Imagine a world where our childhood imaginary friends were not mere figments of our imagination but real beings struggling to adapt to retirement. Picture a scenario where we, as adults, are forced to abandon these friends too soon. This is the intriguing premise of the movie IF.
John Krasinski’s latest family movie, IF, is not just a visual treat, but also a star-studded affair. The film features the talents of Cailey Fleming, Ryan Reynolds, Steve Carrell, the late Louis Gossett Jr., Awkwafina, George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, and Matt Damon, among others.
The astounding music from IF is composed by the prolific Michael Giacchino, a man Eve and I assumed was chained to a conductor’s stand in the bowels of a Disney studio somewhere.
IF tells the story of 12-year-old Bea, a child who has needed to grow up too soon. She’d already lost her mother to cancer, and now she’s temporarily moving in with her grandmother while her father, played by actor-director John Krasinski, undergoes open-heart surgery to fix an unnamed defect. However, Bea’s father doesn’t seem to take it seriously, so Bea assumes the adult role. At the same time, her father tries to rekindle the childhood she’s lost too soon.
While biding her time at her grandmother’s, Bea stumbles upon a unique opportunity: to assist abandoned IFs—imaginary friends—in finding a new child to continue their purpose. In this process, she rediscovered a part of herself that she had lost.
Initial Impressions
Neither Eve nor I expected much from IF. It was one of the few offerings this month that met our varied criteria and availability and looked cute. We were both wrong. IF is a beautiful movie with delightful acting, an impressive mix of live-action and, well, imaginary characters, and deep, meaningful themes. It also ties back to one of the main themes of our last review, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire – AYJW149.
The storytelling in IF is masterfully done. It opens with a happy-to-sad memory montage reminiscent of Disney’s UP and then delivers some lovely “slow-burn” reveals to some fun plot twists. These hints were delivered in a way that was a lot like the big twist at the end of The Sixth Sense, with Bruce Willis and Halley Joel Osment.
There is little question that IF is not presented from a Christian worldview, though. Eve and I disagreed on whether it was a specifically secular worldview. Rather than being a secular movie, I hold that IF is without any foundational theology; instead, it focuses on psychology. I feel like IF’s laser focus on telling the story of imaginary friends didn’t leave much room for spirituality. Still, the general goodness of the movie’s message falls right in line with so much about how we are called to remain childlike in our faith while critical in our discernment. I don’t feel like the movie’s core was the humanism we see in Hollywood; rather, I feel like the core was more the wonder of God’s creation—maybe John Krasinski didn’t quite know it.
I was reminded of the original Inside Out in general tone and emotional beats. Still, the approach to the discussion about transitioning from child to adult was a nifty bit of originality.
Finding some flaws and missed opportunities was easier as I transcribed my notes. That’s the interesting part— even in retrospect, I didn’t enjoy it any less. Instead, a similar element to the one that allows me to accept the audacity of visible, interactable, imaginary friends lets me accept these. I see a much grander, more profound tale embedded in IF’s intent but limited by the requirements of the medium. Choices had to be made for emotional beats, comic timing, and pacing.
An Uncomfortable Death
After IF opens with a memory montage of Bea’s experiences with her mother as she is taken by cancer, we are treated to a scene where Bea’s grandmother (played by Fiona Shaw) is awkwardly welcoming Bea back to the apartment in which Bea lived the first six-to-eight years of her young life. Grandma is awkward and struggling with the idea of being a caregiver to a child again, perhaps because Bea is facing such a potential tragedy AGAIN. As I have recently lost my last parent, I thought this might be an excellent opportunity to discuss death and dying from the Christian worldview.
As Christians, I believe we are moving in the wrong direction with these recent shifts from “dying” and “funeral” to “passing on” and “celebration of life.” Death is a direct consequence of man’s rebellion against God, and by sugarcoating it to make it less uncomfortable, we do a grave disservice to unbelievers and God. One of the truths we embrace as believers is that death is not the end; it’s just the last chance. Anyone who dies without first accepting Christ as their Savior and Lord is damned to an eternity of hell. But as believers, we have a secret weapon when it comes to facing death: We know that we will see our loved ones again. (Unless they are not believers. And as difficult as it is to understand, somehow God’s comfort, grace, and perfect justice will allow us to understand and accept this loss without tears.)
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. (1 Thessalonians 4:13)
We should not fear death—in fact, we should see it as a homecoming. But we must be patient about it. We are where we are, doing what we are doing because God has a plan and purpose.
