message in the movies By Rev. Bruce Batchelor Glader

                       
Kinsey  Rated R
Directed by Bill Condon. Starring Liam Neeson, Laura Linney

Photo © Foc Searchlight Pictures
Sexuality is one of the most challenging aspects of being human.  If you are ignorant about sex, you are vulnerable to all sorts of negative consequences, including unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and a distorted self-image.  If you are overly curious about sex, you are prone to experimentation, pornography, and sexual addiction.  Alfred Kinsey was a scientist who began his landmark study in human sexuality for the most altruistic reasons, but he may not have been prepared for the ways in which the Kinsey Report would impact American culture and change the ways in which people thought and acted about sex.  Dr. Kinsey was a scientist who refused to judge the sex life of others; his acceptance of those he interviewed encouraged Americans to share from secret places that had never before come to the light. Kinsey is a fair and balanced look at the life of Dr. Kinsey and one of the most thought-provoking films about sex ever made, celebrating the joy of lovemaking while also revealing the dark possibilities of sex to exploit and destroy relationships.  The cast is first-rate and Liam Neeson and Laura Linney give exceptional performances as Dr. and Mrs. Kinsey.  There are many stirring moments in the film, including two powerful statements about love that come towards the end.  Nevertheless, the dark honesty of this film about its topic, along with its lack of moral judgment, makes this film difficult viewing for most Christians.  The movie has high integrity, but it also has a high creep-out factor. Sex is like that – you can’t dwell on it for very long before issuing warnings.  Two hours is a lengthy time to be focused on sex. Consider yourself warned.

Pitchfork Rating:Three halos. (A bold and brassy biopic about a controversial man and a controversial subject.)  Five pitchforks.  (Full frontal nudity, frank sexual language, scenes of sexual activity and sexual perversion, scenes of animal mating, marital infidelity, and graphic biological details.)

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