A favorite film of mine is Dune Part One, directed by Denis Villeneuve and based on the book by Frank Herbert. I’ve watched the film at least five times and, after the latest watch, I wondered why it still resonates with me after all these years? I’d like to suggest that the answer to this question is “spirit power.” What is spirit power you ask? Let me explain.
Early on in the film, set on the picturesque surroundings of the world Caladan, Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalomet) speaks to his father about the doubts he is having about himself and whether he can be the future of his house. His father looks at him gravely and says to him “A great man doesn’t seek to lead; he is called to it. But if your answer is no, you’d still be the only thing I ever needed you to be: my son.”
It’s a very touching dialogue. In no uncertain terms the son is told how much he is loved. The son may answer the call of this love by taking responsibility when the time comes, or he can turn away. Either way he remains loved. There is something mysterious, and deeply spiritual about this dialogue. It draws us deeper into our own desires and our own longing for this kind of love.
Returning to the same scene, Leto (Oscar Isaac) speaks to his son about how they are to rule on the new planet they are taking ownership of. The father states that on their current planet, they rule by air power and sea power. On the new planet they are to rule by desert power. What exactly this desert power is will unfold throughout the film.
Likewise, we could stretch the analogy and speak about “spirit power” (1 Corinthians 2:4). There is a strange phenomena happening today where a film can make 1 billion dollars at the box office, and be completely forgotten as soon as we have left the parking lot. The graphics are nice, there are creative sights, but was there anything of substance?
Here I think is where that elusive quality of Spirit comes into play. There is something mysterious that happens when an artist pours their love and their soul into a creative project. Gestures are measured. Each scene has meaning. The score, the landscapes, the characters all serve an already captivating story. What’s more, we can return to this story time and time again and be nourished by it. When a film is alive with “spiritual power” for a brief moment we see something beautiful and are caught up in it.
The question then becomes how. How do we cultivate this spiritual power in our lives so that we can put aside superficiality and find greater depth? Here, Villeneuve invites a transition into the Christian faith. We do not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4). I think this is the essence of spirit power. It is to be aware that our world is filled with good things, which in the end still do not satisfy us “Our hearts are restless until they rest in You,” says St. Augustine.
We are satisfied by God’s words moving and acting in us, giving voice and vibrancy to our lives. In this Word, God speaks to our heart and tells us “ you are my son” or “you are my daughter.” In this Word, God tells us that even if we have strayed, we are still loved. Finally, in this Word, we can find a reason for our lives.
Spirit power is to experience God. It is to experience that awe when we have glimpsed the little sacrifices of love that a writer, director, or actor makes for the sake of beauty. It is to be in touch with the Holy Spirit, who is creativity itself.
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Image: Dune: Part Two, OSV News photo/Niko Tavernise, Warner Bros.