Woody Allen agrees with Solomon.
Fantasy is no substitute for reality.
“What satisfies?” is a question all people ask.
Watch our two minute video that gives a Christian response (full text follows below).
Movies are no substitute for real life. But movies can explain our real lives.
See Dr. Eckel’s book about movies When the Lights Go Down (here). Subscribe to “Truth in Two” videos from Comenius (here). Mark is President of The Comenius Institute (website). Dr. Eckel spends time with Christian young 
people in public university (1 minute video), hosts a weekly radio program with diverse groups of guests (1 minute video), and interprets culture from a Christian vantage point (1 minute video).
Picture Credit: Snappy Goat
FULL TEXT HERE:
In the movie The Purple Rose of Cairo Woody Allen makes an important statement about the nature of our existence. A despondent, unhappy woman finds joy and hope with a man right out of the movies—literally. Mia Farrow’s character goes to the movies to distract herself from her unseemly life. Her situation is changed when an actor steps out of the picture show and begins a new life with her.
But as she discovers, fantasy does not change reality. The scene begins with Farrow watching a movie in the theatre; Jeff Daniel’s character actually looks out in the audience from his place on screen, notices Farrow, and begins to talk with her. He steps out of the film into real life while the patrons in the theatre are at once perplexed and amused. The other actors in the movie begin to fight amongst each other about the plot while Daniels and Farrow make their escape, discussing movie life and real life.
The conflict of fantasy as unfulfilling and reality as depressing shows the need for another source of contentment. This world, this life by itself, will not satisfy.
Being unsatisfied is one of the big themes in my favorite Bible book, Ecclesiastes. The writer says that wisdom, knowledge, wealth, relationships, accomplishments, work, or anything else is unsatisfying apart from God. People mistake reality for what they can only experience in this life, on this earth.
The One who created reality is the only one who can fill the hole in our soul. Indeed Ecclesiastes 3.11 makes that clear “God has placed eternity in the hearts of people.” At the Comenius Institute we believe satisfaction, meaning, and contentment can only be had through a personal relationship with the God who created reality.
Woody Allen was right. This life by itself will not satisfy.
For Truth in Two, this is Dr. Mark Eckel, President of the Comenius Institute, personally seeking Truth wherever it’s found.