When grief comes alive

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MYRNA BROWN, HOST: Today is Friday, August 8th.

Thank you for turning to WORLD Radio to help start your day.

Good morning. I’m Myrna Brown.

NICK EICHER, HOST: And I’m Nick Eicher.

Coming next on The World and Everything in It: creature discomforts.

Angel Studios takes childhood monsters and makes them more than make-believe. Reviewer Joseph Holmes says the film Sketch is a story with a heart for kids and perspective for parents.

JOSEPH HOLMES: G.K. Chesterton once said, “Fairy tales do not give the child his first idea of the bogey. What fairy tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of the bogey. ” I thought about this as I watched the new film Sketch from Emmy-winner and outspoken Christian Tony Hale.

JACK:  I’m worried Amber’s drawings might be…

TAYLOR: Yeah?

JACK: Alive.

Sketch is a brilliant kids film about battling monsters and facing scary emotions in a healthy way. The movie follows a young girl named Amber Wyatt who is battling dark thoughts as she mourns the death of her mother. To cope, she draws scary scenes full of monstrous creatures in a notebook. But still she struggles to connect with her brother Jack and her father, played by Tony Hale.

AMBER: You have to promise not to freak out.

TAYLOR: I won’t freak out. I won’t.

AMBER: This is the blood-eater. It eats blood and pukes the blood back onto people.

TAYLOR: I see you colored it in.

AMBER: Do you think it made it less scary?

TAYLOR: Oh no, you don’t have to worry about that. No, no.

When Amber’s sketchbook falls into a magical pond, the creatures come to life and threaten to destroy the town. This forces the family to band together to defeat these dangerous manifestations of their grief.

JACK: Alright. You guys ready?

BOWMAN: No. I don’t want to do this.

AMBER: I have to go to the bathroom.

JACK: You couldn’t have gone before we put all this stuff on?

AMBER: I didn’t have to go then.

BOWMAN: Now I have to go too.

JACK: Oh my–

Sketch repeatedly defies our expectations as it explores the depths of a child’s emotions. It uses elements from the horror genre while still being safe for most kids. It’s also a heartwarming drama about a loving family dealing with grief. It possesses genuinely positive messages about how it deals with hard feelings. Writer-director Seth Worley deserves credit for balancing these elements in a way that feels honest and edifying. It’s easily one of my favorite movies this year: well-written, well-acted, and visually splendid. I laughed and cried multiple times.

AMBER: And then what? I’ll feel better?

JACK: What’s wrong with that?! Why do I keep getting in trouble for trying to fix stuff? And yes, you would feel better. We all would.

One of the best things about Sketch is how it features a fictional family that’s genuinely good and wholesome even while being imperfect. Some of the wisdom they share with each other on how to deal with inner monsters is exactly what many Christian parents want to impart to their kids. The dad separates sinful thoughts and actions for his kids, which he refers to as your “inbox” vs your “outbox.” They encourage each other not to make those things an identity, such as when Jack tells Amber about the monsters, “It’s not you, it’s just something you drew.” And they affirm both how to avoid both denying our feelings and expressing them in a way that hurts others.

TAYLOR: You’re incredibly creative. Here’s the thing, okay? I think life is all about balancing both the good and the bad. So, if you don’t carry the good with you too, it’s just going to make the bad stronger.

While age-appropriate scares are frequent, actual harm to characters is minimal. Some get cuts and monsters chase and attack kids and adults. But no one gets seriously injured. Despite being rated PG, adults use minor expletives, and the kids often refer to each other as “B-holes.” (This is not censored on my part–that’s how they say it.) Jack innocently uses the more impolite word to ask his dad if they are illegitimate children, which the film plays for laughs.

The film does sometimes imply that the way women more typically process emotions, such as talking, crying, or making art, is healthier than how men more often do it, such as taking action, fixing things, or powering through them.

LIZ: Do you want to hear my two cents on all this?

TAYLOR: No, I don’t.

LIZ: Well, I’m going to tell you. I think you should spend less time worrying about the girl who’s drawing pictures of her pain and worry a little bit more about the boys who are ignoring theirs.

This is potentially problematic. We’re learning more and more how important a dad’s more traditionally masculine approach is to a child’s development. But this hitch is outweighed by the film’s positive messages. And families can discuss such strengths and weaknesses of the film’s approach together.

All kids face internal and–eventually–external dragons in life. For families looking for a family-affirming adventure movie that gives kids and adults the tools to fight them, Sketch might be a wish come true.

I’m Joseph Holmes.

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