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{"id":6071,"date":"2016-03-13T23:03:02","date_gmt":"2016-03-14T06:03:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/admin.patheos.com\/blogs\/poptheology\/?p=6071"},"modified":"2016-03-18T10:43:26","modified_gmt":"2016-03-18T17:43:26","slug":"a-stray","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/poptheology\/2016\/03\/a-stray\/","title":{"rendered":"At SXSW: A STRAY"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Last year, a film used dogs to make a political, cultural, and religious statements about immigrants in Europe. White<\/i> God<\/i> received critical acclaim, but a limited theatrical release (you can now streat\u00a0it on Netflix). This year, another indie film out of Minnesota sends an equally strong message through the story of one man\u2019s bond with a stray dog. Here\u2019s hoping for easy access to Musa Syeed\u2019s film, A Stray<\/i>, because it\u2019s one that many people need to see.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

In A Stray<\/i>, Adan (Barkhad Abdirahman) is a Somali immigrant living in Minneapolis. He crashes at his friends\u2019 place, but he\u2019s a bit of an outcast, and they frequently make fun of him. His mother has kicked him out of her apartment because she believes he\u2019s stolen some of her jewelry. He camps out at the local Mosque, where he meets Faisal, a fellow Muslim, who takes pity on him and offers him a job at\u00a0his restaurant. Out on a delivery run, Adan encounters a stray dog that further complicates his life. Adan\u2019s also spying on his friends for the FBI, who suspects they\u2019re terrorists. They\u2019re harmless, so Adan says, but the agent isn\u2019t buying it and constantly dangles \u201ctreats\u201d in front of Adan like her own pet. Adan and the dog\u00a0gradually form a bond that provides clarity for Adan and brings him closer to God.<\/p>\n

$\"a$ <\/a><\/p>\n

A Stray<\/i> benefits from restrained writing and direction by Syeed. Rather than over-politicizing, he opts for subtler messages. Abdirahman as Adan is equally understated, rexisting an\u00a0over-dramatized performance. The camera quietly traces Adan and his new friend\u2019s\u00a0long, meandering walks through the city, allowing us to more deeply ponder his perilous existence.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s an odd couple to be sure, a Muslim man and a dog, but it\u2019s a sweet one. And there are so many parallels between the heart(s) of Islam and Christianity on display here, namely the denial of self in service to others. Salvation for the afterlife (and fulfillment in this life) comes not in right belief or doctrinal affirmation, but in how we treat the least of these and, especially, our enemies. The film suggests that to think or act otherwise is a perversion of the faith.<\/p>\n

Faisal tells Adan that God helps those who help themselves, but as Adan tells the imam, \u201c[We] need a better prayer.\u201d A<\/i> Stray\u00a0<\/i>shows a deeper truth: God helps those who help others.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"