Taxicab Ride with Jesus (Short)
When films bring ideas of faith into modern settings, there’s a tendency towards being preachy, and having too much of an agenda over really grappling with the nature of faith. That is not the case with this short film, and it resulted in a genuinely profound experience.
The film follows a taxi driver named Billy (writer/director Dan Brennan) through a day of fares. He goes about his business, all the while going back and forth with his wife (Marybeth Paul) as their daughter fights for her life at the hospital. Things are looking grim, but Billy has one more fare before he can make his way to the hospital. It looks like a no-show, but they do show up, and it is Jesus (Russ Camarda). Yes, that Jesus, although He does not look like what Billy, or anyone, would expect. On the way to their destination, the two have a conversion, which challenges Billy’s ideas on faith and free will while his wife is frantically trying to get him to the hospital; their daughter does not have much time left.
A short film like this is perfect for such a story to unfold. The length is not too long that it will need to be padded with extraneous plot, but it’s not too short to where the ideas are given short shrift. There are great ideas here about re-contextualizing our thinking about faith and God, and what His place is in our life, delivered with conviction by Brennan and Camarda. As the ride continues, and Billy is taking Jesus to His destination, we have suspense with the situation with Billy’s daughter, and whether he can get there in time, as well as tension in the discussion as Jesus challenges Billy’s notion of faith, and God’s place in man’s life. As He did in his day, Jesus- in the context of the film- throws out the things we thought before with a doctrine built from the foundation, starting with us. It’s a notion that feels as pertinent to the times we currently live in as any around, and Brennan leaves us with much to think about.
