The suffering God : in search of a credible pastoral approach to human suffering

Abstract

One of the great movies produced in 1998, for which Roberto Benigni remains renowned is: La Vita e' Bella. The movie depicts life in one of the Nazi's concentration camp during the Second World War. Benigni, who is also the main protagonist of the movie, had the role to interpret life with an optimistic attitude, even though it was the interpretation of one of the greatest crimes of human history, with so many repercussions as we shall see as we go along. Benigni's role in the movie is to substitute the living in Auschwitz, with all its injustices and suffering, into a game, with both winners and losers. Benigni succeeded to be the winner, by keeping his morale high not despite the fact that be had to endure suffering and finally death. His approach to suffering showed that suffering should not humiliate the person. Ultimately, the movie's objective highlights the belief that to suffer for a means has a profound value in life.