December 5, 2023 • 19 mins
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Ever wondered how movies can serve as a beacon of hope and a means of personal healing? Join me, Bettina Brown, as I share an enriching conversation with Phil Strangolagali, the author of "Jesus Loves Movies." Phil's heartfelt journey through grief and how films became his lifeline will resonate with anyone who's ever been touched by the magic of movies.
Together, we delve into the massive impact movies can have on our lives, often as profound as the insights gained through counseling sessions or self-help meetings.
In this episode, we unravel how Phil used movies as a therapeutic tool during an intensely difficult phase of his life. We take a closer look at his faith journey and the role of mental health in his recovery. We also draw parallels between the genre of horror and personal experiences, alluding to the power of unconventional coping mechanisms. As we navigate the discussion, you'll discover a different side of movies, viewing them as potential catalysts for personal growth and mental well-being.
About the Guest:
Phil Strangolagalli
The Gospel According to Disney
For more ITR episodes on Trauma and Healing
Cheryl Ilov
Rena Romano
Paulette Perhach
Thank you for your time and interest in this podcast! I invite you to leave a heartfelt review on whichever podcast platform you listen to. It does so much to bring exposure to the podcast and helps lift others up!
Connect with me!
Website: In the Rising Podcast Website
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Email: Bettina@intherising.com
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Bettina M Brown (00:06):
Hello and welcome to In the Rising a
health and wellness podcast forthose going through and those
supporting those going throughcancer.
My name is Bettina Brown andI'm board certified in physical
therapy, wound care andlymphedema, and you know, for me
cancer is very personal.
It's affected my friends, myimmediate and my not so
(00:26):
immediate family, and thereforeI created this podcast and fit
after breastcancercom to addressthe multiple dimensions of our
lives during and after recovery.
Jesus loves movies.
(00:47):
Is that the first thing thatyou would think about when
you're going through grief,about what can help you move
through things?
Movies.
And what about looking at howJesus would interpret a movie,
how he would have experienced it?
So, obviously, from the title ofthis podcast and from what I've
(01:07):
just said, if anything faithrelated is something that is not
of interest for you, then thispodcast episode is not going to
be the one for you, but foreveryone else.
I was really excited to speakwith my guest, phil
Strangolagali, who used moviesto help himself and decided to
write about it and write adevotional of how movies can
(01:30):
help others.
So I'm really thrilled thatyou're here and to listen to our
conversation.
Phil, I am excited to speakwith you today because you're
the author of Jesus Loves Movies, you know a 30 day devotional
for film fans.
I was already at Jesus LovesMovies, I was like, yes, yes, he
(01:50):
does, and what you're using aremovies to help you out in life,
and I want to go into that.
But I also want to just tellyou that I am excited that
you're an author, because a lotof people I don't know what the
statistics are, 90 some peoplewant to write a book.
3% do less than that actuallypublish it.
So to go out there, bevulnerable, put your name on
(02:13):
something takes a huge risk andI just want to acknowledge that
first and foremost.
Phil Strangolagalli (02:20):
Yeah, I appreciate that, and it was
definitely a vulnerable process.
It felt like my heart was outthere for everybody to see, and
that still sometimes feels likethat.
Bettina M Brown (02:30):
So yes, yes, so you are a film fanatic.
Phil Strangolagalli (02:35):
Absolutely.
Bettina M Brown (02:35):
Yeah, love your films.
Love your films.
What made you decide to use amovie reference for a topic such
as like a devotional?
Where did that?
Phil Strangolagalli (02:46):
Yeah.
So that really came from somedeep trauma that I went through
back in 2017.
I had a lot taken from me in mylife, a lot of plans that I had
.
I was engaged at the time andwe're married now my wife and I,
which is really awesome.
But the moments leading up tothat and being engaged, there
(03:06):
were all these plans that camewith that and I had a really
great job, had a lot of plans.
A lot of really great thingsare happening.
