"No matter how lost we become in chaos, anxiety, meaninglessness, and despair, we can always consult one absolute point of reference to determine the direction in which we should travel," Sam Keen writes in Hymns to an Unknown God. "In the spiritual journey, the compass unfailingly points toward compassion. . . . Whenever you are confused, keep heading in the direction that leads toward deepening your love and care for all living things, including yourself, and you will never stray far from the path to fulfillment."

Ulee's Gold (1997) is a stirring and uplifting film about a Vietnam veteran and widower whose pain and loss have cut him off from the land of the living, even though he is trying to raise his imprisoned son's two daughters. However, when he allows his heart to be touched by the suffering of his daughter-in-law, Ulee begins the journey home.

Writer and director Victor Nunez (Ruby in Paradise) shows us how the spiritual practice of compassion opens up Ulee and puts him on the path of heart. For the first time, this beekeeper gets in touch with his feminine side, acknowledges the mystery of life, jettisons some of his rigid ideas, accepts help, and even begins to see his enemies as suffering souls similar to himself.

Ulee’s Gold runs 111 minutes and is rated R for language.

For a review of the film and a plot synopsis, click here.

Peter Fonda as Ulee

1. GRIEVING

"The roots of the word 'grieving' indicate 'being burdened'," Glen A. Mazis has observed. "The world, if taken to heart, does bear down on us. Grieving is about feeling the weight of existence, the weight that brings us back down to the common level with all other beings. It is the way home."

  • What are your first impressions of Ulee Jackson? Describe his best and worst attributes. How does he relate to Casey, Penny, and Jimmy? How has grief over the Vietnam War and over the death of his wife affected him?
  • Writer and director Victor Nunez wants moviegoers to set Ulysses's journey alongside Homer's Odyssey. With members of your group explore this theme.
  • How do you cope with "feeling the weight of existence" on your shoulders? Do you retreat or seek help?

2. COMPASSION

"Compassion," mythologist Joseph Campbell wrote, "is just what the word says; it is 'suffering with.' It is an immediate participation in the suffering of another to such a degree that you forget yourself and your safety and do what is necessary."

  • What is Ulee's initial attitude toward Helen? Try to pinpoint the scene in the film when his view of her changes. In what ways does bringing her into his home increase his burden of suffering?
  • What is your response to Meister Eckhart's contention that compassion is the best name for God? Who is the most compassionate person you've ever known?

Patricia Richardson as Connie

3. LETTING GO

"Compassionate generosity," Jack Kornfield writes in A Path with Heart, "is the foundation of true spiritual life because it is the practice of letting go. An act of generosity opens our body, heart, and spirit and brings us closer to freedom."

  • What does Ulee have to let go of in order to help Helen? Why is it so hard for him to let Connie look after Helen?
  • Do you find it easy or difficult to accept the assistance of others when it comes to family matters? Explore the connection between letting go, compassionate generosity, and freedom.

4. JUDGMENT

"The major block to compassion is the judgment in our minds," Diane Berke writes in The Gentle Smile. "Judgment is the mind's primary tool of separation."

  • What evidence can you find in the drama that Ulee is a judgmental person? Share your response to the scene when Connie tells him about her problems and he responds, "I'm just realizing that I don't know enough to say anything."
  • How do you deal with judgmental people? In what sense is compassion an antidote to judgment?

Ulee and Penny

5. CARING ABOUT WORK

"Caring about work, liking it, even loving it, seems strange when we see work only as a way to make a living," Tibetan Buddhist Tarthang Tulku has noted. "But when we see work as the way to deepen and enrich all our experience, each one of us can find this caring within our hearts, and awaken it in those around us, using every aspect of work to learn and grow."

  • How does Ulee feel about his work? What do his children think about beekeeping? Have a member of your group transcribe the lyrics to Van Morrison's song "Tupelo Honey" used at the end of the film, then discuss how it adds to the film’s impact.
  • What does Penny learn about life and relationships on her day spent with Ulee and the bees? Discuss the meaning of the scene where Penny explains her bee drawing to her mother.
  • In what ways has your work deepened or enriched you? How has it enabled you to learn and to grow?

6. ENEMY

In Love in Action, Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh observes: "The idea of enemy vanishes and is replaced by the notion of someone suffering a great deal who needs compassion."

  • Describe your feelings during the scene when Ulee moves toward the gun on the ground when he's with Eddie and Ferris. What does he realize about human weakness in this encounter with these two?
  • What spiritual practice helps you see your enemy as someone needing compassion just as you do?

7. TRANSFORMATION

"The full range of humanity, into which we are supposed to grow, lies like a seed within us, just as the acorn already contains the characteristic features of the oak tree," Willigus Jager writes in Search for the Meaning of Life. "But it doesn't unfold its dynamic until it is exposed to the darkness, moisture, and weight of the ground. Then it works its way up to the light."

  • Note the changes that tale place in Ulee over the course of the drama. How does he work his way up to the light?
  • What role does compassion play in his transformation as a person?
  • Discuss the various meanings of the title of the movie.


This guide is one in a series of more than 200 Values & Visions Guides written by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. Text copyright 2001 by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat. Photos courtesy of Orion Pictures. This guide is posted as a service to visitors to www.SpiritualityandPractice.com. It may not be photocopied, reprinted, or distributed electronically without permission from Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat — except it may be duplicated for use by groups participating in the e-course "Going to the Movies as a Spiritual Practice." For other uses and for a list of guides in the Values & Visions series and ordering information, email your name and mailing address to: brussat@spiritualrx.com.