Where the Wild Things Are (November 21, 2009) Carol Wong

Max, the main character is 8 or 9 years of age and is having difficulty at home with not having enough one on one time with his single parent mom.  One night, he acts out his frustration with his mom, right before she is about to serve dinner when a male guest is over.  Already we have seen Max "acting wild" and so it is no surprise that he runs out of the house, down the street and off to the lake.  Max finds a boat and proceeds to sail out to the ocean (this is in the middle of the night) and he looks like he is upset and determined to get away from his home as far away as possible.

Where he lands is somewhere in the middle of nowhere - an island inhabited by "wild things," or animals that walk and talk like humans.  They are not "happy" wild things however, and as it turns out these wild animals have issues just like Max.   Carol is the biggest of the group and he definitely seems to be in "anger mode."  Max watches as Carol acts out his anger by destroying the huts that belong to the other wild animals.  On instinct, Max rushes over to help Carol because he knows and understands that feeling of helplessness and trying to overcome that feeling by attacking the people and things around him.

I have to admit that at first screening this movie, I found it difficult to watch.  It seemed like the plot unfolded in such a disjointed way, that I couldn't really connect with the main character or any of the characters for that matter.

There is another reason I felt a little uncomfortable watching this movie.  As we are taken to this island, there doesn't seem to be any sense of leadership or community within this group of animals.  There is no one character that stands out as a true leader, someone they look to for direction and live under the hope that this person knows how to make things turn out OK.  In fact, upon arriving on the island, Max proclaims himself a worthy leader to the wild things, saying he has great powers, and the wild things believe him.  As the newly appointed leader of the "wild things," he is the one the wild things turn to when they need guidance and direction.  At first, this seems to work in Max's favor and the wild things feel a sense of purpose as Max has come up with a project of building a new home.   Max is old enough to sense who is good at what, so that initially goes well.  However, when Max also suggests a dirt clod "war" to help resolve some issues,  it becomes evident to the wild things that Max is not all-wise or all-knowing, but someone who is prone to making bad decisions and hurting them just like everyone else.

Upon further examination, I realized that there was only one character I felt had the potential of being a good leader and that was the character, Douglas, who was a bird.  He had a very calming influence on the group and when he spoke he actually made sense.  The problem was he wasn't recognized by the other wild things as a leader, so he became just another "voice" in the group.  As a result, all of the other wild things became problematic for me.  I found myself looking at each "wild thing" and in my mind I would decide which one was "good" and which one was going to be trouble.  This wouldn't be so bad, except that all the animals except for Douglas, seemed to have some kind of issue!  Not only that, they didn't seem to know how to work together and bring the best out in each other.  The wild things were unable to work through problems for they either avoided it or made it worse.  It was like watching children play without any kind of guidance or direction from an adult, and letting the pieces fall where they may.  Towards the end of the movie, Max understands this and says he wished he could give them a "mother" because he realizes his mom is the one that helps Max works things out in his own life, and everyone needs that kind of person in their life.

This movie in a way, helps me understand my frustrations I am having to work through in growing in my relationships with people and growing in my prophetic.  I have been struggling with how I view people and not judging them right away because of what I discern in them.  It is easy for me to see the "darkness" and "stuff" attached to people because of the discerning spirit the Lord has given me.  What has been a struggle and challenge for me is to see people as God sees them.  They are just like the "wild things" in the movie; they are lost, stuck in their fears and unable to get over their hurts from the past.  There are a lot of adults out there who are still "wild things."   The Lord, however, sees the potential in them to be much more.  The Lord looks not at the outside, but at the heart.  He sees all of us not as we are, but who we can be when we are complete in Him.  We in ourselves do not know how to forgive or give grace.  It is easy to make snap judgments about people and decide who is and who isn't acceptable, even in our Christian communities.  The enemy loves for the body of Christ to stay as the "wild things" were, always sniping and grousing at each other, never showing love to one another or coming together in unity.  We have to learn how to interact with each other and forgive each other in love and not lose sight of the hope that is within us.

The hope that was missing in the movie, the hope that was missing for the "wild things", is the hope we have in Christ.  It is the Hope we have for Father God to come in, scoop us up in His arms and love us as our true Father.  The Hope is that the Lord is there, listening to us, hearing our prayers and our concerns and loving and healing us in the process.  He is the One we can turn to when we feel lost or alone and He is there for us when no one else can come through.  For those of us who, like the "wild things," lack a good earthly model for a godly father, the Lord comes to us and says, "I love you, I will never leave you nor will I ever forsake you.  I love you with an everlasting love."