Jack Sisson 11/18/12 Kramer vs. Kramer A film can be interpreted in many ways, and the best interpretations are the ones that talk about what’s underneath each image. That means that the best ways to explain films are to describe what the deeper meaning is of each detail, from the first opening credit to the final end credit. The deeper meanings are combined in order to form themes. There is usually at least one Christian theme in there. The main Christian theme in the film Kramer vs. Kramer is love. Kramer vs. Kramer is a passionate film about a wife who leaves her husband because of how upset she is with their marriage. Fifteen months after the divorce, a legal battle begins to determine who gets to keep their 7-year-old son Billy, which turns into a battle of who believes he loves him more and who should get custody of him. The movie was released in 1979, and was written and directed by Robert Benton. Love is a central theme throughout the movie because of the love that Joanna Kramer, Billy’s mother, and Ted Kramer, Billy’s father, show for each other and for Billy. How much someone cares for another person can sometimes lead him to act without thinking and without the input of that person whom he cares for. This is the case when Joanna leaves Ted in the film Kramer vs. Kramer. Margaret, a friend of both of them, consoles Joanna when she talks about how fed up she is with her husband and that she wants to leave him because she feels so much pain. Joanna shows how much she loves Ted when she leaves Billy with him because she knows that’s where Billy rightfully belongs. Her love is also renewed by seeing how much Ted has grown in taking care of Billy since she left. Ted shows his love for Joanna in a different manner because he portrays it by conveying it in his love for Billy. Joanna’s love for Ted is shown explicitly whereas his love for her is shown implicitly. In most cases, a father’s love for a son is shown in the support of the former for most of the latter’s life, starting at his birth. Such is not the case in the film Kramer vs. Kramer because Ted does not start to show his love for his 7-year-old son until after his wife leaves. Joanna, his ex-wife, worked at home after their marriage, so she practically raised Billy, the son, completely on her own. Therefore, when she leaves, the job of rearing Billy falls on Ted. After a few months of temporary tension between father and son, they learn to cope and gradually bond as father and son. The first true sign of love that Ted shows for Billy is when the former carries him several blocks to the hospital after he severely cut his face when he fell off the jungle gym. After many months go by, Ted gets fired from his job, and quickly finds a new, lower-paying job in order to sustain his life with Billy. These things show that as people bond, they continually do everything they can to maintain the bond. The love and support that Ted shows for Billy are clearly explicit. Sometimes, people show their love for each other through their actions, and other times, they do so through their observations of each other. In this motion picture, Joanna leaves her husband because she is fed up with his actions. In doing so, she also leaves her son, 7-year-old Billy, which is very tough for her because of how much she loves him. She secretly watches when her ex-husband brings Billy to school to make sure that he is safe. Fifteen months after she walked out, she comes to claim her son because of how much she loves and misses him. She talks to Billy a couple of times before she leaves him with Ted, her ex-husband, because that is where she feels Billy’s rightful home is. Joanna’s love for Billy is partially explicit in the film, but it is also partially implicit. In conclusion, love can be shown through actions, observations, or a combination of the two. People can sometimes be so passionate about each other that they act without thinking. The main Christian theme in the film Kramer vs. Kramer is love. Love is a central theme throughout the movie because of the love that Joanna Kramer, Billy’s mother, and Ted Kramer, Billy’s father, show for each other and for Billy. Joanna’s love for Billy is partially explicit in the film, but it is also partially implicit. The love that Ted shows for Billy is explicit. Joanna’s love for Ted is shown explicitly whereas his love for her is shown implicitly. Love can help people show how much they care for themselves and one another.