With recent events, I was in the mood for a movie about service.  Service is at the heart of a Faith life, but there are few films that I can think of that connect that idea with Christianity.  Most of the time, followers of Jesus are depicted as crazies, unfortunately.  If service is a part of their characterization, it is in some sort of robotic, slavish manner devoid of the freedom that comes with a relationship with Christ.  I choose God because He chose me first.  That is what my Church teaches me.  One of the things I enjoy about many on-screen portrayals of the military is that there are parallels with their martial attitude and a religious one.  They also demand unquestioned obedience, but again this notion is misunderstood.  It is less about being cowed than being called to a higher purpose.  In return, whether you are talking about the armed forces or Catholicism, you receive a sense of belonging and purpose you never knew you needed by allowing yourself to be formed.  As we shall see, these themes are present in today’s example, Megan Leavey (2017).

Megan Leavey (Kate Mara) is ready to do anything to get out the small town in New York in which she grew up.  Her mother, Jackie Leavey (Edie Falco), and step-father, Jim Leavey (Will Patton), do not know how to deal with a directionless Megan, particularly since the death of her best friend from a drug overdose.  Upon being fired from her job for coming to work hung over, she passes a Marine recruiting office, with advertisements outside talking about how joining will enable one to see the world.  She needs little convincing, not informing her mother that she is going into the Marines until the bus stops at boot camp.  Within weeks of completing basic training, she is assigned to a base patrol.  Early life in the Corps means more misbehaving on her part, specifically getting caught publicly urinating.  As punishment, she is assigned to a K-9 unit’s kennel to do the cleaning.  The work is as gross as it sounds, but seeing the relationships that form between dog and handler inspires her.  Before too long, she is asking Gunnery Sergeant “Gunny” Martin (Common) how Megan can get paired with a canine.  She quickly finds out that it is not as easy as holding a leash, but she is not deterred by the extra qualifications and training she must attain.  Neither does completion immediately bring her a dog.  In order to get used to the practice, she is first given a can to lead around the base.  While in one of the coaching sessions with other handlers, the seemingly most vicious German Shepherd of the group, Rex (Varco), bites his partner.  This leaves a vacancy with Rex that is filled by Megan.  While she is excited to finally have a canine, her previous interactions with Rex make her tentative.  In order to get over that hurdle, she receives extra instruction from Sergeant Andrew Dean (Tom Felton), who has served overseas as a dog handler performing bomb detection.  With added personal time and training, she develops a bond with Rex that has the Marines ready to send them to Iraq to begin a nearly year-long deployment.  The potentially steep learning curve is smoothed out a bit by the other bomb sniffing dog handler at the forward operating base to which she is assigned.  His name is Corporal Matt Morales (Ramón Rodríguez), and despite her being a Yankees fan and him being a Mets fan, they manage to get along.  Megan’s transition is also eased somewhat by the initial standing order that female bomb teams are not supposed to be going out on missions, instead being assigned to roadside checks.  Still, in this capacity she finds out that not only do Iraqis not like dogs, but they like it less when they are leashed by women.  Despite these apparent prohibitions, Megan and Rex are eventually sent out on patrols to spot improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and other weapons.  Their first time goes well, with Rex uncovering a cache of AK-47s and ammunition.  Other successful trips into the field earn her and her canine a reputation for reliability.  Still, there is always that one time, is there not?  While part of a convoy headed down the road, Megan and Rex eventually have to get out and scout for bombs.  They begin to uncover many in their path when a lone Iraqi car approaches their position.  In the resulting chaos, Megan and Rex are thrown several feet by a blast, but continue to fight.  They eventually make it back to base safely, but she is put on a helicopter to receive treatment for her injuries while Rex stays behind with Corporal Morales.  Megan and Rex are separated for a number of weeks until Corporal Morales brings Rex back to the States with him.  Not only is Megan pleased to see her dog, but a romance finally blossoms with Corporal Morales.  All this has Megan thinking about leaving the Corps and taking Rex with her.  Two developments, though, make this not go as planned.  First, the Marine Veterinary Department lists Rex as “unadoptable,” meaning she cannot take him home.  Secondly, Corporal Morales tells Megan that he is re-enlisting, which does not fit with her plans.  As such, she leaves the Corps embittered.  After a brief stint with Jackie and Jim that ends in anger after they try to get her a puppy, she goes to live with her dad, Bob Leavey (Bradley Whitford).  By the way, mom had left dad for dad’s brother, in case you were wondering.  Despite going to group therapy for her post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), she is still morose.  It is Bob who suggests that her daughter not give up on Rex, which reinvigorates her desire to be reunited with the dog she credits for saving her life.  With the help of New York Senator Chuck Schumer (Andrew Masset), she gets the signatures and political backing she needs to bring home Rex.  They receive a hero’s reception at Yankee Stadium in the final scene.

As you might be able to guess from my synopsis of Megan Leavey, it is based on a true story.  There are some great clips of Rex in his retirement months, which were sadly too short owing to his age.  All the same, it is wonderful that he got to live out his final days in relative comfort with a woman that loved him.  Since I think I have already made the service aspect of this relationship abundantly clear from a Faith perspective, it is the bond between them that I would like to further analyze.  To this extent, there are a few phrases from Sergeant Dean to which I was drawn.  While working with Megan, he tells her that everything she feels “goes down the leash.”  If she is not confident, neither will be the dog.  In terms of our relationship with God, we are less inclined to pay attention to what is coming down the leash from God. Indeed, it is kind of a dumb metaphor to think of God even having such an implement around us.  Yet, when handled properly, the line is there more to make sure the animal does not run off than for any other reason.  With such a dynamic, we are free to go and do as we wish, including ignoring the gentle nudges and tugs God sends our way.  God listens to our desires and prays, but He knows best what to do with them.  Therefore, if we are leaning one way, but we feel pulled in another, with proper discernment it is probably more beneficial if we obey the pull.  To get to this point takes working on your relationship with God, which is something nobody can teach you.  This is another piece of advice Sergeant Dean gives Megan, which aligns with how we should go about going deeper with God.  He wants an individualized interaction with all of us, within the bounds of Faith proscriptions, of course, but one that nobody can tell you how to do except God.  This is something we see play out in the film, and I hope it helps you with your faith.

At the same time, there are no declarations of faith in Megan Leavey.  Instead, it is just a solid movie about a woman and her dog, and the benefits of opening yourself up to another creature.  I can sit here and tell you every day that this should also apply to God, and would be happy to do so.  Still, I cannot complain about this one.