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28 Days
Sony Pictures
PG-13
"28 Days" is the story of Gwen Cummings
(Sandra Bullock), a successful New York writer living in the fast lane. She’s
everyone's favorite party girl until she gets drunk at her sister’s (Elizabeth
Perkins) wedding with boyfriend Jasper (Dominic West), borrows her sister's wedding limo
and earns herself a stay in court-ordered rehab. There, Gwen comes face to face with a
unique set of rules and rituals which serve to help her recognize who she is.
Discussion questions
This movie is a great vehicle for discussing with
young people their relationships. Use the questions below to spark discussion, but feel
free to draw from other scenes and relationships in the film. For instance, take a closer
look at these situations:
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Gwen in denial about having a problem with drugs
(remember, even though it's legal to use if you're over 21, alcohol is still a drug). What
was your response when the nurse took away her Vicadin? What did you think or feel when
Gwen snuck away from the center with Jasper? How did you feel when she stumbled back in
the door and up the stairs?
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Up in her room, Gwen almost takes some of the
pills she got on the sly. But she seemed to have a moment of clarity when she threw the
pills out the window. When have you made a decision, only to second-guess yourself
afterward? How does that feel? How does changing your mind like that affect other people
who are involved in your decision?
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Have you heard the phrase, "You have to hit
bottom before you see how far you've fallen"? In the movie, Gwen literally hit
bottom (falling out of a tree) before she truly had a change of heart and started
taking her problem seriously. Do you know people who can't see that they have a problem
(not just drugs, but any sort of problem), even though everyone around them can?
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While she was laying on the ground under the tree,
her counselor, Cornell, is in the meeting telling everyone the story of his own drug abuse
and recovery. Do you think Gwen would have had an easier time relating to him if she had
known what he had gone through?
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When Jasper comes to propose to Gwen, it’s
obvious that their relationship is becoming strained. Although she still would like to be
his girlfriend, it is becoming apparent to Gwen that he will have to change if they are
going to stay together. Is Gwen being unreasonable? Is it OK to ask people to change in
order to stay friends with them?
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Gwen has a lot in common with the people she comes
to know at the rehab center. They are all addicts, and most of them are sincerely
trying to change their previous habits so they can be better people and function better in
the world. Sound familiar? Isn't that what we as "church" are–a collection
of people who come together, trying to change how we are in the world in order to serve
God better? How does your church (or youth group) function like Gwen's support group,
supporting one another in their struggles?
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When Eddie is coaching Gwen on her pitching, he
tells her to only worry about the ball until it leaves her hand; after that it's someone
else's job. Do you ever find yourself taking too much responsibility for the way other
people act, or the way they react to you or other people? How are you at letting go and
trusting that God will take care of you?
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Toward the end of the movie, two characters
disappoint us--Daniel and Andrea. Daniel is released from the center to go back to the
so-called real world, and is quickly returned for more rehab. Later, just before Gwen is
released, Andrea commits suicide. What was your response to these characters? How did
their actions affect the community at the center? How do you feel when people let you
down?
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Gwen and her sister get the chance to reconcile
with one another late in the movie. They are finally able to share their true feelings
about each other, about their mother and about their relationship. They find that sharing
their true feelings, insecurities and troubles is the best way to build a lasting
relationship. In your experience, what is the hardest part of becoming close to people?
What have you learned from this movie about relationships?
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After being released from the center, Gwen runs
into Gerhardt in the florist's shop. Their brief exchange shows us that Gwen now has a
deeper relationship with him (founded on positive, meaningful experiences) than she does
with Jasper (founded on drinking and partying). Although not every relationship we have
needs to be deep, and some people will always simply be acquaintances, on what foundations
are your most meaningful relationships built?
Matters of faith
After looking at interpersonal relationships, turn
your discussion to the church and especially to God. The detox center taught Gwen that she
was on the wrong path, a destructive path, and that she needed to turn around (repent) and
go a different direction. The community that was there supported her as she learned how to
do just that.
Sound familiar? Luther said that about us–that
we are at the same time saint and sinner. We can't escape the fact that we don't always do
what God would like us to do, because we're sinners. And we can't escape the fact that God
always continues to love us in spite of what we do, because through Christ's death and
resurrection we're saints.
Those things about Gwen that she tried to hide from
other people, and those things that she hid from herself, she could not hide from God--but
God still loved her, and that love was shown through the people who welcomed her at the
center. How well does your church show God's unconditional love for all people? Are there
people who would be uncomfortable in a worship service at your church? At a church potluck
or picnic? In your youth group? In your home? What can you do to change, or help, with
unconditional hospitality?
Gwen rolled her eyes at the rituals (chanting,
singing, circle prayers, etc. ) that she saw when she arrived at the center. However, we
see throughout the movie that these rituals came to have meaning for her and helped her as
she struggled to become a new person. Do the rituals of worship play the same role? How
would a 15-year-old who had never been to church react to your worship service the first
time she attended? Would her reaction be different than an 84-year-old who had been coming
to church his whole life? Do the rituals have meaning for you, and are they helping you in
your struggle to become a new person?
We all sin and fall short of the glory of God.
(Romans 3:23) The Good News is that God continues to love us; always, no matter what!
Please don’t miss the chance to talk with your
group about drug and alcohol use. While this study guide and the movie deal with
relationships, underlying everything is substance abuse. As I use this movie with my
group, I will probably use the discussions about relationships as a way to spark
discussion about who in school uses, who is seriously affected by using, whether it's OK
to use once in a while, and where drugs (and alcohol) fit into God's plan for our lives.
As
with anything, feel free to adapt this guide to your own situation. Enjoy the film, enjoy the discussion and enjoy one another.
And remember, the first word and the last word is always, “God Loves
You.”
Need to keep up
with what movies are out there? Check these Web sites.
Please note that
some links will take you off of the ELCA site. Providing a link does
not necessarily imply that an organization is affiliated with or
supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
Permission to reproduce for local use. Copyright © 2005
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
ELCA Youth Ministries. 1-800-638-3522, ext. 2447. To
offer your comments or responses, e-mail:
rod.boriack@elca.org.
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