Shadowlands - Hannah Grimes

“The pain now is part of the happiness then. That’s the deal.” (Shadowlands)

I don’t usually get too emotional with movies, and I certainly didn’t anticipate being moved so much by Shadowlands when we watched it a couple of weeks ago because I had seen the film several times before. I don’t really know why it touched me more this time; perhaps because it made C.S. Lewis more real. I feel like I’ve gotten to know him this semester. I had read some of his work here and there, but never approached it as a student. Becoming familiar with his style of writing, reading his stories, and seeing the truths he repeatedly alluded to have given me such an increased appreciation for him both as a writer and as an individual. When I saw the movie again and watched his relationship with Joy Gresham unfold, I was stuck by the raw intensity of his grief and his hope and the effect that had upon his work. He didn’t write from a brilliant yet impersonal perspective; he lived through the emotions and questions that he addresses in his writings. It was interesting to see how Joy shook up his tidy, ordered life and showed him things he really didn’t understand. The scene near the end of the film when he is in the attic with Douglas was extremely moving as well because it expressed what was deep in his heart, not just his mind.