It felt like nothing wasstopping me and then, all of a
sudden, something happenedtraumatic, wrong and there were
a lot of those scenarios thathappened and I felt like a lot
(03:26):
was taken from me in my life.
I felt like here I was.
I had trained so hard to getwhere I wanted to be and
eventually I was with thisspecific job, with this specific
company.
These guys they just wanted meto lie.
They wanted me to lie on alltheir activity and what they
(03:48):
were doing, because if we lied,we would keep our jobs and we
would show that we needed moremoney in order to continue on
and really keep our jobs.
So I didn't want to lie, Ididn't want to do any of that
stuff and I got a lot ofpressure and a lot of name calls
(04:08):
, a lot of that stuff, and itwas really tough Because here I
am, I'm feeling bright and shinyand ready to go and ready for
the world and ready this isabout two years after I finished
college to have all that takenfrom me in a really unjust way.
It was really tough.
(04:29):
I was at a really low place in2017, a really, really low place
in my life where I felt like Ihad no purpose and that there
was no meaning and honestly, Ilike to think of my 2017 as a
lot of what 2020 felt like for alot of us, and that's really
(04:51):
what 2017 felt like.
It felt like I was exiled, Iwas away from everything.
I felt isolated and I startedwatching movies.
I started watching movies.
I've always watched movies,I've always loved movies, but
there was a specific movie thatI watched the Count of Monte
Cristo came out in 2002.
But obviously there have been somany iterations of that story,
(05:14):
so that story is a verywell-known story and it really
struck me.
I really thought that this guy,edmund Dantes in the story.
It just spoke to me.
I felt like I was in his shoes.
I felt like because he hadeverything going well in his
life, he was engaged, ready tobe married, he was promoted, he
(05:37):
had all these things going on inhis life and then all of a
sudden, one of his friends getsreally close, gets really
jealous and falsely accuses himof doing something wrong, sends
him to a prison island, tochateau-dief, and honestly I
felt like that.
So I watched that movie like nojoke, no lie, three times in a
row and I started writing.
(05:59):
And I was crying and writing,realizing that movies were a
safe space for me to go.
And so that's where I went.
I started watching movies and Istarted feeling like a
connection between these moviesand my life and, honestly, this
whole journey, this whole book,it was a grief journal.
(06:19):
It was a grief journal for oneof my toughest times in my life
and I never planned on itbecoming a book, but it did
become a book.
Bettina M Brown (06:30):
And with that I think a lot of us, if someone
talks that way about music,we're like oh yeah, those are my
sad songs, those are my breakupsongs, these are my happy songs
.
And a lot of us we don't thinkor in our conversation, don't
automatically go to movies, butthey also.
Movies pull you in, youidentify with characters, you
(06:53):
get mad at characters becausethey represent something you
like or you see in yourself orsee in someone else or situation
.
You wrote this grief journal.
You're writing.
You're writing, you're pullingthis out.
When did you think let me, whatother movies can I go to after
the Count of Monochrist?
So how did that path kind ofdevelop for you?
Phil Strangolagalli (07:14):
It was really a path of like honestly
watching films and kind ofhaving like different eyes to
where I was, like how did Edmundfeel?
I felt like the way Edmund feltin this specific situation.
And then I went back to a moviethat I watched when I was a
little kid and that was ToyStory and honestly, I felt like
(07:34):
Woody in a toy chest that momentwhen Andy says I don't want to
play with you anymore.
A Buzz is my shiny new toy.
And, without going in specificsto the specific situation that
I went through, I felt rejected.
I felt rejected, I felt notwanted.
And how many of us have feltrejected, how many of us have
(07:57):
felt not wanted?
You know what's the relation tothat, what's the relation to
that spiritually?
And you know I'm a faith-basedguy and I believe Jesus.
He was rejected and if there'sanybody that knows what it's
like to be rejected, it's him.
And you know I started reallyconnecting on that deep level
(08:18):
and you know it was tough.
