Song

“Losing My Religion” (1991) by R.E.M.

Don’t read too much into this one, and don’t ask me about other R.E.M. songs because I won’t know a thing! But I do find this song fun and perhaps also deep — I interpret it as expressing surprise with one’s own actions (“that’s me in the corner… losing my religion”) and second-guessing oneself (“I think I thought I saw you try” and “oh no I’ve said too much. I haven’t said enough”).

 

Book

“The Power and the Glory” (1940) by Graham Greene

This novel takes me to a time and place I never heard about in any history class: Mexico in the 1930s during a rigorous persecution of the Catholic Church. The last priest that the government must hunt down is a “whiskey priest,” who remains somehow determined to bring the Eucharist to the hungry faithful despite his lack of any natural heroism. Greene’s masterly vignettes of varied people, reacting differently to the priest or to their own choices in the face of the persecution, make for a truly compelling read.

 

Movie

“Sense and Sensibility” (1995)

This is Emma Thompson’s tour de force; she has perfectly adapted Jane Austen’s novel for the screen. Every word, every shot, every actor’s expression, each and every noise is integral to the character development or plot; nothing is wasted in the film’s fairly brief running time. It is a comedy with understated humor, as well as a moving drama with sympathetic and believably flawed characters. I can (and do) watch it again and again!