Product: Christian Catalyst Collection: Henri Nouwen [VHS]
Rating: 5.0
Deeply Touching and Full of Wisdom
This is a video about the life and death of Henri Nouwen--told in his own words and in the words of one of his closest friends and the founder of the L'Arche communities, Jean Vanier. The first half of the video takes you to the places of importance in Henri's life, academia, L'Arche, the circus, St. Petersburg, etc. In each place he talks about what he learned there, and his feelings toward his experiences. Henri is speaking Dutch in the movie, but there are English subtitles--and you still get to see the vigor and intensity with which Henri expresses his deeply held convictions. You also get to meet Adam, who was a very important person in Henri's life, and to see the way Henri and he interacted. The whole movie is full of the truth and beauty that every lover of Henri has come to know as a part of him. It is a really meaningful experience to put facial expressions and a life onto books and words that have touched my heart so deeply. As is also true of his books, the main themes in this movie are people claiming their true identities as children of God, and of living in such a way as to bear lasting fruit. After the biographical aspect which includes interviews with Henri, the second part of the video is actually the eulogy at his funeral--delivered by Jean Vanier. That is also very moving and inspirational, and really iterates the main teachings of Jesus that Henri was so fond of living out. Since buying this video I have watched it many times, and will continue to; in fact, I quote to others or just think about lines from it daily. If you are a fan of Henri's books, or simply want to know about a man who really took the Gospel seriously and used his suffering to benefit us all, then get this movie. I really cannot recommend it highly enough.