But you know there's a lot ofdrawing out from those films and
you know, yeah, there are a lotof films like, especially, you
know, even the children's filmsthat really shine a light on a
lot of these issues likerejection and acceptance.
Bettina M Brown (08:38):
And I heard a pastor say one time if you ever
feel rejected, no, you have,you're in good company.
So there is that, and with thattoo, your faith-based guy.
Have you for your own situation?
Have you always been fairlystrong with your faith, or was
that something you pulled backup because of this low in your
life?
Phil Strangolagalli (08:58):
No, yeah, when I was 16 years old I was
one.
I really committed my life, youknow, to God.
You know, and that was when Iwent through, you know something
in which I prayed a real prayer, and I was like God, if you're
real, show me that you're real.
I plug myself in everywhere Itried to find, you know, any
sort of information I could youknow about what I was doing and
(09:20):
you know what I was followingand you know all this stuff and
who I was following.
It was a journey, for sure.
And then I went to Nye atcollege, which really set the
tone for the foundation of mylife, honestly, and I took
classes.
I took this one-class personalspiritual formation.
(09:41):
It was literally about dealingwith your junk in your life and
learning to walk with that andlearning to move through that.
And that's where this exerciseof the grief journal came from,
and I took a lot of thoseprinciples and kind of enacted
it out in life.
Bettina M Brown (10:02):
And, yeah, and so you got to this place.
A lot of us make big changesand you hear it from different
people it's in the lows of theirlife that changes their life.
That then leads them to makeand help others make changes as
well.
Looking back from thatrejection and how you felt grief
(10:23):
we don't need to go tospecifics, but we can all relate
to some episodes in life likethat.
Yeah, what do you feel was likeone trigger that really helped
transition you to where you arenow?
Phil Strangolagalli (10:36):
I'll be completely honest with you.
I'm still doing, you know, I'mstill going to counseling or you
know all that stuff.
I believe in counseling.
I believe, you know, thatpeople should be taking care of
their mental health.
In 2017, when everything wasreally fresh for me and the
wound was really open wide, itwas difficult for me to deal
with.
I would see cars, I would seepeople, I would see certain
(10:59):
things and it would just set meoff and it was a process of me
forgiving forgiving these peoplethat wronged me and realizing
that I needed to move forward.
And then I needed to continueto forgive and bless and love,
and it was just so countercultural and something I really
I was always practicing for.
And then this was game time,you know, and I needed to do it,
(11:22):
and you know I still do it.
I still do it today and youknow it's gotten way easier the
process and, yeah, it'sdefinitely gotten way easier.
Bettina M Brown (11:33):
Yeah, yeah, and I like how you mentioned we all
need to adjust and payattention to our mental health,
like we, we're all about fitness, but we also have this
emotional well-being and, forthose of us that believe in our
faith, a faithful well, a faithwell-being as well.
So you're this author.
(11:55):
Jesus loves movies.
How did you pick these movies?
Like, where did this come from?
Is this part of your griefjournal?
You're like, well, I saw thismovie.
Phil Strangolagalli (12:04):
It honestly was.
It was a process in which, youknow, I just I was watching
movies during that period oftime and I just I started
realizing that there were deepermessages and there were
messages that were speakingright to me right in that season
.
And you know, I watched andthen I also rewatched some films
and yeah, I just I just keptkept doing that and you know it
(12:29):
was, it was definitely a process, you know, in terms of I guess
I wouldn't say like figuring outthe movies, but it was.
It was definitely like this isthese are the movies that I
needed to add.
You know, the if somebody elsewere to write a book, sort of
like this.
You know people have.
You know, in certain ways, Ihave a friend, kathleen Falsani,
(12:51):
she's she's wrote the Dude ofBides.
Mark Pinsky, he wrote the thegospel according to Disney, and
you know, I've I rememberreaching out to them and you
know, kind of asking about theirprocess and what they, you know
, were going for.
Yeah, it was.
It was sort of a differentapproach for me.
You know, it didn't necessarilycome from like this gigantic
(13:15):
analysis approach, but like moreof a philosophical.
