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Breathing-in hope: The Journey (2014) A film by Lance Nielsen


I went without expectations. It was my first première... The excitement awaited me. Outside the cinema a long queue had formed. They certainly were dressed to impress. 

I was impressed (by some more than others). The start time was optimistic. But the feature was well worth waiting for...

This incredible film about finding a way to overcome the most difficult obstacles life throws at us, has lived the tale it tells: it was made on a shoestring, and lack of funds meant it couldn't be filmed all in one go, it had to be filmed in blocks. 

'The Journey' is a spiritual story about how we, as human beings, move forward when the very things that keep us going are taken away.

The movie's themes spoke so clearly to me. It is about loss, and how we come to terms with the most difficult of our emotions. It is about the journeys we must take, in order to make the journeys we are forced to take. Physical journeys. Emotional journeys. From grief, through catharsis, to hope. Discovering ourselves. And re-discovering ourselves, and our purpose for living. 





At its heart, this is a movie about humanity, and what makes us human. It is about the fragility of life, and the preciousness of existence. It is about how we cope, to survive. It is about how we get through those desperate days and dark nights. It is about how we navigate the terrifying products of loss, despair and anguish. It is about learning to breathe again, to see again, to love again, to live again. 

The stellar cast do a simply incredible job. I was captivated from the moment the movie started. I laughed. I cried. It sent shivers down my spine. I was so moved, I didn't want to move as the last scene closed and the credits began to roll. 

Dum spiro spero: While I breathe, I hope.

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