My private space, my rules, my decisions, my times, etc. The perfect life? “A man by the name of Frederick Pennyhouse” is written, directed, and produced by Christopher S. Towle and Josh Knight. It tells the story of a man who lives alone. His house, located in the middle of the ocean, is the world for him. His friends are hand-made to his liking. They never argue, never complain, never expect more. The only disadvantage is they aren’t real.
His case is an extreme one. Few take such measures. Still, there is a Pennyhouse in each one of us. Someone that looks to craft a separate world, a “personalized” world with all the features and themes that one could ask for.
Is he happy? Of course not. An old photo of friends brings reality home. What’s the moral? Loneliness, seclusion, isn´t an answer. We need others, we need friends, we need reality. We need others to break into our “self-tailored palaces of solitude” and to pull us back to the sometimes harsh but unique and only reality that’s worth living.
Why live in reality? There are many reasons, but above all: Christ is there. Running away to the past, thinking always of the future, living in a dream world, distracting ourselves with a perpetual stream of activity and tasks, all distract us from what is essential. As Christians, we plunge into reality, prepared to take on challenges, to bear our cross. We know that there, and only there, will we find our truest friend, Jesus Christ.
