(Minghui.org) I was fortunate to attend the recent pre-release screenings of the movie Coming for You, produced by NTD and New Realm Studios in Toronto. I was moved to tears by this powerful film.
Movie poster for Coming for You
The main character, Liu Dawei, is a young man in Northeast China. The story started when divine beings in heaven took off their crowns and followed Master to the Three Realms with the hope to save sentient beings from danger.
After struggling in the illusions of worldly fame, fortune, and sentiments, they started to practice Falun Gong and stepped on the path of returning to their origins. However, they were persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and engaged in a battle between good and evil.
It was early in the morning when the first screening started. A hush came over the crowd as they heard Master's resounding voice and saw the opening scene where divine beings follow Master down from the luminous heavens. Tears came to my eyes. The scene seemed to have awakened a distant memory buried deep in my mind.
As the story played out, there was a sharp contrast between the divine beings and humans. The former were holy, noble, gentle, spoke a poetic language, and were mindful of sentient beings' safety. The latter were entangled in painful family conflicts and hurt each other to further their own interests.
We have learned about our true origin from Master's teachings and know we have lost much in the process of descending. However, the lively presentation of this contrast was still heart-shaking. It made me regret the degeneration of lives and feel the sadness of an impure life after a long history.
Exquisitely but candidly, the movie told the story of how a person is reborn through self-cultivation.
Dawei, a young man who used to be a bully with terrible habits, gradually let go of self-interest and desires and eventually let go of his attachments to life and death in order to safeguard the Buddha Law.
What an epic tale of Falun Dafa practitioners journey from the ancient past to the current endeavor of helping Master rectify the Fa! I seemed to see myself in the story. Even though I haven't personally experienced the persecution, the xinxing tests in my cultivation were nothing but excruciating.
Every time I saw the movie, I felt myself being purified. I felt that one should not be attached to anything worldly, because I saw the noble and holy original lives we used to be. It also made me value and understand my fellow practitioners better because I realized how hard it was to cultivate.
The movie told the story of Falun Gong in a straightforward manner. Through the conversation of an elderly Taoist and a Tao seeker, the movie spread the heavenly message that the introduction of Falun Dafa to the world was by no means accidental. The message was reminding practitioners not to miss this rare opportunity for cultivating and warned the ordinary people not to miss this rare opportunity to be saved.
I brought my non-practitioner friends to watch the third advance screening. They didn't quite understand the scene in the heavens at the beginning of the movie, but they were shaken by the magnificent scene. Shortly after the movie started, one of my friends whispered, “Great cinematography!”
As the story developed, a couple of my friends shed tears. As soon as the movie was over, one of my friends told me, “It's great and so real!” She added, “I see that Falun Gong is good. They haven't done anything wrong. It's the CCP that is criminal. The oppression is so wrong!”
My friends took the initiative to sign the guest book in the lobby. Some talked with the actors and actresses on site. They later regretted not taking a group picture with the actors and actresses.
One of my friends told me on the way back, “The movie completely changed my view of Falun Gong. It's a great cultivation practice!”
Another friend, who is a Christian, said she used to have some misunderstanding about Falun Gong, but she respected my freedom of belief. She said after watching the movie, “I will tell my mom and my daughter that Falun Gong isn't like how they have perceived.” She told me that her daughter had grown up as a Christian in Canada and worked in a government office. Her daughter had concerns about her mom being friends with a Falun Gong practitioner and even warned her not to be influenced.
A week later, this friend of mine came to visit me. She said, “I used to think Falun Gong practitioners were political and unnecessarily making China look bad when I passed their activities in the shopping center. Ever since I watched the movie, I don't have this feeling anymore. I admire them instead. I think they are amazing!”
My friends have been touched by the movie and gained a full understanding of Falun Gong. The story was simple and honest, but it greatly influenced the audience.
My friend said, “It's so real. Every actor and actress did a great job, including the elderly lady who played the grandma! She only had a few words in the movie, but she played her part so well.”
I'm looking forward to the day of the movie's public screening. I hope more and more people will learn the true story of Falun Gong and choose to stand on the righteous side.