Watched: Babette's Feast
When you are ready and open, the right things will show up and it is always so rewarding. This happened to me few days ago and the right thing was a film called Babette’s Feast.
An 80s Danish film, directed by Gabriel Axel, about two elderly Protestant sisters and their servant Babette during the late 19th century. Their father was a pastor who founded his own Pietisticconventicle. Before explaining how Babette, French refugee, came into the sisters’ lives, the film spent majority of the time showing the relationships with their father, two suitors, and religious belief. Babette offered to cook a French dinner to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their father's birth. I won’t share too much as it is better for you to watch the film and let the story unfold.
Babette’s Feast is not a typical choice unless I know there’s enough mental space to take in its message. Just happened to have good sleep and the mind was empty, I put on the film without knowing what it’s about and it filled me with so much reward. The film is slow and mellow; the father’s and the sister’s lives were simple. The aging sisters, who lived in a small village on the remote western coast of Jutland in Denmark all their lives, had a sense of innocence in them, which is simple and uncomplicated. Some people might think, “This sounds so boring.” It’s not. The good mellow film, the REALLY good ones, always hit me real hard at the end. Same with this film, the slow build made me fall in love with each character unknowingly and I ended up caring so much for them when the film ended. I got so emotional. I didn’t learn who Babette was until near the end of the film, which was a beautiful decision by the director. Not knowing was what made the ending such a treat.
I typed up some quotes that are worth sharing—
Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and bliss shall kiss one another. Man, in his foolishness and shortsightedness, believes he must make choices in his life. He trembles at the risks he takes. We all know... fear. But no. Our choice is of no importance. The moment comes when our eyes are opened, and we see and realize that grace is infinite. We need only await it with confidence and acknowledge it in gratitude. Grace makes no conditions. And see! That which we have chosen is given to us, and that which we have refused... is also granted us. Yes, that which we rejected is granted us. Mercy and truth have met together. Righteousness and bliss... shall kiss one another. - From General Lowenhielm's toast
You must also know that I shall be with you every day that is granted to me from now on. Every evening I shall sit down to dine with you. Not with my body, which is of no importance, but with my soul. Because this evening I have learned, my dear, that in this beautiful world of ours, all things are possible. - From General Lowenhielm
Through all the world there goes one long cry from the heart of the artist: Give me the chance to do my very best. - From Babette
An artist is never poor. - From Babette
But this is not the end, Babette. I feel for certain that this is not the end. In paradise you will be the great artist God meant you to be. Ah, how you will enchant the angels! - From Filippa
Babette’s Feast is a must watch. I found out later that it is a favorite film of Pope Francis, selected by the Vatican in the "religion" category of its list of 45 "great films," and first Danish movie to win an Academy Award for best foreign language film. Is that enough to convince you to experience this film?
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