Letting go in order to go Up

(Don't read this if you want to be surprised by Up...)

I rarely head out to the movies, as I can usually think of a million other things to do besides paying money to sit and stare at a screen for two hours. But I appreciate good movies, those that-forgive me for the reference-help me have new eyes. Films, like good books, have the power to bring to surface deep truths about life.

Beneath all the shining artistry in "Up" that all the reviews are raving about, there is a profound message for anyone over 18--and one that no review I've read has mentioned in detail. The main character-Carl, has had this dream his whole life of traveling to South America. It's a dream that he had with his wife, to eventually have their house at the edge of a gorgeous waterfall in the middle of the jungle. During the first half of the movie, you root strongly for Carl and his wife to get there. The dream is exciting and adventurous. As Carl and his wife get older and references to the dream are still there, you think "Yes! They can still do it!" The final scene of the movie is already beginning to form in your head-the house will reach the waterfall and the music will crescendo, Carl will be happy now that all his dreams have come true and his wife will smile as she looks down from heaven!

But when Carl reaches the falls, there is no majestic music, and it's about 40 minutes too early for the ending. The next 40 minutes reveals a few truths that will pierce through the heart of the American motto of "You will be happy if you go to this place, buy these things, accomplish these 10 goals, earn this merit badge."

There is tension between Carl's dream that he started with his wife (who died before the journey started), and relationships he has made along the journey. Carl has to make a decision--press on with the dream he started out with, or change it given the new circumstances. At one point, Carl has to remove all the furniture and fixtures (which for the whole movie he has clung to) in his house to make it fly again. It's a profound statement about the baggage we carry around with us, which at one point served a great purpose, but is now getting in the way of bigger things.

Another scene shows Carl having to choose between fighting for relationships he has made, or fighting for his house. He ends up letting the house fly away. I gasped as I watched the balloons get smaller and smaller. The house was the center of Carl's life for the entire movie. And just like that it was gone, along with any hope of him fulfilling the dream. But instead of mourning, he turns to the boy, the bird and the dog that have become his friends.

He chooses relationships over the house.

Ironically, the house does land next to the waterfall, just like the picture he drew so many years before. But it sits there alone. The balloons are gone, Carl doesn't live there. It's just a house, next to a pretty waterfall. The center of the story is now Carl's relationship with the boy, a relationship that started out rocky, but has now been redeemed.