Brian McLaren discusses The Color Purple (Spielberg, 1985) and what he learned about redemption and forgiveness.
The film is an adaptation from The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Originally published in 1982, the book won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. It’s a book of letters, from the main character Celie to God, as she tries to understand the brutality of her life. The trajectory of the film is to witness Celie’s growth from victim to survivor to a member of a thriving sisterhood.
Brian McLaren is an author, activist, and public theologian. He is a faculty member with the Center for Action and Contemplation and a podcaster with the CAC’s podcast Learning How to See. He is a co-host of Southern Lights and has written more than 20 books, including his newest, The Last Voyage (2025), the first installment in a science fiction trilogy.
--------
36:09
--------
36:09
The Outsiders: Becoming Yourself
Kaleigh Cohen talks through The Outsiders (Francis Ford Coppola, 1983), the main stay of her after-school decompression process when she was 12.
We explore the movie's themes of authenticity, friendship, and overcoming adversity. and even dive into 'Napoleon Dynamite' and 'Forrest Gump' because of their similar themes of outsiders embracing their uniqueness.
Kaleigh Cohen creates free cycling and strength home workout programs that are designed to be engaging, fun, and time-efficient, perfectly balancing high-energy cardio to boost endurance with targeted strength training to build power and resilience—all from the comfort of home.
--------
37:42
--------
37:42
Bonus Jack Ryan: Muslim Represention
Uzma Jafri and return guest Kevin Blankenship discuss Season 1 of Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime and how the show has been a bee in Uzma's bonnet, or a hornet in her hijab, for a while now.
Jack Ryan Season 1 was seen by 40% of Prime members its first year on the platform, which makes it an important artifact when discussing Muslim representation in American media.
We discuss negative stereotypes, Islamophobia, and authentic representation, as well as how these portrayals impact American policy.
Uzma Jafri is the producer and co-host of Mommying While Muslim podcast. She grew up in Houston TX, the daughter of Muslim immigrants from Pakistan and India. oday, Uzma is a physician running her own practices in Phoenix, medical director of an assisted living and hospice agency, and graduate medical faculty. She is also a certified speaker for the Islamic Speakers Bureau of Arizona and volunteers with multiple organizations to support refugees.
Kevin Blankinship is a professor of Arabic and the medieval Middle East at BYU. He holds a PhD in classical Arabic literature from the University of Chicago and an MA in comparative literature from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Kevin also spent a research year in Morocco as a Fulbright-Hayes scholar.
--------
34:18
--------
34:18
Remember the Titans: Brotherhood & Race
Rob Taber talks about Remember the Titans, the first sports movie featured on Voiceover!
This 2000 classic about integration in 1970s Virginia stars Denzel Washington and Will Patton as two coaches who must unify high school football players divided by race and racism.
We cover community building, historical films, teaching leadership, and crying in sports movies.
Rob Taber has taught history at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina since 2016. His research areas include Latin America and the Caribbean, The Black Atlantic (1400-1900), Slavery, Revolutions, African-American History. He is the Vice-President for Policy Outreach, Carolina Forward.
--------
51:59
--------
51:59
Now & Then: Female Friendships
Nava Kavelin of Ninth Mode Media and Podcrushed talks to me about Now & Then, a movie that felt so real to her as an 11-year old that she was embarrassed to see it with her parents.
Now & Then is about the summer of 1970, experienced by four 12-year olds on the cusp of teenage-hood. Starring Christina Ricci, Gaby Hoffman, and Thora Birch, the film wants to bring authentic female friendships to the screen, as understood by director Lesli Linka Glatter and writer I. Marlene King.
We talk about who the movie is really for, whether these kinds of movies are made today, and sex ed.
Nava Kavelin is the co-founder and CEO of Ninth Mode, a production company dedicated to developing content that shines a light on the brighter side of human nature.
What movies taught you about life? Showed you truths you didn’t know you needed to hear?
Join Heather Bigley, a former academic and film teacher, and the host of Voiceover: Movies that Move Us—the podcast where films have an impact. Each episode, our guests share the cinematic moments that changed their lives. We want to learn from those silver screen experiences, and so we share those moments with you, looking at the films from a whole new perspective.
With a Doctorate in Film Studies and a passion for storytelling, Heather brings a little history, a little philosophy, some behind-the-scenes know-how, and her whole life to the movies she watches.
From Wild Strawberries to The Wiz, Terminator 2 to Tree of Life, we’re finding the films that moved us when we least expected it—golden age classics, recent blockbusters, and even the tiny indie film that barely anyone noticed. While Cosmo Brown might just want to Make ‘em Laugh, we’re interested in the films that make you cry, too. Movies that revealed something about ourselves. Mentored us when we needed mentorship. Maybe even illuminated the Divine.
Join us for Voiceover: Movies that Move Us for cinematic epiphanies, reel recommends, and maybe some self-revelations. Don’t miss a moment. Subscribe to us now on BYUradio, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Colombia