SAVE THE LAST DANCE
Paramount Pictures
PG-13

Guess who’s coming to school
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner meets White Man’s Burden in the classroom and the nightclub. In a modern look at romance, race relations, dancing, and forgiveness and redemption, Save The Last Dance is a film in which the characters push boundaries both personally and socially.

Sara (Julia Stiles) is a small-town girl with a big dream: to become a world-class ballerina. But when her mother suddenly dies, Sara must abandon her plans and join her estranged father (Terry Kinney) on Chicago's gritty South Side. A white girl in a predominately black neighborhood, Sara feels out of place until she is befriended by an African American classmate, Chenille (Kerry Washington), and her handsome brother, Derek (Sean Patrick Thomas). Sparks fly between Sara and Derek, whose shared love for dance leads to romance. But as Sara and Derek's relationship grows, so does opposition from their families and friends. Now Sara and Derek face the biggest challenge of their young lives—to stay true to their dreams...and each other.

Discussion questions
The opening scenes are fundamental to the story, but they move by pretty fast. We see Sara on the train, remembering the past few days (weeks?) at her school with her friend, talking with her mom, on the way to the Julliard audition. There are scenes of her mom taking care of business, trying to make it to the audition, and finally rushing on the highway to go support her daughter.  Finally, we see Sara getting off the train and meeting Roy (her father), and we realize that Sara’s mom has died in an accident. Sara’s whole life has changed in the course of less than a month. How do you think she feels about her mom?…  about dancing?…  about Roy?…  about herself?

• How would you feel if you were in Sara’s situation? Have you ever been in a situation like hers?

• Have you ever known someone, or known of someone, who died “too soon”? How did you feel (maybe cheated, robbed, powerless, numb, etc)? Where is God in these tragedies?

Sara feels like she’s to blame for her mother’s death. Have you ever felt responsible for some thing that wasn’t really your fault? Why is it sometimes easier to feel responsible than powerless (or cheated, robbed, numb, angry–see above question)? 

• Look at Psalm 121. How does this affect your answers to the above questions?

Sara and Roy seem to have a hard time talking to one another when they meet at the train station, as well as later at the apartment. They don’t seem to know how to be around each other. When have you found it hard to talk to someone, even someone you thought you should be comfortable with?

Our first glimpse at Sara’s new life is when Roy drops her off for her first day at school in Chicago. The racial makeup of the school is different from her previous home, the metal detectors and guards are new, and she has to learn a new way of keeping track of her things (remember the backpack?). How do you deal with new, unfamiliar situations? 

Chenille befriends Sara without really knowing anything about her. First, she helps her out with the backpack incident; then, in the lunchroom, she takes Sara in when she’s desperate to find a place to sit (and to fit in). The Gospels (and other parts of scripture) are filled with examples of Christ welcoming the stranger (or counseling others to do so)–in fact, in the ancient world, strangers were seen as potential messengers from God. Talk about the Chenille welcoming Sara in light of the following passages: Genesis 18:1-8 (9-15); Genesis 24:17-33; Exodus 2:15-22; 1 Kings 17:8-11 (12-16); Luke 6:27-42; Luke 10:25-37; Mark 12:1-12; Matthew 19:13-15.

Before she goes into Steps for the first time, Chenille takes Sara’s clothes and changes her look from uncool to slammin’. This transformation of Sara’s look points to a transformation Sara undergoes during this film. We all can take our clothes and change our look, but how much do you think we can change who we are?

In Matthew 17:1-8(9-13) [see also Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36], the disciples see Jesus transfigured, his clothes dazzling white. But in reality, the disciples are the ones who are changed. Sara allows Chenille to help her to change. How much do you allow others to help you to change? How much do you allow God to help you change? What if the change means your life won’t be recognizable any more?

Sara and Derek’s relationship deepens after they go to the ballet. Sara shares something really important about herself when they talk afterwards–her love of ballet, her seemingly lost dream of getting into Juliard, and her guilt over her mother’s death. We’re closest to the people we share the most with (and vice-versa). How close do you feel, and how much do you share with God, (who really knows the most about us)?

As Sara and Derek start spending more time together, and others start seeing them as a couple, the racial component of the film starts to come to the front. How much of a factor does race play in your life? Are most of your friends the same race as you? Whatever your answer, is that okay? Why?

• Have you ever been in the minority? Describe the situation. How did you feel? Given the situation, were your feelings justified or unreasonable?

After her altercation with Nikki, Sara has to face her role as a white person in society, because her relationship with Derek affects the community as well. To the point, she has to face the question, “Does it matter what other people think, or just Sara and Derek?” How would you answer that question?

• What did you think about Sara’s conversation with Chenille in the clinic?

Chenille: Derek’s about something ... You take one of the few good men we got after jail, drugs, and drive-bys. That’s what Nikki meant when she said you up in our world.

Sara: There’s only one world, Chenille.

Chenille: That is what they teach you–we know different.

Is it okay for Sara to “take” one of the few good black men?  In many of his letters (see Galatians 3:28), Paul tells us that we are all one in Christ, and that distinctions don’t matter in God’s eyes. But in the real world they do seem to matter. Where does your primary identity come from? Your peer group? Your racial group? Your family? Your neighborhood? Your church? Your God?

In worship, on a regular basis, we come together and confess our sins in front of God and whoever else is there. Confession implies that we will make an effort to change–that we will act different in the future. Roy apologizes to Sara at the beginning of the film, but we don’t really believe him until the very end, when he shows Sara her room. Early on he apologizes (confesses) with his words, and at the end he does so with his words and actions. How quick are you to forgive someone else when they repent verbally? What about when they repent actively? 

• Describe a time when you have repented with more than just your words (think about your family, your friends, even casual acquaintances who you accidentally wronged).

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.”