Movie: Faith Like Potatoes
Faith Like Potatoes is based on the true story of Angus Buchan, a Scottish farmer living in southern Africa. It portrays his dramatic conversion and newfound depth of faith in God, which leads him on to a succesful farming slash preaching career. The book, co-authored by Buchan himself, has been adapted for the screen by director Regardt van den Bergh and is currently showing on the South African film circuit.
As a Christian, watching the movie with a couple of Christian friends - a nice “safe” environment - I was touched and encouraged. Thinking about it retrospectively-objectively though, I don’t know if it’s exactly what the secular movie-going public needs. It got quite a scathing review from Theresa Smith (Tonight), and sadly I have a feeling that her imputations might be dead on:
While the message of Christian love and tolerance is a beautiful one, hitting the audience over the head with it because your film lacks subtlety and character progression just turns them away.
If you’ve had the chance to see it, I’d like to know your thoughts. Is this a movie by Christians for Christians? Is there a place for that kind of thing? Or do you think that taking a non-Christian friend to watch this movie might (despite its shortcomings) help cultivate some potato-like faith in their life?
November 8th, 2006 at 08:41
Having read this blog without seeing the movie, I approached it with pre-disappointment as another Christian endeavor excluding those who don’t understand. And as it turned out, there was something somewhat excluding about the journey of andre’ buchan. we don’t really walk beside him for the first section of the film, but seem to observe his struggles through the eyes of his wife (or is it just me as a woman who related to her?). We watch him struggle rather than struggle with him, and then suddenly he’s in church and his feelings are at the forefront of the film.
If I have to be objective, I would have had no idea what he was going on about and why he was crying if it weren’t for the fact that I, too, have stood at the altar and flooded it with tears. We weren’t let into the inner struggle that led him to this place. And so, like his skeptical friend, we are caught by suprise and it seems somehow unauthentic.
“How is it possible?” we may ask, even as Christians who ourselves have experienced transformation, that he just turns around. Is the spectator sense of the movie a good thing?
In response… I look at real life (whatever that is) and ask myself if maybe the film director hit spot on with what it’s like when we see someone swept off their feet by their Saviour. It never makes sense to onlookers. It always seems to lack any sense of order or progression. The new attitude always seems to good to be true. The change always makes people feel uncomfortable. The word Jesus always rings too loud in people’s ears. The bright light of God is not sweet or touching or nice, it bloody burns the eyes of anyone who’s been sitting in the dark for a bit.
It makes me curious to the jounralist’s sense of having been “hit over the head”.
The cross is nonsense to the world and it always will be. Should we make a movie that shows a conversion that was orderly, understandable and sensible? Should we make a movie where they speak of God (like Touched by an Angel) or the One (a little bit of Oprah here) but shies away from that banging gong of a word Jesus?
Should we make a movie that hides the fact that a man of faith might move mountains and grow potatoes, but watch a loved one die… because it opens the door for skeptics to point fingers and use our sinful broken world as proof that the Lord is cruel.
One cannot follow Jesus without being seeker-sensitive and inclusive. But being inclusive to the extent that one dilutes the paradoxical mystery-reality of faith in Jesus, is to walk away from him as well. We lead people, then, to a golden cross around their neck rather than to the rugged cross of calvary.
Personally, I was deeply moved by the film. Perhaps it was only because it reflected something I have experienced - that moment of turning to God and the corresponding emotions that could never be portrayed on film. And I’ll admit my boyfriend said it was “too soppy”, but that comment only motivated me all the more to pray that somehow his confusion about the “random” emotional turnaround will lead him to the place where he, too, falls to his knees.
If the depth of walking with God and hearing him and trusting him could be portrayed on film in a way that you almost experience it (like those magnum adverts where ypou can almost taste the ice-cream) then it wouldn’t really be an experience of God, would it? Something so out of this world can never be flattened onto a big screen.
Yet, watching the film made my own experiences so very very real again and I have to say that while I can’t speak for non Christians, this film has such potential to revive the faith of the faithful (or even barely faithful or once faithful or nearly faithful) that even if that is all it does, it is a ministry of eternal value.
