I know lots of well-meaning men my age who approach Father's Day this
Sunday knowing they just aren't on the same frequency as their father.  The
film "Frequency" might help some men who want to be able to say, "Dad, I
love you."  This spring the movie has won over audiences and critics alike
as a father and son bridge the communication gap in an unpredictable and
fantastic way.  
        The gap between the Father and the son in this film is so wide it takes a
meteorological anomaly to reunite a troubled New York cop with his deceased
father by letting them talk via ham radio 30 years apart.   The New York
Daily News calls it "a classic for the ages."  Entertainment Weekly said
the film "will reduce grown men to tears."
        The intelligently written thrill ride will tug at your heart as it races
to a wild climax.  "Frequency" works, in part, because its main themes are
ideas that Christians in particular understand.
        Frequency tells the story of a New York City fireman and his family.
Fireman Frank Sullivan, his son John and their neighborhood friends are all
happily together in October 1969.  Sullivan and his friends are excited
about the New York Mets playing in the World Series and the unusual
appearance of the Aurora Borealis (the northern lights).
        Suddenly the film cuts to October 1999.  The northern lights are back.  We
see Sullivan's son, John, as an adult.  He's a New York City cop, and his
life is in a mess.  We learn that on October 12, 1969, his Father died in a
warehouse fire, and John's life never has been the same.
        John comes across his dad's old ham radio on the same day the northern
lights reappear.  John unexpectedly hears a voice.  It is his father's.
Suddenly the film turns to fantasy.  
The two sets of heavenly lights have somehow enabled father and son to
speak to one another across time.  In 1999, son John uses the mysterious
radio and clarity of hindsight to save his dad's life.  But this feat also
produces a strange and harmful wrinkle in the fabric of time that father
and son must smooth out together.
        I liked the film because it reminded me of two important truths that are
not often depicted in popular culture.  The first is the importance of
fathers in the lives of their children.  Watching the movie leaves no doubt
about the power of a loving father in the life of his son.  When the
father, Frank Sullivan, is restored to his son's life, the difference is
dramatic.  In a touching scene, they both affirm their love for each other
over the ham radio.
        The other truth is the hopefulness in the film.  Even though the film
doesn't explain how the two men are able to communicate, the audience knows
absolutely why the events take place.  Something went terribly wrong and it
needs to be made right.
        Overall, I found the film pretty dog gone original.  It delivers on every
front - solid acting, a well-told and believable story despite its
fantastic premise, good special effects, an emotional tug and plenty of
suspense.  The film goes back and forth between 1969 and 1999, and it
expects you to use your mind in order to appreciate the film's story line.
        Viewers are left with hope that miracles can happen.  The film also shows
that seemingly insignificant actions alter lives forever.  Behavior does
have consequences.  Father and son feel responsible for the ripple effect
they have created, and they risk their lives to save others.  With a soft
spot for second chances, the film recognizes the value of healthy
two-parent homes.
        Films are neither Christian nor non-Christian.  But ideas are.  The
concepts at the heart of this movie definitely are Christian.  Fathers are
important, and this film echoes Christianity's view of God as the loving
father. 
        With millions of children growing up in homes without their fathers, or in
families where fathers are emotionally absent, here is a film that makes
you believe dads can become the true heroes of the coming generation.
Fathers can leave an indelible mark on their children and society.  But
they need to tune in for the future.

Don Follis is a University of Illinois campus minister.  His column appears
on Fridays.  Reprinted with permission from the Champaign-Urbana
News-Gazette, copyright 2000.