The Man Who Planted Trees

    I'm not sure what to make of this film. I thought I had it pegged when the weary traveler came upon a shepard and his flock. You know, the weary soul who comes to the Good Shepard with His flock watering His sheep with the Well of Life-Giving Water. But then, I sort of lost the ball. I did spot some references to Jesus when the old man started planting trees in a barren landscape. I guess I thought of it as a metaphor for Jesus planting beauty in a barren, depraved soul. Also, the idea of all the townsfolk thinking the forest grew itself. That is one way people dismiss miracles. They say "it just happened."

    I actually found the first film more direct. We obviously see God creating the world and everything in it. Then we see humanity come into the picture and they start off okay until they start whining about whatever they don't have. So they dismiss God (kill Him, as it were) and proceed to build a "utopia" of humanity. I'm actually not by any means against technology. But as we see in the film, it represents (I think) the best man can do without God and it just doesn't cut it. We just end up destroying what we were meant to enjoy.
    I found the first film more engaging because I knew what it was trying to say. Movies that are cryptic with their messages kind of take me out of the movie because I keep getting distracted by trying to find the message. I guess that's just the way I watch movies. I always look for the worldview of the film.