War Horse

Fresh. Unique. Different. An epic story told through the eyes of a horse with many heroic moments. Yes, it is easy to see why War Horse was nominated for an oscar for best picture.

This movie was hard to watch in some ways. Every man and beast experienced painful trials and hardships, and no decent soul takes joy in watching someone in pain. There were many joy-filled moments too, many of which came after working through some sort of adversity. Happiness and sorrow commingled. True to life, though, there were some moments where one(s) would overcome an adversity and experience a brief exhilaratingly happy moment only to be plunged back into another horrible situation.

But certain attributes stood out in the story—joy, courage, perseverance, resilience, compassion—just to name a few. I learned valuable lessons through watching the stories of the characters unfold, and even from the horse "Joey."

Some lessons are learned from negative examples. In a bigger sense, we see the tragedy of war. The audience is made to sympathize with people from both sides. Little is said about why the people are at war (although if you know anything about history you will know it takes place during WWI), which in a sense highlights the tragedy and leaves the viewer with the sense that the war should not be happening in the first place. There are good people on both sides. Good people should not be made to kill good people.

In a smaller sense, a negative lesson is learned from the lives of two people. Near the beginning of the war, two German brothers go to war together. The younger one is only 14 and had been sent by their father. The older lad promised their mother that he would protect him, not an easy promise to make in a war zone. The younger brother is ready for war and death if it comes to that point, but the older brother is not ready to risk losing him. I can sympathize, as I find myself wanting to cling to those I cherish the most.

Yet, as their story progresses it becomes apparent that the older brother has become too possessive. He does not want his brother to be on the front lines fighting. In a foolish moment he "kidnaps" his younger brother and runs away with him right before the start of a battle. They seek momentary relief in an old windmill only to be caught and shot for abandoning their comrades. If he had let his brother fight, perhaps both of them would have survived. Even if they had not, they at least would have spent the last few moments of their lives living courageously.

Other lessons are seen in the positive examples of various characters bravery and self-sacrifice. Joey risks his life to help another horse. Albert "Albie" saves the life of a fallen comrade from his hometown. Perhaps the greatest lesson of all is the idea of persevering against all odds, which is seen again and again throughout the movie, both on the micro and macro levels.

No matter what happens, no matter how rough it gets, they (Albie and Joey) do not lose their joy completely. In the beginning the Albie and his horse Joey persevere against all odds to plow a field which had been deemed impossible by the town. As the movie progresses, one realizes that the entire story is one big tale of perseverance on the horse's part interwoven with smaller tales of perseverance.

This is perhaps summed up by a quote given in the movie by a French grandfather who talks about the courage of carrier pigeons who always return home no matter what, even though they must fly over war zones in their flight. They never give up until they have reached their destination.

War Horse seems akin to what the life of a Christian should be. James tells believers "Count it all joy my brothers and sisters when you experience various trials." Why? "For you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."

As Christians, we are called to persevere with courage through trials we find ourselves in. To "renew our strength like eagles" who fly above the storms of life harnessing the power created by the wind to fly faster.  To keep on pressing on until we reach our final destination.