You Came For Me

I feel like 10,000 BC doesn't get enough credit for what it is.

People say that it's unoriginal and overdone.

So? Isn't that the point of the movie anyway? It was billed as


the love story that began all love stories,

The very first epic.

And if you watch it in that kind of light, it's kind of beautiful, isn't it?

Here's a little background for this post: I've been assigned to memorize 3 poems for my English 292 class. In doing this, I've decided to use music to help me. I listened to a song over and over and over again, turned up so that it blocked out all noise, even the sound of my voice in my head, and then would repeat the poem over and over until I could do it without looking.

One of the songs I used to memorize was THIS SONG (Go ahead and click on the link and listen, please. It will help me prove my point here). This gave me a lot of time to listen to this song and think about what it really represented to the movie.

For those of you terrible people who DIDN'T click on my link, it's the song "You Came For Me" from the very end of the movie.

But we'll come back to that. First of all, I want to talk about the movie in general.

The love story. Agh. I don't know if I can actually get through this first part of the post without gushing completely. Evolet and D'Leh meet as young children and share the following conversation:

D'Leh: Do you see that light? That one. It does not move across the sky like all the others do. That light is like you in my heart--it will never go away.

Evolet: It will never go away?

D'Leh: No. Never.

But the complication in this is that Evolet cannot be his unless D'Leh proves himself the best hunter in the tribe. They face the prospect of never being together, and they still love each other hopelessly--the kind of love that cannot be helped or stopped. The kind of love that inspires hope even when others cannot see it.

However, the big hunt comes around and, through a bit of trickery, D'Leh proves himself the best hunter and wins the White Spear and Evolet. But his guilt overcomes him and he gives the spear back. D'Leh protests when Evolet is angry with him, saying that he didn't want the White Spear through trickery. He says that they can still find a way to be together, and she replies, quite poignantly:

"but still. you gave me up."

Then ensues her capture and the long journey that D'Leh takes to rescue Evolet and the rest of his people.

There are just a couple of things that I pulled out of this movie for myself.

"A good man draws a circle around himself and cares for those within. His woman. His children. Other men draw a larger circle and bring within their brothers and sisters. But some men have a great destiny. They must draw around themselves a circle that includes many, many more. Your father was one of those men. You must decide for yourself, whether you are, as well."

The first time I heard this, it took me completely aback. I thought: wow. What kind of woman am I? I mean, obviously, as a woman I still face this kind of choice. I can live my life and care for my family members and still be regarded highly. I can care for my extended family as well and feel noble. But is this what the Lord wants from me? Or does my destiny involve drawing a circle that includes more than that--ward members, neighbors, co-workers, friends? Maybe even those I don't know.

Lesson #1: I must never be too selfish to see my opportunities to expand my circle and care for others.

The second lesson was the one that hit me the hardest.

D'Leh traveled across the mountains, through the plains, and over the desert to find Evolet. He braved the wrath of terrible beasts, befriended nations of strange people, and killed a god.

As he finally runs towards Evolet, she is shot and killed.

As he holds her in his arms, she whispers to him, over and over,

"You came for me"

And then she dies.

This part for me, is more hopeless and heartbreaking than any other scene in any movie I've ever seen. (Except Seven Pounds...but that's different)

You've invested yourself in this love story for an hour and a half!! Waited and hoped for Evolet and D'Leh to be together. And now what? They can never be together? I always cry.


"To have journeyed so far...
...to have walked to the end of the world....
...to bring down the one they called the Almighty...
...only to return without Evolet...
This was not what Old Mother had foretold."

But, dear reader, the happily ever after comes. Old Mother gives her life for Evolet and D'Leh gets to be with her. They return home and live happily.

Back to the video I linked to. This song plays in the background while the above quote is said. This song, for some reason, is very vividly colored in my head. Very emotional. Very poignant. I feel like I should be able to tell you really what this song does for me, but ultimately, I cannot.

Lesson #2: don't lose hope. true love does exist. and you can have it. and also--never underestimate the emotional power of a death scene followed by a reunion scene.

Now....I'm finally done. And I feel a little...silly? I don't know. I guess for me, love is something that God has given us, and it's one of the only things that we get to have for eternity. Why would you not travel to the end of the earth for it? Why would you not mourn as if your heart had been torn into pieces for it? Why can God not bring it back for you?

I suppose what I'm trying to say is....

Believe in love.