For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. Now if I live on in the flesh, this means fruitful work for me; and I don’t know which one I should choose. I am torn between the two. I long to depart and be with Christ—which is far better—but to remain in the flesh is more necessary for your sake. (Philippians 1:21–24)
Elizabeth Regnerus at Public Discourse points out in her article “Dying Alone,” that Christians should not be shying away from death. We should consider it both a mission and an opportunity to strengthen our brothers and sisters:
The stakes are quite high. Assisting one’s friends in death is not meant to reduce tensions or simply cater to custom. Rather, this assistance is meant to encourage the dying person to rely on the mercy of God…Facing the trials of death without the aid of one’s friends can overwhelm and tire the dying person, weakening their resolve to choose the good, and thereby opening them to the conspiracy of the devil…The process of death is seldom pleasant or cheerful…The faint of heart must steel themselves in order to be prayerful and dutiful witnesses to that moment. Just as the beginning of life is a collaborative, relational act, death too ought to be communal.
Maturity Comes from Experience
In our last review of Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, we discussed the theme that maturity is not a number. IF is a great sequel to that thematic review because, in this movie, we have a girl who has been forced into maturity by a harsh experience (the loss of her mother). She believes that she is no longer a child and no longer has room for childish things. The difference is stark, though. Phoebe Spengler was mature for her age because she was forced to be the adult when neither of her parental figures would or could take the role. We see a little bit of that in IF, but Bea’s maturity is much more due to the tragic circumstances that have dictated her life thus far.
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. (1 Corinthians 13:11)
Bea has put aside her childish things, at least in part, because the loss of her mother has tainted her joy of childhood. Bea’s character development in IF goes the opposite direction we usually see with coming-of-age movies. Rather than growing into maturity, she recaptures some of the importance—some of the intention—of being a child.
God intends for us to retain some elements of our childlike wonder while learning discernment.
Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit. (Ephesians 4:14)
“Truly I tell you,” he said, “unless you turn and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 18:3)
Ultimately, IF is about balancing childlike wonder and adult wisdom.
Are Love and Memories Eternal?
In IF, there is an “ancient” IF, a teddy bear named Louis, who gives Bea advice that you never really lose someone you love so long as you don’t forget them. The lesson falls flat if this movie comes from a secular standpoint. As a generalization, the humanist holds that there is no life after death. Nothing precedes life, and nothing follows it. If that is the case, what good are those memories? How can those memories stay in your heart forever if there is nothing left once your heart stops beating and your neurons stop firing?
This inconsistency raises an excellent question: Why would a secular movie use a psychological crutch (imaginary friend) to promote the feel-good philosophy that you won’t forget those you love? Because even atheists don’t really believe what they say they believe. God knows what they think, though, and He’s laid it out for us to help us understand:
For God’s wrath is revealed from heaven against all godlessness and unrighteousness of people who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth, since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen. (Romans 1:18-25).
IF is a good movie for discussing between parents and children of all ages. Be sure to check out the PluggedIn review for IF as well.
The Atheist’s Accusation
How many times have you been reading comments on a Christian post on social media, and some apologist atheist butts into the discussion to accuse all the Christians of forcing their imaginary friend on people? If you haven’t, you’re probably not reading Christian posts because it’s pretty much inevitable. Unless someone actively removes such comments, they appear everywhere Christians publicly interact. Why?
The IFs in the movie are personal to their kid. Another kid can’t see or relate to them; they are unique and tailored to each child’s needs and desires and cannot be replaced or substituted in either direction. Losing their IFs causes children to lose touch with their dreams, often their ambitions, and, in some cases, lose focus, courage, or strength in the real adult world. Therefore, the movie posits a personal comforter who fills in the holes of a child’s psyche and makes them more whole than they are without the IF.
Those of us who have a personal relationship with a genuine, authentic Savior can recognize that completeness that is demonstrated in the movie: a very personal entity that is exterior to our selfish selves and who fills in the holes in our nature caused by sin and makes us better people, more potent people, braver/more courageous people than we can ever be without him. We simply can’t do it ourselves. No one can. We need that spiritual component that God made us to require. Without it, we are empty shells, broken and incomplete and incapable.
For Bea, she discovered that she needed her imaginary friend, her source of joy. She lost her happiness when she abandoned him, and finding him helped her recapture it. While this is a very secular and selfish take on that psychological and spiritual need that we all have, it does show that we need it our entire lives, not just when we’re children. As Christians, we don’t need to imagine our friendship—we have it for real:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! (Ephesians 2:1–5)
Humans have a fundamental need for fellowship and friendship. Our ultimate friend, a Man who would be our older brother, confirms this point to His disciples.
I do not call you servants anymore because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you. (John 15:15–16)
Never Alone
The most crucial line in all of IF is: “You’re never really alone. I’d have thought that was obvious by now.” Secular movie or not, this is 100% correct. IF is making the point that your childlike wonder and innocence can empower you to face the complex tasks of adulthood. The child that concocted up your own personal IFs will always be with you. This may even be true psychologically. But the more profound truth is that we are never alone. Believers are constantly under the watch and guidance of our Comforter. Unbelievers are never able to shake the certainty that they are missing something. Their faith in themselves—that’s the genuinely imaginary thing.
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