And maybe part of we as Christians can do to help non-believers to experience the fullness of the film is for us to not let it remain their observation of a farmer they never met having an arbitrary turn-around, but letting them take a deeper look not in his life, but in our own. Imagine saying to a friend… you know the way he cried in church, believe it or not, that happened to me too. You know the way he says God speaks to him, you know, sometimes I hear it too. Believe it or not, I really have experienced God in my life and the weirdest things make sense! And you know what, you can have this too!
There’s a bit of a cliche’ a lot of Christians use where we imagine that all non-Christians are saying “I want what they have”. I highly doubt they are. Not because what we have isn’t the wonder of the universe, but because we don’t show it. Most of us don’t reveal the amazing way God works in our lives… but Andre Buchan has… and if this even uncomfortably, annoyingly makes a non-Christian curious about the nonsense of the faith, then that’s one potato closer to the harvest of the Lord.
November 20th, 2006 at 16:04
Wow Wendy, this is a wonderful and well thought-through comment you made. I agree. We as Christians are expected to be “open-minded” when watching most worldly movies, and we are (speak for my Christian circle). I can just hope that non-Christians go watch this movie and keep and open mind, and maybe a seed is planted, that just might sprout one day…
Bottom line (for me) of this movie is, he had nothing left to loose, things couldn’t get worse, desperate state that he was in, he felt the need to turn to God. And then the trials that a Christian have to endure, and reward you get when persisting with your faith.
If people want to be critical, they’ll always find a lot of material. I agree with the unconvincing acting of the “wife”. But Frank’s dramatic acting impressed me, I felt the emotion, to me he was convincing. This movie is about the message, not the acting.
In that same review the journalist commented “The film is supposed to be about how faith has changed this man’s life, but we never see how or why. It would have made better sense if there was more about the process of change in his personality and less of the set up of how he got into this particular state.” This only tells me that he is intrigued and wanted to see more of how this religion and God changed his life. Is that a bad thing?
Yes, it will hit you over the head, it is a true life story, and there is no subtle and diplomatic way to tell the truth. I think it’s great that this inspiring truly South-African story is told. Thank you Frans Cronje!!
November 21st, 2006 at 03:05
This was an excellent movie, its so sad that Theresa Smith needs more detail. Character progression she obviously does not understand that when you give your heart over to the Lord there is an instant change. My 8 and 10 year old understood the movie they had so much to discuss, no questions as to why or how faith changed his life. Everyone I know who watched the film loved it. This is a movie that everyone should watch, it has an awesome message and I pray that it touches the hearts many. Well done!!! my score 10/10.
November 29th, 2006 at 13:04
I cringed in my chair while watching this movie. The conversion and Christian experience was so clichéd as to leave me hoping not too many non Christians will watch it. Beyond that the acting and directing were third rate. My husband summed it as a case of someone having filming equipment and therefore making a film. No skill whatsoever. I will read the book. I am pretty sure the story was not done justice to.
December 13th, 2006 at 17:02
As a young person,watching this movie i was definately inspired.I am a christian and the fact that there was a alternative between “faith like patatos” and all the nonsense that’s being shown on screen these days was amazing.I could actually sit and watch something without having to close my eyes or ears or even walk out of the theatre.Something happens when people talk about the God that you serve,its a change in atmosphere and that is powerful.Well Done!
January 22nd, 2007 at 08:41
Ons het gisteraand 21 Januarie 2007, na Angus gaan luister by die Corpus Christi kerk in Middelburg. Wat ‘n ongelooflike mens!!! Sy fliek is fantasties maar ‘n mens moet na hom gaan luister. Hy praat met ongelooflike passie oor die Here en wat Hy al vir hom gedoen het. Na die diens het ek beslis soos ‘n nuwe mens gevoel. Ek glo God stuur mense soos Angus op ander mense se pad want Hy weet ons het daai tiepe inspirasie en lyding nodig. As almal soos Angus onvoorwaardelik op die Here kan vertrou kan ons land gered word. Want net die Here kan dit wat so stukkend is regmaak!!!!
April 29th, 2008 at 00:10
I’m sorry to say, but I have many “mixed feelings and ideas” about the movie and its message. I honestly would not call it a “Christian movie”.
