Sony Pictures Releasing (UK)
FILM Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) meets Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys)
ALL FOR THE CAMERAS?
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REETING audiences with a beaming smile and a cheerful ‘Hello neighbour’, children’s TV presenter Fred Rogers was a staple of the American TV schedule for more than 30 years. He educated, entertained and empathised with children, tackling tricky topics from divorce to bereavement. His life is explored in A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, which was released in cinemas yesterday (Friday 31 January). Based loosely on a real profile piece written for US men’s magazine Esquire in 1998, the film follows fictional journalist Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys) as he seeks to find out whether Fred (Tom Hanks) is really the national treasure that everyone thinks he is. Fred, a writer, producer, puppeteer, musician and counsellor all in one, is a practising Christian and is known for helping children deal with their feelings through his show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. His widespread popularity leads the Esquire editor to commission Lloyd to write a profile of him for the magazine’s series on heroes. The investigative journalist is initially cynical about his puff-piece assignment, and tries to write an exposé, interrogating Fred about his personal life. But he is taken aback when Fred turns the questions around on him, taking a genuine interest in his interviewer’s life.
Emily Bright sees a journalist investigate whether a children’s entertainer lives up to his on-screen persona Setting aside time from his busy schedule, Fred greets Lloyd as if he were an old friend, and seeks to unearth his emotional trauma and help him overcome
He made a proactive choice to be kind and inclusive it. First and foremost, he sees the journalist’s value not merely as a writer, but as a human being. As Lloyd follows Fred around in his day-to-day routine, he quickly realises that the presenter’s compassionate demeanour isn’t simply a TV persona. Although Fred’s wife admits her husband is not always a saint and that he works hard to be kind, Lloyd discovers that Fred is passionate about making the world a better place by simply listening to and caring about others. Speaking after a screening of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, Tom Hanks reflected that Fred Rogers
provided ‘an altruistic exchange of time and presence which he saw as a gift’. Tom explained: ‘It was a proactive choice he made to be kind and inclusive. He lived his gospel, completely unjudgmental and completely accepting.’ As the film highlights, Fred often turned to the Scriptures to sustain him and help him maintain these positive attributes. Throughout the Bible, there are many references to showing love to others. One enthusiastic presenter of Jesus’ teaching, Paul, provides a clear definition of what it means to love. He writes: ‘Love is patient, love is kind … It is not selfseeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs … It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres’ (1 Corinthians 13:4–8 New International Version). Paul adds that, although other things will pass away, one thing that will not is God’s perfect love. He offers us all the chance to be in a relationship with him, and to have our lives transformed for the better, if we open up our hearts to him. That beautiful fact is something worth broadcasting.
1 February 2020 • WAR CRY • 3