The "Prodigal Son Theme" in Movies

The "Prodigal Son Theme" in Movies

In Luke 15: 11 - 32, Jesus shares the story of the Prodigal Son with His disciples. The story goes as follows:

A father has two sons. The younger son asks for his inheritance and goes off and squanders it. After some time, he becomes poor and decides to return home to his father. He returns home with the intention of begging his father to be made one of his hired servants, expecting his relationship with his father is likely severed. However, the father welcomes him back and celebrates his return. 

This story line can be found as an underlying theme in many movies today.

1) Big Fish 

During the film, Will and his elderly father, Edward, have a falling out over Edward's stories about his life, and do not speak to each other for 3 years following the fight. However, when Edward falls deathly ill, Will returns home and although there is tension between the duo, their relationship has not been destroyed. Over the course of the movie, Will learns more and more about his father and begins to accept his stories more and more. The final scene of the movie is so special as Will tells his father the story of how he dies, as he is on his deathbed.

2) Star Wars 

This is a bit of a stretch, the film does contain this theme as Luke, the long-gone/lost son, returns to/seeks his father, who turns out to be Darth Vader, after estrangement and finds some sort of reconciliation. However the reconciliation that he desires is not the reconciliation he was hoping for.