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Roots
and Wings: A Different Cinematic Angle on Missionary Work
by Thomas
C. Baggaley
As a missionary
in Venezuela, I often wondered what it was like for the people I
was teaching. I am grateful to have been born and raised in the
church, but I still tried to imagine what it was like for those
who were hearing the restored gospel for the first time. I also
wondered what it was like for those who were not yet ready to receive
the message, especially those who had family members who were baptized
although they, themselves, did not yet gain a testimony of the prophet
Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. After watching Roots and
Wings, a short film from talented Austrian filmmaker, Christian
Vuissa, I felt like I understood a little bit better.
Roots and
Wings was recently awarded the AML (Association for Mormon Letters)
Award in film - an award that has only been given once before: to
Richard Dutcher's God's Army. In some respects, I think Roots
and Wings is even better than God's Army. The film stars
Gérman Contreras as Ruben, a Mexican Catholic immigrant who finds
his wife and children becoming distant as they assimilate American
ways and the Latter-day Saint faith which they have joined. Ruben
feels threatened as, from his point of view, his family seems to
abandon the traditions and culture that are so important to him.
What follows is a deeply moving and thought-provoking story that
doesn't give any easy answers or platitudes as Ruben struggles to
adapt to the changes in his family.
The film is
beautifully shot, each scene carefully and meaningfully framed.
The story, written by Vuissa and screenwriter Agustina Perez, is
well crafted and Contreras's performance is one of the best I have
seen in an LDS-themed film. Maria Carr is also excellent as Antonia,
Ruben's wife. The film is so natural and real, the emotions so raw,
that it is stunning to realize that Vuissa shot this film as a student
at BYU.
Vuissa has a
bright future ahead of him as a filmmaker. He is the founder and
organizer of the LDS Film Festival, which has been growing steadily
since its inception two years ago. He has also recently completed
his final student film, Unfolding, which is competing in
BYU's Final Cut film festival this week. After that, he has several
possible projects awaiting his attention, and it is only a matter
of time before he tries his hand at a feature film. That will be
a treat to look forward to.
In addition
to the AML Award for film, Roots & Wings has won a number
of other awards and recognitions. In the 2002 Final Cut film festival
at BYU, it won the awards for Best Actor (Contreras), Best Screenplay,
and Audience Choice Award (Best Film). It also received a Gold Aurora
Award (2002) for Best Foreign Language Film, was the winner of the
Performing Art Showcase Award of the Golden Key International Honor
Society, and won Best Director and Best Screenplay awards at the
prestigious Eclipse Film Festival.
Roots and
Wings is only about 28 minutes in length and yet it doesn't
seem rushed. Since it is a short film, it has not been released
in theaters and has not received wide distribution yet, although
it is available on video. All of the retailers that I am aware of
that carry the film at this time have completely sold out with a
waiting list of back orders, so you might have some difficulty finding
a copy, but this excellent film is well worth the effort, even if
you have to wait a while. When asked about distribution, Vuissa
indicated that the situation is being resolved. Those retailers
with back orders should hopefully be able fill them within the next
couple of weeks, and the film should be available on a much wider
basis in video and DVD by the end of April. Keep your eyes open
for it.
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© 2002Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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