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On first impressions the movie, Serendipity seems like a light, predictable romantic comedy. Jonathan (John Cusack) meets Sara (Kate Beckinsale) while shopping for their partners. She gives him her telephone number but the slip of paper blows away in the wind. Sara takes this as a sign that this is not the right time for them to get to know each other. So they write their telephone numbers on items - a copy of the book "Love in the Time of Cholera" and a dollar bill that Sara puts into general circulation. Sara announces that if these items comes back to each other, then the time is right and they are destined for each other. We jump forward a few years. Jonathan and Sara are now about to commit to marrying their current partners, but they still haven't got over their fated meeting all those years ago...
A tale with a powerful message & a film rich with symbolism
Behind the 'sugary' tale is a movie with a powerful message about life. The film is rich with symbolism. Sometimes it is obvious. Look out for the boy dressed up as the devil snagging their plans. Sometimes the symbolism is important. The object chosen by Sara to carry her telephone number into the universe of coincidence is a book "Love in the time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a tale of love where the woman, Femina reads how she is taken ill while standing close to her lover, Florentino as a sign that they should not be together. In this slow but epic tale, love must mature like a fine wine placed in a dark cellar for years. It was a book I was reading when I met the love of my life.
Look for the signs and listen to the clues to discover our destiny.
The typical message from Hollywood is that you must seize the opportunity when love appears - otherwise you risk losing out forever. This tale, however, is less about helping yourself and taking charge of your destiny. It reminds us that sometimes fate must be allowed to play itself out... that there is a wider pattern to our lives. And if we look for clues and read the signs, this pattern will enable us to live our dreams.
Everything happens for a reason.
"Life is not merely a series of meaningless accidents or coincidences, uh
uh, but rather it is a tapestry of acts that culminate in an exquisIte, sublime plan."
Originally when I wrote this page, I wasn't sure of the source of this quote. So many thanks to Steven Griffin in California who pointed out that the statement was made by Jonathan's friend Dean (Jeremy Piven) in his imaginary eulogy to Jonathan. [1]
What does this have to do with astrology?
Well - not a lot. In a great pre-wedding speech, Jonathan's best man (to be), Dean (Jeremy Piven) jokingly described the ill-fated match with Jonathan's fiancée as one where the 'stars are aligned'. And in the film, whenever stars appear, there is a significant development in the romantic affair. But the true value of the film is the way that the issue of fate is handled. The film shows that we have a measure of power to control and fulfil our lives. Yet, there is a pattern in the universe that is called destiny.
It is a film with a complex message packaged in an attractive and simple format. And like the Celestine Prophecy by John Redfield, you should not miss it.
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