It never fails. It’s a small-group night, and the day got away from you. You just walked in the door from work, and everyone is going to be at your house in two hours—and you don’t have anything planned.
Don’t worry. There’s plenty of time to prepare for a night of meaningful questions and thoughtful dialogue, and our library of short films can help.
Here are three short films you can use to kick off an evening full of deep conversations about spiritual themes.
11:13
This film clocks in at under a minute, which is short even by short-film standards. But that doesn’t take away from its impact—or how long you can discuss the ideas it introduces. It’s a thoughtful look at the overwhelming barrage of information we all wade through daily.
Questions for conversation
- We have more access to people and information than at any other time in history. So what are the pros and cons?
- What are some of the feelings you associate with scrolling through social media?
- If the internet were to disappear tomorrow, what would you do with all the time you got back?
- How can we take advantage of the positive elements of social media while keeping our focus and priorities in the right place?
Happiness Is $1.25
This clever film revolves around a young man fighting a vending machine for the “Happiness” he purchased, and it’ll spark meaningful dialogue around our own pursuits of happiness.
Questions for conversation
- Vending machines make a great object lesson. You put in the correct amount and receive your reward. How is that similar to the way we approach happiness?
- Can you think of a time when you worked for something thinking it would bring you happiness, and it didn’t deliver?
- The man in this film becomes obsessed with getting the happiness he purchased. In what ways do we get fixated on achieving happiness?
- At the film’s end, the man seems genuinely happy with his chocolate bar until he sees the “Deluxe Happiness” bar. What does this say about human contentment? How do you relate?
Uninvited Guests
Sometimes we’re entirely sideswiped by our past mistakes and terrible decisions. Like the gentleman in this film, it can feel like our past is ganging up on us. Uninvited Guests encourages us to reflect on the cyclical nature of negative behavior, and the power and importance of forgiveness.
Questions for conversation
- Do you ever feel overwhelmed with regret from past decisions?
- Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily guarantee that our past won’t come back to haunt us. So what are some ways we can forgive ourselves so we can move forward?
- The film suggests that Phil’s bad behavior continues. So what is it about humans that they continue in the same behaviors they feel so guilty about?
- How can forgiveness help us stop struggling with daily regret and set us free from repeating negative cycles of behavior?
Check out our library of short films
These are just three of the many short films available from Jesus Film Project®. Check out our collection of short films and find the right ones for your small group, Bible study, or youth event.
