Like Star Wars, New Film Explores The Light and The Dark

By Caitlin Bootsma

Star Wars fans have been eagerly awaiting yet another movie in the legendary series that centers around “The Force” and the characters who imbue either the light or dark aspects of this web of energy.

But, Star Wars isn’t the only film this holiday season to explore these universal themes. “Yellow Day” follows the story of a young man in search of a young woman he fell for during a chance encounter. No, the story is not a romantic comedy, but rather an exploration of how both light and dark moments in our lives have the capacity to transform us.

The film’s title refers to a special day at Camp Grace, a camp built as a haven for kids to thrive—especially kids who have experienced some real hardships in their lives, like disabilities, cancer or abuse. While the camp, at first glance, seems like just another activity-packed place to spend a summer, it soon becomes clear that these kids are going through some epic challenges.

Writer-Producer Jeff Galle explains that Yellow Day emphasizes light and darkness, but it does so in quite a different way than Star Wars. “Star Wars focuses on dualism, both what is called the Dark Side of the Force and the Light side of the force—two opposing forces that presumably find a balance. Yellow Day focuses on spiritual darkness and light, that is the times when things are hard and when they feel easy. Both are God speaking to us, just in different ways.”

Yellow Day is part-live action and part-animation, a surprisingly riveting choice that leads the audience to further grasp the formative nature of light and darkness. While the film is family-friendly and, at times, very light-hearted, it tackles themes that are core to each of our paths in life.

Galle shares that “Yellow Day incorporates the themes of dark and light in a way to help visually explain both the suffering and the joy in life. Many times people can see suffering as fruitless, but the movie shows how suffering and joy, when taken with grace, will shape us into who we are meant to be. We felt it important to show others that even with tragedy, there is hope, and that even when things look their darkest. They are not.”

View The Official Trailer:

The beauty of Yellow Day is that it is far from heavy-handed in its moral lessons, but rather shows in a poignant way the grace that God can bring us through our suffering.

Released on Christmas Day in select theaters around the country, Yellow Day reminds us on that day that The Way, The Truth and The Light was born, that—through good times and bad—we have the chance to embrace a life of joy and to experience miracles.

Find out more about Yellow Day at http://yellowdaymovie.com/