king who can do all that stuff anyway."

At that point, I thought, "but there is!" A King did come to deal with the root of all of those problems, and He has given His people true hope. Praise God He has not left men to deal with sin on their own.

The movie was really honest about the seriousness and intensity of these questions. And it made me grateful to know the One True King, who saves His people from their wildness and destruction. While I'm not sure I would recommend this movie, it sharply portrayed the human condition apart from the Lord, and how little men can do to fix themselves.