What's a Fire Horse, Anyway?

Reprinted with permission from Christianity Today Newsletter: Biblical perspectives on contemporary cinema
Friday, August 17, 2007

By Mark Moring

Last week's newsletter was titled, "Longing for the Fire Swamp." This week's could have easily been titled, "Longing for the Fire Horse."

What in the world is a Fire Horse? I didn't know either, till I watched a wonderful off-the-beaten path film recently called Eve and the Fire Horse, now available on DVD. One of the perks of my job is hearing about films that, as a "regular" movie fan, I probably would never know existed. Eve and the Fire Horse is one such hidden gem.

The movie had a limited 2006 release in Canada and has been on the festival circuit for the last couple of years, winning over audiences and critics alike. At Sundance, where it won the Special Jury Prize for World Cinema, Roger Ebert crowed, "Luminous! One of the most beloved films at Sundance this year. … Intelligent, delicate, and touching."

I couldn't agree more.

The film, something of a "spiritual-coming-of-age" story, centers on Eve, a precocious 9-year-old girl with a vivid imagination. Seems that she was born in the Year of the Fire Horse, which, according to ancient Chinese legend, means some serious bad luck. And indeed, after misfortune and tragedy strike her Chinese-Canadian family, young Eve begins to wonder about the Meaning of Life and other Big Questions.

Meanwhile, her older sister Karena has started looking into Christianity, and soon, statues of Jesus pop up in the family home—right next to the porcelain Buddha and several Chinese goddesses. As the young sisters—who dub themselves The Girls of Perpetual Sorrow—continue their quest for spiritual truth, we see it all unfold through Eve's wide-eyed, soul-searching wonder. Various religious figures "appear" to Eve here and there, the imaginative musings of a child that are reminiscent of another of my favorite films, 2005's Millions. And no, director Julia Kwan didn't steal any ideas from Danny Boyle's fine film; she wrote this script almost a decade ago, based in part on her upbringing as a Chinese-Canadian who grew up in a Buddhist family but also went to a Christian school.

It's a fascinating—and utterly delightful—study of what spiritual searching might look like through the eyes of the child, lest we've all forgotten. And if you're concerned about the spiritual mishmash of Christianity and Buddhism and ancient Chinese beliefs, don't be. There's a whole lot of truth, Real Truth, that shines through in the end—and I don't want to give away any more than that, other than to say this: Eve and the Fire Horse, though made a couple years ago, is one of the most enjoyable films I've seen in 2007. And the young actresses who play the sisters—Phoebe Jo Jo Kut as Eve and Hollie Lo as Karena—will steal your heart with their terrific performances.

Want to know more? Check out the official website, where you can see the trailer and buy the film. (The movie is also available at Netflix.)

Link to original article: http://www.christianitytoday.com/lyris/movies/archives/08-17-2007.html