–There is one thing that I’m realy concerned about, and that is the loss of “judgement” by Christians. It seems as if we are turning to the world’s culture and are becoming “post modernists” (to define this in short, it would be someone who doesn’t believe in absolute universal truth, and take on an “everything goes” mindset). Someone in this mindset would, when reading this, probably think that I’m judgemental, well, then you are judging me for being judgemental.–
If Angus did not try to communicate the Christian Gospel to people, then thats fine, and I would say “Lekker fliek”. But if he did, or even any other Christian message, I would be judgemental and declare it as unbiblical. Biblical faith means trusting God’s promises through thick and thin. The question is, what did God promise? According to the message of the movie as I understood it, “everything will be O.K here on earth, just “believe” and God will make everything work out for you.” This is herecy in the name of Christ!
The Bible message says that no one seeks God, everyone has turned away, that there is no one righteous or good and that all are spiritualy dead in sins and transgressions. All have exchanged the glory of God for other things, worshipping created things rather than the creator. And so God gave humankind over to their own devices, which gives a taste of the wrath of God on sin, and because of this we live in a broken world. Everyone would say that poverty, theft, homosexuality, murder, etc is due to some poltical/cultural/social issue, but almost no one would say it’s the WRATH OF GOD on sin.(Read Romans 1-3 for yourself)
If this is our TRUE standing before God, we need to be saved, and their is nothing we can do to earn this salvation. The bible tells us that God punishes Himself in his Son Jesus on the cross, and now He gives the GIFT OF FAITH in HIM for salvation to SOME that He wishes to.(Eph 2:1-10) And this is not because He have to , but because of His love and grace.
This is my problem with “faith like potatoes”, : How can we communicate a “gospel” to the world that promises earthly prosperity to people, that God never promised anyway, when our biggest problem is not “potatoes”, but HELL, because of our God rebellion nature ?
May 11th, 2008 at 20:52
I went to see Angus on 10 May 2008 at the Isak Steyn Stadium, Vanderbijlpark, and what an inspiration he was to me. I have now opened my heart to God. Thanks Angus
June 5th, 2008 at 21:51
EK WIL NET SE, DIT IS EEN VAN DIE BESTE MOVIES WAT EK AL GESIEN HET!!! “FAITH LIKE PATATOES” HET MY OE OOP GEMAAK EN MY LAAT BESEF WAT DIE WOORD “FAITH” BETEKEN. DIE BOODSKAP IS DEFINITIEF NIE DAT DIT AARDSE VOORSPOED SAL MEEBRING NIE, INTEENDEEL, WAT VAN DIE ONGELUK WAAR SY BROER SE SEUN OORLEDE IS? EK GLO DAT ANGUS N REUSE VERSKIL IN ONS LEWE KAN MAAK DEUR DIE HEILIGE GEES WAT HOM LEI. DANKIE ANGUS DAT JY NIE SKAAM WAS OOR DIT WAT MET JOU GEBEUR HET NIE, JY HET BESLIS N VERSKIL IN MY LEWE MEEGEBRING EN EK BID DIE HERE SAL JOU GETUIENIS GEBRUIK OM HIERDIE LAND/WERELD TOT OMKEER SAL BRING. MAG GOD JOU MINISTRIES SEEN EN SOOS N VELDBRAND OOR DIE WERELD VERSPREI. EN EK SIEN DIT REEDS GEBEUR, EK HET VANDAG, 6 JUNIE 2008, N ADVERTENSIE GESIEN VAN N BYEENKOMS OP LOFTUS OP 19 JULIE WAAR ANGUS AS SPREKER OPTREE. EK HET PROBEER KAARTJIES KRY MAAR GOU UITGEVIND DAT DIE HELE LOFTUS UITVERKOOP WAS NOG VOOR DIE EERSTE ADVERTENSIE UITGEKOM HET….. HOE WONDERLIK IS DIT? DIT WYS DAT DAAR N HONGER IN DIE MENSDOM IS OM MEER UIT TE VIND EN TE HOOR VAN ONS LIEFDEVOLLE, GENADIGE, ALOMTEENWOORDIGE GOD EN HEMELSE VADER. DANKIE ANGUS VIR JOU WONDERLIKE VOORBEELD.