The nature of the world is such that your thoughts and feelings are instantly magnified around you. Therefore, if you enter the spirit world in turmoil, you experience a heightened form of that thought pattern, and an observer would say, subjectively, that you are in hell. Conversely, if your life is in balance at the time you separate from the physical body, you enter a spirit world of peace, harmony, and great beauty, and an observer would say, subjectively, that you are in heaven. These words taken from a book simply titled The Force by Stuart Wilde came to mind starting this review. Only because I had just read them the night before. This review is not about that particular book. At least not yet as I may do one once I finish reading it.

Actually this review is about a movie (on DVD) that my granddaughter wanted to watch. She had the day off from school due to teacher’s professional development day. I keep a library of DVD’s on hand for her as well as a slew of arts and crafts supplies. I used to enjoy these professional development days with my late husband—once a teacher—as he would also have these days off. Now, these are the kind of days where I can get into that almost nonstoppable thinking loop where I know if he had lived he would be enjoying the day along with not only me but also his granddaughter.

FLUKE is a movie that in its own inimitable way addresses the questionable subject of reincarnation. I never saw the movie when it first came out. If I had, I probably would not have responded with the same emotions as I found myself now doing while watching this flick.

Some who have already reviewed this movie say that the movie is not believable. I think that depends on what place in life you’re at. I for one would like to think such things can happen, do happen, only because I’m in a place now where life has become in part a bit surreal. Widowhood does that. First puts you in a place you never wanted to be and then having you think or more so wonder along such lines that you would not normally be doing.

Fluke played in part or at least the thoughts and the voice are those of Matthew Modine’s is a man (Tom Johnson) who dies at a point in his life that I would assume was not so harmonious, but actually a life in great turmoil. Consequently, although he doesn’t traverse a straight path to “hell” he does come back a dog, specifically a golden retriever.

Wilde’s book touches upon that fact of animals except the sequence he presents is that we are souls who continue to evolve, perhaps starting out as a pebble, then our next time here we may come back in the form of a lower being, perhaps an animal, then progress to a lower human form until we reach a higher status in the evolutionary pattern. Tom Johnson it seems comes back as a dog, which I think pretty much puts him back to square one.

Nancy Travis adequately plays the part of the mother who lets her son keep the dog that suddenly shows up in their lives.

The dog manages to communicate to the boy that he is his deceased dad. From that point on we are put into a position where we continue to watch the film and come away with negative opinions or we either need to suspend reality for the time it takes to watch it.

Eric Stoltz plays the part of the partner Jeff Neuman who once worked with Tom. We are taken back to a time when these partners were not on the same page as far as either providing safe products for consumers or making a lot of money at the expense of those consumers. Jeff is concerned about safety. Tom’s focus we discover had remained on making more profit, disregarding safety issues.

This changes the entire aspect of the movie. Fluke realizes now that Eric Stoltz is a good person, and a plus factor in the lives of his former wife and son. Fluke also realizes he really needs to get on with his own life in the role of a dog, meaning staying out of his wife’s as well as his son’s lives, where they can move on from not only their loss but on with their life.

Like I stated earlier I think to fully understand what this movie is about you might need to be in a certain place yourself, otherwise may end up thinking this movie is completely ridiculous.

My granddaughter exposed to death not once but three times in her early life before the age of four, first with her grandfather (my husband), then with both great grandparents (my mother and father) in the span of eleven months. She is six and a half now, and although she is still young, her brain retains the memory of that time when those losses became a part of her own fabric. And she asks me about Heaven, and I try to explain to her the best I can what I think about Heaven. She in her own time as she grows and learns will discover for herself whether or not such a place exists.

Loss is clearly reflected in this movie titled Fluke. It shows us nothing is ever the same. And we all sometimes without much of a choice need to move on from what once was to what now is. We live in the present, appreciate every moment we have, because as Fluke also shows in subtle ways (the scene where the mother and son wash the dog, and in the process enjoy the beautiful day) the present is all we really have.

Some believe in reincarnation, as many I’m sure do not. I would like to believe it happens. If not, then I would like to believe that Fluke eventually leaves this world in a more harmonious state and steps straight into heaven.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age