Last week I saw The Adjustment Bureau with Matt Damon (Potential spoiler alert!!). It was an interesting look at free will versus predestination/fate. The main character is a politician who just lost a race and due to a girl kissing him that motivates his concession speech he is now the frontrunner for the Senate race. Shortly after, he discovers the Adjustment Bureau, and they explain that the whole world has a plan, and that if people stray off plan, then it is their job to get those people back ON plan. A telling exchange: Damon—“But I have free will!” Adjustment Bureau Operative: “You have the appearance of free will.” Damon learns that he is not allowed that girl from the campaign, and sets out to beat the system.
There were a lot of similarities to Christianity in the movie. The Adjustment Bureau was headed up by a single person, The Chairman, and all the operatives did his bidding. They even noted that they were called, “many different things in different cultures”. There was a worldwide plan.
Then came the jabs at Christianity. As it turns out, the plan was not perfect, and had in fact had a different version which is why they had trouble with the woman. The operatives started doubting whether it was just or not. They ruined some people’s lives just so that those people would promote other people who had been decided that they would succeed. And in relation to Damon’s character, The Chairman changed his mind and allowed Damon free will since he had risked everything by defying the system.
While it was not completely clear, the ending idea seemed to be that free will was a gift that needed to be earned. And, that we know what is best for our own lives—no one else should be allowed to make our life decisions for us.
(I am sorry if I did not do the movie, or the response, justice. I am working from memory, and am not terribly good at analyzing movies to start with.)
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