Screen Talk First Edition: Julie and Julia

I recently watched a movie called Julie and Julia for the second time in years and I found it as interesting as the first time. I must confess they had me at the intro line “Based on two true stories”. It was the story of Julia Child played by Meryl Streep a diplomat’s wife who lived in the 19^th Century and Julie Powell played by Amy Adams, a writer who lived in the 21^st Century. Julia and her husband moved to France and she was looking for something to occupy her. She tried different things and with her husband’s help she figured out she loved to eat and consequently she chose to learn how to cook. She decided to take a course at the famous Cordon Bleu but they were teaching women how to boil potatoes. She told the director of the school that she wanted something more challenging. The director agreed to let her to join the professional class which comprised of men albeit disdainfully because she thought Julia wouldn’t handle the class. Julie and her husband moved to a new borough (New York) and she was extremely frustrated at her job at a call centre answering phone calls from victims of the September 11 attacks. Her frustration was heightened when she spent time with her friends (whom she didn’t like) who were scaling the corporate ladder while she sat in a cubicle all day. More to that she felt like a failed writer because she was not able to finish a book she had written.  She felt stuck but she realized that the one thing that gave her comfort at the end of the day was cooking. With some encouragement from her husband she decided to write a blog about cooking. She decided to cook through Julia Child’s cook book titled: Mastering the Art of French Cooking in a year and everyday she cooked she wrote a blog about it.

So far some questions arise. Have you ever felt bored? Have you ever felt unfulfilled? For Julia Child she enjoyed Paris, she attended all these shindigs with diplomats and their wives (exciting right?), she practiced her French in the market, she enjoyed her life with her husband but still it was not enough. In spite of her seemingly interesting life she was bored and dissatisfied and the next soiree wasn’t going to change that. It brings to light the role of work. We love to take work for granted. We think it’s such a chore (no pun intended). The truth is since the beginning of time when God made Adam; he gave Adam work to do. At first he was just naming animals but think about it, if Adam did nothing he would be falling asleep wondering what that animal with two legs that gives eggs is called. But since he had been working, God gave him a good rest and He took out his rib. The rest is history of course.  Work is an opportunity to create. It should be exciting. If you have work to do and it doesn’t have to be employment appreciate it.

Have you been in a situation where you are extremely frustrated especially at work where you spend most of your life? What do you do when you realize you are stuck in a rut in the rat race of life? Julie decided to do what she loved best. She combined two things she liked cooking and writing and she throve. But there’s another question, even when you’re doing something you love, how do you find a balance? Julie became so consumed with her hobby that she neglected her husband and at some point he left because he felt sidelined. Are we consumed with doing the things we love that we neglect those we love? Another question: do we support the people we love even when they are struggling and confused and things are not working? I have to say both Julie and Julia had wonderful supportive husbands. If you realize that you have a supportive partner do you show them that you appreciate them?

Finally, where do we derive our satisfaction? Is it in work, the things we own, our relationships etc? We, however find that there is nothing that can fully satisfy us. But God in His word tell us that He will satisfy our souls as with the richest of food. I would recommend that you test Him today.

If you do get a chance to watch the movie, think about the questions it raises and let’s talk about it. Ciao…