And how can I use this?
How can I use this to help mylife.
You know how can I use, how canI use these messages to help my
life?
And yeah, it was definitely aprocess, especially, you know
some people I when it was 2019,and you know, I went to Georgia.
(13:35):
I had the amazing opportunityto go to Georgia and do like a
whole bunch of book signings andit was definitely a process.
When you know, people wouldpick up my book and they would
turn the book around and thenthey would see the H word and
that's the genre that you don'ttalk about, so to speak, in the
church, and that's the horrorgenre.
I put some horror films inthere because I really connected
(13:58):
with horror films.
I went through horror in mylife and I connected with horror
films because you know, ifthere's anybody again, if
there's anybody that understandshorror you know more than us
it's Jesus.
I mean, he went through.
He went through the worsthorror that anybody's ever gone
through and you know that'sthat's kind of where I came from
(14:21):
and yeah, it was a lot of thatprocess.
Yeah.
Bettina M Brown (14:27):
You said here, too, that you've received emails
, letters saying how you knowpeople say this book impacted me
, it changed how I feel.
What kind of what does thatmake you feel about your
experience?
And writing this down?
How do you, how do you processwhen you receive words like that
?
Phil Strangolagalli (14:46):
You know it helps me feel.
I remember when I wrote thisand you know, when I was about
to publish the book, I was like,listen, if this impacts one
person's life, it's done its job.
Like it's impacted me.
Yeah, yeah.
But when I got some of thoseletters, especially like letters
that I never thought I wouldget letters from, like you know
(15:07):
whether it's you know peoplethat I really look up to, they
sent me letters and all thatthere was this one letter in
particular that I got from a guyin Virginia and he messaged me
and he was like you helped mesee why I love horror movies.
And you know he was like I wentthrough horror in my life and I
think you know it was thatwhole reality of helping people
(15:30):
see that they weren't alone thatthere was hope in the midst of
their you know really terriblecircumstances or really
traumatic circumstances, andthat there was hope in the midst
of it.
You know the book's not cookiecutter, it's not.
It's not like a cookie cuttertype of book.
You know, I've had people fromall walks of life read it.
You know, not just afaith-based background or
(15:52):
anything and they've takenlessons out of it and realized
that they weren't alone.
And if I was able to providesomething like that for people
to feel like they're not alone,I mean it's done its job like
tenfold.
Bettina M Brown (16:07):
Yeah, yeah.
So this place right now.
You know you're still moving upand my podcast is called In the
Rising and sometimes I like toask people where do you see
yourself still rising up to withyour work or your process?
Phil Strangolagalli (16:23):
Yeah.
So I am super thankful becausethe end of 2019, you know came
and that was when I did, youknow, my book signings over in
Georgia, and then the year of2020 came.
I had 12 book signings for theyear of 2020.
We all know what happened inthe year 2020.
Okay, yeah, we all know whathappened in the year 2020.
(16:45):
It wasn't until about last weekthat I heard from a Barnes and
Noble store that they areactually resuming book signings.
So there could be a possibilityfor me to be able to go back on
that and, you know, have someconversations with you know,
bookstores you know allthroughout the States and maybe
get some of those book signingsback.
(17:07):
So there was some hope thereand, you know, hopefully that
works out.
You know that's something thatI'm trying to do just to really
get the message out there.
To get the message out therefor people to see that there's
hope.
There's hope in film and peopleare not alone.
Bettina M Brown (17:24):
And people are not alone.
That is, that's a huge message.
Right there you have this bookout.
Tell people how they can learnmore about you, learn more about
the book, how they can reachout to you.
Phil Strangolagalli (17:36):
Websites jesuslovesmoviescom.
You know there's a shop buttonon there.
The book is in all differentformats ebook, audio book,
paperback obviously.
Bettina M Brown (17:47):
All right, thank you so much.
Thanks again for your time.
Yeah, for sure.
Have you ever wondered whyyou're drawn to certain movies
or certain shows?
