I am desperately trying to talk her into screening it first at least.
Please point out to her that Dr. James Dobson (Focus on the Family, see www.family.org) has this to say about the movie:
1) He highly recommends the movie.
2) At the same time, Dr. Dobson states that it is "wholly inappropriate for young children."
See: http://www.family.org/docstudy/newsletters/a0030580.cfm.
She definitely should view it first, and then decide whether, or which of, her kids should see it.
Thanks for this tip, I respect Dr. Dobson. I'm thinking that my mature and thoughtful 7 year old (plus the 9 & 10 yrs old) catechism student might not be too "young". I guess I'll probably see it first for the extensive prep work.
For those who say that to see this film is abuse to children I say: I will never sacrifice my children's sanctity for the sake of their sanity . The felicity of heaven will salve any disturbance the cruelty of this world and her children can inflict on them. We live in a time and place of unusual tranquility. Neither we nor our children are regularly called to true martyrdom. What will become of us when/if history returns to it's normal course?
The cross is laid on every Christian. It begins with the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death -- we give over our lives to death. Since this happens at the beginning of the Christian life, the cross can never be merely a tragic ending to an otherwise happy religious life. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther's, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world. But it is the same death every time -- death in Jesus Christ, the death of the old man at His call. That is why the rich young man was so loath to follow Jesus, for the cost of his following was the death of his will. In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and lusts. But we do not want to die, and therefore Jesus Christ and His call are necessarily our death and our life.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer