The other night we had the chance to watch “The Human Experience,” followed by a question-and-answer period with the main actor and the co-producer, I think. It was an interesting movie, and like all other Grassroots films, the soundtrack was great – so good that I was a little annoyed when they quieted it in order to talk again. Check the trailer here:

Though it was a well-filmed movie, I think it ultimately fails in what it attempts – to show the meaning of human life. I think that the actors’ experiences definitely expanded their understanding of humanity, but that a mere recording of such experiences is not enough to give a viewer the same understanding. One can watch a tennis match on television, but it won’t give the same experience as actually learning to play the game.

At best, this film is a great introduction to mission trips, which can be life-changing experiences. Nothing really expands one’s horizons like being forced to live the life of a less fortunate person for a time. I know I’m kind of a cynic when it comes to mission work, but that’s mostly because I think people don’t understand who is being benefited: it is an exceptional and rare mission that actually helps the people it proposes to help; most missions help the missionaries themselves more than anyone else. That’s not a bad thing, though – I just don’t think that the fundraising should be done ‘for the sake of Mexican children’ when it is really ‘for the benefit of Canadian college students’ or whoever happens to be going.

In short, don’t expect this movie to change your life. It is a well-made documentary of several mission trips which changed the makers’ lives, and which can inspire you to make your own choices to change in the future, but it won’t give you the experience they had.