You know, it was not until Ihad this conversation with Phil
that I realized my own affinitytowards certain movies at
certain points in my life andunderstanding that they have a
therapeutic effect just as muchas a counseling session or a
(18:10):
book or a self-help meeting or asupport group.
There are so many ways that wecan help support ourselves and
those we love with things thatare around us, but it may take a
little change in perspective.
So everything regarding Phil isdown in the description below.
(18:31):
I really appreciate your time,because that's the one thing we
will not get back, and so Iwould love it if you left a
five-star review, because itwill do so much for this podcast
and putting it in the hands andears of those that need it most
.
Until next time, let's keepbuilding one another up.
Hello and welcome to In the Rising a
health and wellness podcast forthose going through and those
supporting those going throughcancer.
My name is Bettina Brown andI'm board certified in physical
therapy, wound care andlymphedema, and you know, for me
cancer is very personal.
It's affected my friends, myimmediate and my not so
(00:26):
immediate family, and thereforeI created this podcast and fit
after breastcancercom to addressthe multiple dimensions of our
lives during and after recovery.
Jesus loves movies.
(00:47):
Is that the first thing thatyou would think about when
you're going through grief,about what can help you move
through things?
Movies.
And what about looking at howJesus would interpret a movie,
how he would have experienced it?
So, obviously, from the title ofthis podcast and from what I've
(01:07):
just said, if anything faithrelated is something that is not
of interest for you, then thispodcast episode is not going to
be the one for you, but foreveryone else.
I was really excited to speakwith my guest, phil
Strangolagali, who used moviesto help himself and decided to
write about it and write adevotional of how movies can
(01:30):
help others.
So I'm really thrilled thatyou're here and to listen to our
conversation.
Phil, I am excited to speakwith you today because you're
the author of Jesus Loves Movies, you know a 30 day devotional
for film fans.
I was already at Jesus LovesMovies, I was like, yes, yes, he
(01:50):
does, and what you're using aremovies to help you out in life,
and I want to go into that.
But I also want to just tellyou that I am excited that
you're an author, because a lotof people I don't know what the
statistics are, 90 some peoplewant to write a book.
3% do less than that actuallypublish it.
So to go out there, bevulnerable, put your name on
(02:13):
something takes a huge risk andI just want to acknowledge that
first and foremost.
Phil Strangolagalli (02:20):
Yeah, I appreciate that, and it was
definitely a vulnerable process.
It felt like my heart was outthere for everybody to see, and
that still sometimes feels likethat.
Bettina M Brown (02:30):
So yes, yes, so you are a film fanatic.
Phil Strangolagalli (02:35):
Absolutely.
Bettina M Brown (02:35):
Yeah, love your films.
Love your films.
What made you decide to use amovie reference for a topic such
as like a devotional?
Where did that?
Phil Strangolagalli (02:46):
Yeah.
So that really came from somedeep trauma that I went through
back in 2017.
I had a lot taken from me in mylife, a lot of plans that I had
.
I was engaged at the time andwe're married now my wife and I,
which is really awesome.
But the moments leading up tothat and being engaged, there
(03:06):
were all these plans that camewith that and I had a really
great job, had a lot of plans.
A lot of really great thingsare happening.
It felt like nothing wasstopping me and then, all of a
sudden, something happenedtraumatic, wrong and there were
a lot of those scenarios thathappened and I felt like a lot
(03:26):
was taken from me in my life.
I felt like here I was.
I had trained so hard to getwhere I wanted to be and
eventually I was with thisspecific job, with this specific
company.
These guys they just wanted meto lie.
They wanted me to lie on alltheir activity and what they
(03:48):
were doing, because if we lied,we would keep our jobs and we
would show that we needed moremoney in order to continue on
and really keep our jobs.
So I didn't want to lie, Ididn't want to do any of that
stuff and I got a lot ofpressure and a lot of name calls
(04:08):
, a lot of that stuff, and itwas really tough Because here I
am, I'm feeling bright and shinyand ready to go and ready for
the world and ready this isabout two years after I finished
college to have all that takenfrom me in a really unjust way.
