In The Neverending Story (1984), Bastian’s grades are suffering. He is chased and bullied by a gang of boys. His mother has died, but Dad tells him to face his problems and move on. Could it be as simple as that?

The power of a story of the good news may help.

When boys chase him, he ducks into a book shop and happens to see the book The Neverending Story. He borrows it and reads it in the attic of his school.

As times passes in the attic, Bastian is engaged in the story. Engaging in the story enables him to face his problems and have hope. Engaging in the story gives him the ability to hope for something better in his life.

In academia, there is a body of work which explains the power of stories to enhance lives with the power of good. These have been described as stories of the “good news”. They contain some quality of goodness that inspires living. I think The Neverending Story inspires hope.

Fantasia

The book Bastian’s reading, The Neverending Story, has a fantasy world called Fantasia.

In Fantasia, there is a destructive force called the Nothing. The Nothing is destroying Fantasia. It is a destructive force against all dreams and aspirations.

Bastian imagines being the hero of Fantasia—and learn hope and courage or more of it when Fantasia is coming to nothing.

Without the power of hope, Fantasia will be lost by the Nothing. Without hope, Bastian’s life lacks the incentive to have courage and the will to take a risk.

The heroic quest is in a second hand way Bastian’s quest. Bastian learns to have hope and courage reading about the hero’s journey.

This is pretty much the thrust of this movie’s theme. It echoes. The Neverending Story is imaginatively and ‘painterly’ presented and keeps a foot in the real world.

Genre: Family fantasy / Country: West Germany, USA / Director: Wolfgang Petersen / Starring: Barret Oliver (Bastian), Noah Hathaway (Atreyu)