Spanglish was one of my favourite movies that I have seen in a long time. There is no crazy action heroes, no hilarious comedy it’s not even physiologically thrilling. It’s almost a love story. Adam Sandler plays a serious role and falls in love with a Spanish nanny that his wife hires. Her name is Floor (curl your tongue at the end of the word and let it rollllll out). Floor ends up having to bring her child to stay with this family and they love the child.
As the movie progresses the mom falls absolutely in love with Floor’s child and starts to favour her in everything. She gets her a scholarship at a top school. She helps her reach ‘success’ in terms of the West. Adam Sandler’s character and Floor end up getting extremely close to each other after a series of (un)fortunate events Floor, out of love for her daughter, decides that it’s time to take her daughter away from this family. Her daughter now is completely engrossed into the new life that she is living. Rich living, luxurious treatment and good education; she doesn’t want to leave. She is heading where she has now determined is success. In anyone else’s eyes, including mine, she is an extremely successful young girl. She’s beautiful, smart, polite and loves her family.
The final scene in the movie is Floor telling her daughter that not only is she not going back to the family’s house, she is pulling her out of the private school where she is getting her scholarship. There is a multitude of reasons why Floor has to do this; the daughter understands none of them. You’ll have to watch the movie, which I highly recommend, to comprehend the fullness of this.
The daughter starts to ask questions “well can I sleep there if school goes late?” She is trying desperately to find any way to spend time with that family and where she has fun. Picture Floor, walking down a street, after just breaking the news to her daughter that essentially none of her dreams are going to come true. The daughter freaks out. She throws her stuff to the ground. She is crying and yelling “You can’t do that to me! You ruined everything! This ruins my life! You ruined everything! I will never forgive you! It will never be allright! You’re wrong! This is exactly what I was worried about! I have a scholarship! No one gives this up!” (this is word for word from the movie) Floor, sucking up her tears and pain, starts walking down the street, with her daughter following her screaming these things. All through the movie, Floor only wants the best for her daughter. Floor is the best parent figure I have ever seen in any movie, and even the characters on the movie recognize this.
After walking 1.3 miles to the bus stop, following her mom, the girl narrates the story. They finally get to the bus stop and she says “not right now, I need some space.” Floor walks over with all the authority she has and says “there is no space between us.” This line completely shatters the little girls Western mind of how her and the mom’s relationship was supposed to be. Floor is full of tears and she finally says “is what you want for yourself to become someone very different than me?”
The story is told from the point of view as the girl. She is applying for a scholarship. This is her essay for admittance for the scholarship. The movie and admittance essay ends with this line: “Though as I hope this essay shows; while getting the scholarship would thrill me, it would not define me. My identity rests firmly and happily on one fact; I am my mother’s daughter.”
To get the full impact of this scene, you need to watch the entire movie to understand the events that lead up to it. This scene is the most beautiful expression of our faith and validity crisis as Christians. I find myself constantly yelling to God what that girl yelled: “You can’t do that to me God! This is exactly what I was afraid of! I have a scholarship! No one gives this up! You’re wrong! This ruins my life!” I have been so influenced by the culture around me that I don’t even know what’s good for me anymore, much like this little girl. Yet however, as I slowly follow God down the street with my head to the ground and tell him that “I need space,” he tells me with authority “there is no space between us.” Having space isn’t an option. I can pretend. But there is no space between me and him anymore. God has better interests in mind for me than I have for myself. His perspective is different. He only wants me to become what I was created to become.
Then Jesus looks me straight in the eyes and ask me “is what you want for yourself to become someone very different than me?” My answer is no. I only want to become like Christ. So compliment me, insult me, give me scholarships, fire me; it doesn’t matter; while it may thrill or displease me, it will never define me. My identity rests firmly and happily on one fact; I am God’s child.
Start watching about 5:20 on the first video and the second.
[youtube]2t3HnzrPwsc[/youtube]
[youtube]o3TQUSAHdQ0[/youtube]
Hey Nathan,
maybe this seems kind of odd…but I’m proud of you. Being able to follow your thought process and seeing the conclusions you come to is “neat” and at the end I always end up thinking ‘yah, good for you nathan, you’re in good hands’
alright, thats all I got for today, and now it’s back to statistics. oh sweet Lord – save my soul.
talk to you later.
manda
Come on.. the name is “Flor”, not “Floor”
i just finished watching this movie and came across this.
The end of your critique is very refreshing.
I suddenly started liking that movie even more now. Hadn’t thought of it that way, how we can relate it to our relationship to God.
Thank you for your blog. I really needed that today, been struggling w/ my daughter today and this movie came to mind. I was trying to find the last scene of the movie so I could remember what Flor said to her. I love how you related our relationship with Christ with this ending. Beautiful. Thank you, it is very refreshing and amazing how the Lord used that today.
Thank you!
This movie seemed so real that over the years I have watched it many times. It does define the reality of how many of us choose to live our lives and how others think they must live their lives. Spiritually there is so much more to understanding the hearts and minds that connects us so brilliantly as one universal body. Thank you for your reflection.
Just watched the movie for the first time. Deeply disappointed with the abrupt ending so I google’d the ending. I found this. I thought the exact same thing about our identity in Christ when she said that. I didn’t expect your blog to concluded on that same point. I needed to read that. I’ll never out grow my need to hear that my identity is in Christ alone! All other ground is sinking sand.