It was really tough.
(04:29):
I was at a really low place in2017, a really, really low place
in my life where I felt like Ihad no purpose and that there
was no meaning and honestly, Ilike to think of my 2017 as a
lot of what 2020 felt like for alot of us, and that's really
(04:51):
what 2017 felt like.
It felt like I was exiled, Iwas away from everything.
I felt isolated and I startedwatching movies.
I started watching movies.
I've always watched movies,I've always loved movies, but
there was a specific movie thatI watched the Count of Monte
Cristo came out in 2002.
But obviously there have been somany iterations of that story,
(05:14):
so that story is a verywell-known story and it really
struck me.
I really thought that this guy,edmund Dantes in the story.
It just spoke to me.
I felt like I was in his shoes.
I felt like because he hadeverything going well in his
life, he was engaged, ready tobe married, he was promoted, he
(05:37):
had all these things going on inhis life and then all of a
sudden, one of his friends getsreally close, gets really
jealous and falsely accuses himof doing something wrong, sends
him to a prison island, tochateau-dief, and honestly I
felt like that.
So I watched that movie like nojoke, no lie, three times in a
row and I started writing.
(05:59):
And I was crying and writing,realizing that movies were a
safe space for me to go.
And so that's where I went.
I started watching movies and Istarted feeling like a
connection between these moviesand my life and, honestly, this
whole journey, this whole book,it was a grief journal.
(06:19):
It was a grief journal for oneof my toughest times in my life
and I never planned on itbecoming a book, but it did
become a book.
Bettina M Brown (06:30):
And with that I think a lot of us, if someone
talks that way about music,we're like oh yeah, those are my
sad songs, those are my breakupsongs, these are my happy songs
.
And a lot of us we don't thinkor in our conversation, don't
automatically go to movies, butthey also.
Movies pull you in, youidentify with characters, you
(06:53):
get mad at characters becausethey represent something you
like or you see in yourself orsee in someone else or situation
.
You wrote this grief journal.
You're writing.
You're writing, you're pullingthis out.
When did you think let me, whatother movies can I go to after
the Count of Monochrist?
So how did that path kind ofdevelop for you?
Phil Strangolagalli (07:14):
It was really a path of like honestly
watching films and kind ofhaving like different eyes to
where I was, like how did Edmundfeel?
I felt like the way Edmund feltin this specific situation.
And then I went back to a moviethat I watched when I was a
little kid and that was ToyStory and honestly, I felt like
(07:34):
Woody in a toy chest that momentwhen Andy says I don't want to
play with you anymore.
A Buzz is my shiny new toy.
And, without going in specificsto the specific situation that
I went through, I felt rejected.
I felt rejected, I felt notwanted.
And how many of us have feltrejected, how many of us have
(07:57):
felt not wanted?
You know what's the relation tothat, what's the relation to
that spiritually?
And you know I'm a faith-basedguy and I believe Jesus.
He was rejected and if there'sanybody that knows what it's
like to be rejected, it's him.
And you know I started reallyconnecting on that deep level
(08:18):
and you know it was tough.
But you know there's a lot ofdrawing out from those films and
you know, yeah, there are a lotof films like, especially, you
know, even the children's filmsthat really shine a light on a
lot of these issues likerejection and acceptance.
Bettina M Brown (08:38):
And I heard a pastor say one time if you ever
feel rejected, no, you have,you're in good company.
So there is that, and with thattoo, your faith-based guy.
Have you for your own situation?
Have you always been fairlystrong with your faith, or was
that something you pulled backup because of this low in your
life?
Phil Strangolagalli (08:58):
No, yeah, when I was 16 years old I was
one.
I really committed my life, youknow, to God.
You know, and that was when Iwent through, you know something
in which I prayed a real prayer, and I was like God, if you're
real, show me that you're real.
