Fit for the Kingdom

Fit for the Kingdom is a beautiful series of autobiographical and observational short documentaries about members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here are some thoughts about 5 of these films.

MIKE

            Mike is made instantly relatable as we follow him through the grocery store. We hear about what he eats, what he thinks about as he shops, and we become instant friends. The filmmaker used such mundane tasks to help us see his character as one that could be any of us. As he continues to walk through the store, he tells of his difficult family life. Hearing about his parents disgust with his choice to join the church is a much stronger emotional experience because of our investment in his character so far. I found myself really caring more about the expressions he shared because of the setting and style of the film.

KANJANA

            Even though Kanjana’s life is probably one of the most unique and difficult stories you will find in the Fit for the Kingdom series, her film gets a little long and I don’t find myself as interested. I would have cut some pieces out and tried to heighten the stakes by asking some more interview questions. It sounds more like a list of experiences in her life which we might find hard here in the states, but for them, that’s a completely normal life. I would have loved to hear about a difficult situation where she transcended.

BECKY

            Becky’s story is intense and engaging. It was full of great visuals to help us get a feel for the space we were in and her life. I didn’t feel like any parts of it were ineffective. The headstone leaves a lot of questions about his involvement in the marines and the effects of his service on his addiction to alcohol, which is cool! Throughout the film we think “what a terrible father!” but perhaps we don’t know what he’s been through.

PRIMARY

            The South London Primary. What an awesome film! Such interesting characters and such interesting development of the story. I didn’t feel manipulated but it was interesting to see how we teach the gospel in the church to those at such a young age. Im a big fan of the new youth teaching program. The ending to this is spectacular because we see the rowdy kid praying and it’s a nice way to bring all the crziness together into something tender and beautiful and makes it all worth it.

LISA

          Lisa’s story is beautifully told through the filmmaker’s use of about 70% action and 30% interview. The action says so much more and flows so nicely. We don’t have to just hear about Lisa and her baby girl, but we get to SEE it. I love the filmmaker’s decision to praise women who choose to be mothers.