Just about anyone would agree that the most meaningful relationships in their lives are family relationships. Even when the family relationships that people are born with are somehow lost, people still strive to create new ones when the relationships outside of family become meaningful enough. In some ways, every romantic movie ever made is about people being irresistibly pulled toward family. So it makes all the sense in the world that the vast majority of stories includes some kind of family relationship, and that family relationships play a big part in many of the most meaningful stories ever told.
The Power of Family Relationships
But the romantic attraction that leads to new families is just the beginning. Families develop different kinds of relationships, and each kind has its own special dynamic. Some movies focus on the unique relationships brothers have, like Wes Anderson’sThe Darjeeling Limited,or Robert Redford’sA River Runs Through It(featuring one ofBrad Pitt’s earliest and best roles), or the brilliant 1996 hidden gem,Big Night,and its amazing cast.
And there are also wonderful stories about the special relationships sisters have. These include the numerous versions of the classic novel,Little Women(the latest coming in 2019, starring Saorise Ronan, Emma Watson, and Timothée Chalamet), or the thought-provoking Woody Allen film,Hannah and Her Sisters,or the competitive themes found in pop culture movies like27 Dresses,orA League of Their Own.
Related:These Are Movies About Sisters We Can’t Live Without
Therelationship between mothers and daughtersis also unique, and celebrated in films likeTerms of Endearment,which dominated the Oscars in 1984, winning Best Picture, Best Director, Best Writing, Best Actress, and Best Actor. Other great mother-daughter films includeAkeelah and the Bee,starring Angela Basset;Steel Magnolias,starring Sally Field and Julia Roberts, and more recently,Everything Everywhere All at Once,which featured Stephanie Hsu and the charismatic Michelle Yeoh.
Stories about the relationship between fathers and sons are rarer, and are often submerged in the periphery of bigger stories, taking a back seat to themes of significance or survival. (EvenThe Godfatheris as much about family as it is organized crime.) But sometimes, a film comes along that puts the unique father-son relationship front and center in a marvelous way. One such 1986 film wasNothing in Common,starring Tom Hanks and the great Jackie Gleason, in his final silver screen appearance, and shortly before his death.
Field of Dreams Takes a Big Swing at the Father-Son Relationship
But no film has captured the indescribable bond between a father and son better than the 1989 mystical baseball movie,Field of Dreams.Directed by Phil Alden Robinson, and starring Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Madigan, and Ray Liotta,Field of Dreamsis a story about an ordinary man, Ray Kinsella, whose life is haunted by the fractured relationship he had with his father. No matter how many blessings he’s been given since leaving home — a beautiful wife, an adorable daughter, a respectable living as a farmer in a (relatively) peaceful, small town community — the memory of his father becomes a pocket of discontent in his soul.
But as the movie begins, even Ray doesn’t realize how important his relationship with his father was.Field of Dreamsis both a family drama and a mystery, one that takes Ray on a journey of discovery that slowly reveals the meaning of the voices he has begun hearing when alone. As each piece of the puzzle falls into place, Ray is reminded more and more of what was important to his long-dead father, and begins to see the things that divided them in a new light.
How Field of Dreams Magically Whispers to Every Father and Son
The common foundation ofField of Dreamsstarts with Ray’s roots of rebellion. Although Ray was influenced by the anti-establishment culture of the 1960s he grew up in, his defiance of authority was nothing new. It began at home, when the death of Ray’s mother left an older father, John, to raise his son alone. John Kinsella had little to offer his son except the great love of his life, baseball. Having grown up in much harder times, John didn’t understand his son’s restless and ungrateful generation, and a sharedlove for baseballwasn’t enough. Ray left home as soon as he could, and never looked back.
These details about the sport or the era aren’t that important. They are not what makesField of Dreamssuch a powerful, life-changing story. It could just as easily be a story about fishing in the 19th century, or vintage cars today, or woodworking a thousand years ago. What hits home is the story of the friction that has somehow developed between a father and a son, a friction that pride has ignited and turned into a relational inferno. It takes a humble man to overcome such pride, and Kevin Costner’s wonderful portrayal of an honest, sincere, and fearful Ray Kinsella is what makes this story ring true.
Related:Kevin Costner’s 7 Best Performances, Ranked
And it’s not just the fearful introspection of a single character from a specific story.Field of Dreamsaddresses the fears that most fathers and sons feel: The fear of being tied down by responsibility, and the fear of being a bad father. Early in the film, Ray says to his wife, Annie, “I’m scared to death I’m turning into my father.” By the end of the film, that fear has been replaced by the fear that he will never get over the regret and remorse he feels for the disrespect he showed his father. The truer fear of the permanence of consequence is a universal one.
All this leads to the meaningful questions of the story: Why do we let family relationships fall apart? How can a broken relationship be made right again? Can anything be done when it’s too late to say “I’m sorry?” One of the most profound things thatField of Dreamsoffers all its viewers is the contrast between what is, and what should be.
Field of Dreams Is Special Because of What it Redeems
Field of Dreamscaptures the father-son relationship so well and so mysteriously that men who watch it are profoundly affected by it, and women who watch it are often in the unusual position of being on the outside looking in on a meaningful and emotional relationship. The reason for this lies in kind what kind of story it is.
Ultimately,Field of Dreamsis a story of redemption. The redemption of the restless spirits of Shoeless Joe Jackson and his 1919 Chicago White Sox teammates, tormented by their decision to cheat in the World Series. The redemption of an embittered writer who tried to change the world with words, but was rejected and disillusioned by those who wielded authority. But at its heart,Field of Dreamsis a story about the redemption of a father and a son’s broken relationship.
At some level, every son that ever lived has defied and disappointed his father. Every father that ever lived has, at some level, discouraged and disappointed his son. The families who have already overcome these relational obstacles will deeply appreciate seeing a powerful story of restoration portrayed so perfectly. But even more,Field of Dreamsis for the fathers and sons who have let pride and disappointment shatter their relationships, who need to know that even when redemption seems impossible, it is never really out of reach.