I plug myself in everywhere Itried to find, you know, any
sort of information I could youknow about what I was doing and
(09:20):
you know what I was followingand you know all this stuff and
who I was following.
It was a journey, for sure.
And then I went to Nye atcollege, which really set the
tone for the foundation of mylife, honestly, and I took
classes.
I took this one-class personalspiritual formation.
(09:41):
It was literally about dealingwith your junk in your life and
learning to walk with that andlearning to move through that.
And that's where this exerciseof the grief journal came from,
and I took a lot of thoseprinciples and kind of enacted
it out in life.
Bettina M Brown (10:02):
And, yeah, and so you got to this place.
A lot of us make big changesand you hear it from different
people it's in the lows of theirlife that changes their life.
That then leads them to makeand help others make changes as
well.
Looking back from thatrejection and how you felt grief
(10:23):
we don't need to go tospecifics, but we can all relate
to some episodes in life likethat.
Yeah, what do you feel was likeone trigger that really helped
transition you to where you arenow?
Phil Strangolagalli (10:36):
I'll be completely honest with you.
I'm still doing, you know, I'mstill going to counseling or you
know all that stuff.
I believe in counseling.
I believe, you know, thatpeople should be taking care of
their mental health.
In 2017, when everything wasreally fresh for me and the
wound was really open wide, itwas difficult for me to deal
with.
I would see cars, I would seepeople, I would see certain
(10:59):
things and it would just set meoff and it was a process of me
forgiving forgiving these peoplethat wronged me and realizing
that I needed to move forward.
And then I needed to continueto forgive and bless and love,
and it was just so countercultural and something I really
I was always practicing for.
And then this was game time,you know, and I needed to do it,
(11:22):
and you know I still do it.
I still do it today and youknow it's gotten way easier the
process and, yeah, it'sdefinitely gotten way easier.
Bettina M Brown (11:33):
Yeah, yeah, and I like how you mentioned we all
need to adjust and payattention to our mental health,
like we, we're all about fitness, but we also have this
emotional well-being and, forthose of us that believe in our
faith, a faithful well, a faithwell-being as well.
So you're this author.
(11:55):
Jesus loves movies.
How did you pick these movies?
Like, where did this come from?
Is this part of your griefjournal?
You're like, well, I saw thismovie.
Phil Strangolagalli (12:04):
It honestly was.
It was a process in which, youknow, I just I was watching
movies during that period oftime and I just I started
realizing that there were deepermessages and there were
messages that were speakingright to me right in that season
.
And you know, I watched andthen I also rewatched some films
and yeah, I just I just keptkept doing that and you know it
(12:29):
was, it was definitely a process, you know, in terms of I guess
I wouldn't say like figuring outthe movies, but it was.
It was definitely like this isthese are the movies that I
needed to add.
You know, the if somebody elsewere to write a book, sort of
like this.
You know people have.
You know, in certain ways, Ihave a friend, kathleen Falsani,
(12:51):
she's she's wrote the Dude ofBides.
Mark Pinsky, he wrote the thegospel according to Disney, and
you know, I've I rememberreaching out to them and you
know, kind of asking about theirprocess and what they, you know
, were going for.
Yeah, it was.
It was sort of a differentapproach for me.
You know, it didn't necessarilycome from like this gigantic
(13:15):
analysis approach, but like moreof a philosophical.
And how can I use this?
How can I use this to help mylife.
You know how can I use, how canI use these messages to help my
life?
And yeah, it was definitely aprocess, especially, you know
some people I when it was 2019,and you know, I went to Georgia.
(13:35):
I had the amazing opportunityto go to Georgia and do like a
whole bunch of book signings andit was definitely a process.
When you know, people wouldpick up my book and they would
turn the book around and thenthey would see the H word and
that's the genre that you don'ttalk about, so to speak, in the
church, and that's the horrorgenre.
I put some horror films inthere because I really connected
(13:58):
with horror films.
