Even though this movie came out in 2009, I wondered to myself “where the hell have I been to not know about such a beautiful film?”
There are movies and/or documentaries that can really move a person emotionally, and this film moved me. It has taken a while for me to actually have the words to express the beauty and emotion of this film. The whole time I was was watching, I thought to myself “I am going to need to watch this movie over and over to really get it to sink in!”
I think what I loved most about the movie was the whole family’s ability to adapt, go with the flow, and graciously deal with trials in such a way as to show the humility and meekness of each of them. Wisdom also comes to mind when I listened to what Colleen and Peter had to say throughout the movie. Their hearts are so big, so beautiful, I’m surprised such souls could even be contained in their bodies. They lived wild and free during the filming of that movie, and I wonder now what they are up to a few years later.
The documentary was filmed over four years, and after learning that little tid bit, it showed me just how true each of them
are. The love and devotion each of them have for one another is amazing, and the freedom Colleen and Peter give to their children is outstanding. I love how Peter talked about each of his children, and tears began to well up in me as he talked about his wife and newest baby girl. The only man that I have seen even come close to being as rugged and tender at the same time is Dom.
I loved Colleen’s tender heart and how she never thought of herself as homeless after her home was burned. The family understood the true nature of what it means to be “home.” In our culture we’re taught that in order for a family to be stable, they must stay in one place their whole lives, have the same friends, and only live in one house…maybe two. But that isn’t what makes a family stable. It is the richness of the content of our lives, being stable emotionally, and not changing like the wind in order to please the outside world and keep up with appearances. 
Its ok to move and switch locations. I feel that children can recover from that easily. What children seem to have a hard time with is the tossing and turning of the soul, the lack of integrity in parents that lie to their children, or blatantly lie to others in front of their children. Those who manipulate their children emotionally and spiritually, openly display to their children a duplicity in life that will in the end set their children up for failure emotionally, and bankrupt them spiritually. I love how in the documentary Peter would say “Everything living is Holy.” To teach your children that everything living is holy means that life, that other person gets respect and reverence. It means that you wouldn’t beguile, try to lead astray, manipulate, or treat with contempt something that was considered holy…would you? His children are
holy, his wife is holy, his horses are holy, the animals he kills to eat were holy and even the land is holy. I know it must seem like a contradiction to say that even the animals he kills are holy, but to teach your children to have respect for what they eat, and to know where your food comes from is about as holy as it gets.
All in all, I think this is one of the most beautiful films made to date, and I’m a documentary whore! For me, that says a lot. LOL I’m a sucker for a good documentary and This Way of Life has stolen my heart.
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