Recently, I happened to channel surf to a Christian channel. A Christian or faith-based movie happened to be starting so I decided to watch it. So the film was Seven Days in Utopia (2011, USA).

It’s about golfer’s paradise. One may long for golfing success which would be paradise. The money, the fame, the adulation. In other words, utopia, where life is great. First Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) has to get there if he gets into the professional circuit and make a go of it.

He doesn’t, which causes a breakdown of a sort. Disillusionment is a common theme in Christian stories as it is the springboard to faith in God to give the disillusioned hope.

It seems to be manipulative—just make the guy fall and let him rise again with God in a better state than before. For some people, the walk of life and the Christian walk might not always turn out better. It’s common faith-based material, though.

However, rising from the ashes with God in the middle of life is also true. God can lift the disillusioned out of their downheartedness which causes a life change. It does happen. It may sound a bit clichéd, but God changing lives is true.

Christian film producers know God can be people’s anchor in life even if people go through stuff and answers are found. It’s a hopeful message.

Though I did not feel Luke’s uplift as I should have. Aren’t we supposed to feel the protagonist’s journey from despair to hope? I didn’t, but Luke’s journey is still true and worthwhile.

The father figure

Seven Days in Utopia stars an actor I am familiar with from his work in Tender Mercies, The Apostle and Apocalypse Now, and others. He’s Robert Duvall.

Robert Duvall’s performance is authoritative and fatherly as the older single man who takes a young golfer under his wing and mentors him.

The setting is Utopia, Texas. The seven days in the film’s title refers to Johnny Crawford’s (Duvall) day-by-day mentoring of disillusioned golfer Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) who is dealing with a failure. Johnny mentors him with unconventional lessons on how to better play golf.

What turns up are two take away points.

Themes

One thing Luke is told is not to be distracted by sideshows that people may prop up. These may be causal remarks. A remark may put you off your game, but does not have to trouble you. This goes straight to one’s foundation. Once you are secure in yourself, nothing can shake you.

The other thing Luke learns is that playing sport to a higher standard does not fulfill the soul. You need more than golf to satisfy that need.

Seven Days in Utopia says utopia is more than a great life like winning on the pro golfing circuit. Life can be wonderful with God in your heart. This is what speaks loudest. The film is about what it means to be human and what the soul needs—with a strong faith-based depth to that.

It seems that this subject is rarely covered in any kind of film. However, in recent times, Tracks and Hector and the Search for Happiness are two films about searches for the deeper life. The theme is part and parcel of quite a few faith-based films because faith film producers know where the answer lies.