I went through horror in mylife and I connected with horror
films because you know, ifthere's anybody again, if
there's anybody that understandshorror you know more than us
it's Jesus.
I mean, he went through.
He went through the worsthorror that anybody's ever gone
through and you know that'sthat's kind of where I came from
(14:21):
and yeah, it was a lot of thatprocess.
Yeah.
Bettina M Brown (14:27):
You said here, too, that you've received emails
, letters saying how you knowpeople say this book impacted me
, it changed how I feel.
What kind of what does thatmake you feel about your
experience?
And writing this down?
How do you, how do you processwhen you receive words like that
?
Phil Strangolagalli (14:46):
You know it helps me feel.
I remember when I wrote thisand you know, when I was about
to publish the book, I was like,listen, if this impacts one
person's life, it's done its job.
Like it's impacted me.
Yeah, yeah.
But when I got some of thoseletters, especially like letters
that I never thought I wouldget letters from, like you know
(15:07):
whether it's you know peoplethat I really look up to, they
sent me letters and all thatthere was this one letter in
particular that I got from a guyin Virginia and he messaged me
and he was like you helped mesee why I love horror movies.
And you know he was like I wentthrough horror in my life and I
think you know it was thatwhole reality of helping people
(15:30):
see that they weren't alone thatthere was hope in the midst of
their you know really terriblecircumstances or really
traumatic circumstances, andthat there was hope in the midst
of it.
You know the book's not cookiecutter, it's not.
It's not like a cookie cuttertype of book.
You know, I've had people fromall walks of life read it.
You know, not just afaith-based background or
(15:52):
anything and they've takenlessons out of it and realized
that they weren't alone.
And if I was able to providesomething like that for people
to feel like they're not alone,I mean it's done its job like
tenfold.
Bettina M Brown (16:07):
Yeah, yeah.
So this place right now.
You know you're still moving upand my podcast is called In the
Rising and sometimes I like toask people where do you see
yourself still rising up to withyour work or your process?
Phil Strangolagalli (16:23):
Yeah.
So I am super thankful becausethe end of 2019, you know came
and that was when I did, youknow, my book signings over in
Georgia, and then the year of2020 came.
I had 12 book signings for theyear of 2020.
We all know what happened inthe year 2020.
Okay, yeah, we all know whathappened in the year 2020.
(16:45):
It wasn't until about last weekthat I heard from a Barnes and
Noble store that they areactually resuming book signings.
So there could be a possibilityfor me to be able to go back on
that and, you know, have someconversations with you know,
bookstores you know allthroughout the States and maybe
get some of those book signingsback.
(17:07):
So there was some hope thereand, you know, hopefully that
works out.
You know that's something thatI'm trying to do just to really
get the message out there.
To get the message out therefor people to see that there's
hope.
There's hope in film and peopleare not alone.
Bettina M Brown (17:24):
And people are not alone.
That is, that's a huge message.
Right there you have this bookout.
Tell people how they can learnmore about you, learn more about
the book, how they can reachout to you.
Phil Strangolagalli (17:36):
Websites jesuslovesmoviescom.
You know there's a shop buttonon there.
The book is in all differentformats ebook, audio book,
paperback obviously.
Bettina M Brown (17:47):
All right, thank you so much.
Thanks again for your time.
Yeah, for sure.
Have you ever wondered whyyou're drawn to certain movies
or certain shows?
You know, it was not until Ihad this conversation with Phil
that I realized my own affinitytowards certain movies at
certain points in my life andunderstanding that they have a
therapeutic effect just as muchas a counseling session or a
(18:10):
book or a self-help meeting or asupport group.
There are so many ways that wecan help support ourselves and
those we love with things thatare around us, but it may take a
little change in perspective.
So everything regarding Phil isdown in the description below.
(18:31):
I really appreciate your time,because that's the one thing we
will not get back, and so Iwould love it if you left a
five-star review, because itwill do so much for this podcast
and putting it in the hands andears of those that need it most
.
Until next time, let's keepbuilding one another up.
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