The Painted Veil (2006 film) and Hosea
While browsing through entertaining HBO movies to rest my mind with mindless motion pictures, I stopped flipping through channels when I read the displayed synopsis of “The Painted Veil.”
The movie starts with a serious, quiet scientist named Walter quite smitten by the beautiful Kitty, an upper-class single London woman. When he pursues her passionately, Kitty accepts his proposal for marriage because her pride wouldn’t let her younger sister get married first.
The newly wed couple moves to Shanghai when Walter gets stationed there to work in a government lab studying infectious diseases. With barely any commonality in interest and personality, Kitty and Walter struggle to enjoy their marriage. And despite Walter’s desperate efforts in pleasing Kitty, Kitty finds pleasure through an affair with a charming, flirtatious married British vice consul named Charles living there.
Now honestly this is where I would flip to a different channel, grossed out by the adulterous scenes. But the synopsis kept me fixed on the movie.
The long tail idea, that any lie - no matter how good or well strategized - is bound to be “stepped on” or revealed, plays out in this movie. When Walter find out about his wife’s unfaithfulness, he buys a gun and shoots both Kitty and the vice consul. Just kidding. He gives Kitty two choices: marry Charles after he breaks off his marriage, or follow him to a remote land in China that is suffering from the disease cholera.
Naive Kitty thinks Charles would easily break his marriage off for her, assuming that their adulterous relationship was truly “love.” But Walter’s silent assumptions are proven correct when Charles refuses to sacrifice his marriage for Kitty, forcing Kitty to travel with Walter.
This is where the story gets interesting. The shy rays of redemption starts to peek into their broken lives.
Walter devotes all his physical and mental energy in battling cholera and stopping its disastrous spread, facing much opposition from the Chinese inhabitants as he blocks off their rivers and orders a different way of burying the dead. Change is not welcomed. It is inconvenient in the minds of the uneducated and even dishonoring for people who hold religious customs. And to top that, language is a big barrier as well.
After throwing many self-pity parties and mulling over Charles’ betrayal, Kitty out of desperation and loneliness seeks to keep herself busy by helping out the French nuns. With her musical talent and previously unknown liking for children, Kitty teaches music and cares for the infants. Kitty also develops unlikely yet priceless friendships with various people that help her see Walter in a different light. Her respect for him grows as she realizes that his faithful, diligent, and gentle character is so much more valuable and attractive than the physical charm she previously placed most importance in. Kitty is surprised to find herself grow love towards the people around her, especially Walter.
This transformation and deepening of her character are not unnoticed by Walter as well. And even though Kitty starts approaching Walter with curiosity and interest, Walter shuns her away and keeps himself busy with work. Hurt by his curtness, Kitty confronts him why he is “punishing” her so harshly to which Walter replies with coldness, “I regret falling in love with you once.” Although some may not understand his seeming cruelty in response to her pursuit, I can see how deeply wounded Walter must have been from Kitty’s adultery from his adamant refusal to love her again. Fear of being hurt again. Fear of being betrayed again.
Both Walter and Kitty take small risky, courageous steps in talking and expressing their growing respect and love for each other as they are forced to depend on each other. The most tender scenes in the movie are found in the shabby living room the couple shares, where they sit more close to each other throughout time with deepening vulnerability and intimacy in their conversations.
Helplessness and brokenness breaks pride and opens up the opportunity for love and healing to flow through.
Kitty and Walter confess that their wrong expectations and perceptions of each other were the root causes for such wounds to be created. And forgiveness and reconciliation is generously given and received until the dying breath of Walter who later gets cholera.
I don’t know why this movie brought much tears to me. One word that came to my mind as the credits rolled was “Hosea.” A book in the Bible that depicts a scandalous commandment by God to his prophet Hosea in marrying a woma in prostitution named Gomer and bear children with her even though she commits adultery and shows unfaithfulness in the course of their marriage.
It blows my mind. Why a woman so broken and messed up as Gomer? There is nothing good she can offer, except I guess children. But even they will bear the shame of being born of a woman in prostitution.
Confused and curious what happened to Hosea, I read through the first two chapters of the book and came across these few verses:
And I said to her, “You must dwell as mine for many days. You shall not play the whore, or belong to another man; so will I also be to you.” (Hosea 3:3).
Immediately the scene where Walter takes Kitty to the remote place in China came to mind as I read these words. His faithfulness to her proved true. And his silent, steady faithfulness despite his wounds and anger against her, brought her near to him.
Walter’s heart reflects God’s heart for and against the Israelites in Hosea. Although he repeats over and over his love and promise to the Israelites to be their God and bring blessing to them if they also prove faithful to Him, the Israelites always find relationships with tribes and gods near them more attractive, pleasureful, and satisfying. God even begs them for their willing hearts of obedience to His commands, for only then could He give them life. Despite the stubborn, adulterous hearts of the Israelites who betray God over and over again throughout the course of hundreds of years, God does not abandon His people He vowed His name to. Time and time again, He rescues them from enslavement and oppression they bring upon themselves through their disobedience. Though He burns with jealous anger against them, death is not His last words.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly to her...And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy. I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. And you shall know the Lord.” (Hosea 2:14; 19-20).
Faithful God and Lover of my soul, thank you for loving me despite my brokenness and adulterous heart that places people, entertainment, fame, and possessions higher than you. You love me with a love unexplainable, illogical. And though I am uncomfortable with such a generous undeserving love, I receive it all. For I need it. I want it. I ask that You reveal more of Your loving mysterious self to me. That I would be enthralled by Your beauty, That I would grow to draw near to You as You draw near to me. I desire to be faithful to You. Thank you for choosing me as Your own even when I hated You. How wonderful is this grace - this undeserving gift - you have given me with Your never-ending mercy - sparing me what I deserve. You are so so good.
