Most Christians don’t know what to do with the books of Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. The Song makes an attempt at telling a contemporary story inspired by those books. Rabbinic tradition holds that Solomon was the author of both books, although an author is never named in either book and many scholars believe that they were written centuries after Solomon lived. Regardless, The Song proceeds under the assumption that Solomon, one of the wisest men to have ever lived, wrote both books.
The Song takes the events of Solomon’s life and places them into a present-day setting. Instead of being called Solomon, the main character is known as Jed (short for Jedediah, Solomon’s other name). Instead of being the son of a King of Israel, Jed is the son of a country music legend – David King. Like the Biblical figure Solomon after having asked God for wisdom, Jed too is trying to find meaning in a seemingly meaningless life.
The film is narrated by Jed as he quotes passages from Ecclesiastes and Song of Solomon. Although the Song of Solomon figures heavily into the romantic parts of the story (he falls in love with a girl named Rose from the town of Sharon, Kentucky), the passages from Ecclesiastes provide the primary lens through which we are to interpret the story of Jed’s life.
The Song opens with the words of Ecclesiastes 1:14 displayed on the screen, and the words “chasing after the wind” are the last to fade from view as the film starts. The Song does a good job realistically depicting Jed’s well-developed character progression. From his origins as a humble artist trying to get out of his father’s shadow through his rise to fame and his eventual decline into sin and adultery, the story moved along at a nice pace. The marital problems that Jed and Rose encounter serve as an apt warning for married couples to avoid the same pitfalls.
Jed’s Scriptural voiceovers fit nicely into the progression of the plot, helping the viewer to identify with his search for truth and wisdom amidst all of the chasing after the wind that life has to offer. The ending of the film provides a fitting conclusion, as Jed’s narration takes the form of a song. It runs through the end credits, paraphrasing the final verses of Ecclesiastes in a poignant post-credits scene.
The inclusion of The Byrds’ song “Turn, Turn, Turn (To Everything There Is A Season)” towards the end of the film helped to place the events of Jed’s life into perspective by recalling the musings of Ecclesiastes’ author. I also enjoyed the original songs throughout the rest of the film; I thought that each one fit the story perfectly. I especially liked how they captured Jed’s attempts at carrying on (and improving upon) his father’s legacy. I couldn’t help but wonder if Solomon had similar feelings about David’s poetry and his legacy when he was composing his own poetry.
Jed’s fame and wealth allow him to experience everything that life has to offer. His experiences repeatedly prompt him to echo the words of the author of Ecclesiastes and reflect on how everything in life is meaningless – a chasing after the wind. When he comes to “the end of the matter,” he fittingly proclaims his trust in God’s omnipotence and in the wisdom of God’s timing.
The Song is a refreshingly authentic film. It doesn’t feel like a sermon or even a literal interpretation of these Hebrew wisdom books. The first act was the only part which somewhat resembled a modern retelling of the life of Solomon. The majority of the film is simply a story of a man chasing after the wind. The direct quotes from Scripture merely give proper context to Jed’s experiences. Watching The Song just might inspire you to read Song of Solomon and Ecclesiastes again and see them in a whole new light.
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