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The Lobster, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Lobster (2015) directed by Yorgos Lanthimos.

The Lure, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Lure (2016) directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska.

On Human Nature In The Thought Of Muhyiddin Ibn’ Arabi And The Western Tradition Within The Context Of The Film The Silence Of The Lambs, Ridade Öztürk

Journal of Religion & Film

This article will summarize views about ‘human nature’ proposed by leading philosophers of the Western Canon. These views will later be contrasted with the viewpoint of Muhyiddin Ibn’Arabi on ‘human nature’. The question of what it means to know the human rationally and scientifically, and the question of how much this way of knowing can penetrate the double-sided dark-and-light nature of the human as reflected in the serial killer Hannibal Lecter, is a central focus of the article. The article discusses the framework of Tasawwuf (Sufism) which views human nature as both created and divine, from the two perspectives of …

“Aftertones Of Infinity”: Biblical And Darwinian Evocations In Terrence Malick’S The Tree Of Life And To The Wonder, Gregory Allen Robbins

Journal of Religion & Film

In this article I argue that in The Tree of Life and To the Wonder Terrence Malick continues to explore, on an epic scale, a theme that permeates the previous four (Badlands, 1973; Days of Heaven, 1978; The Thin Red Line, 1998; The New World, 2005): innocence to experience. I suggest that Malick’s oeuvre reflects a recurring evocation of and commentary on the primeval, biblical stories of Genesis 1-11. The title of his 2011 installment betrays, however, a more encompassing vision. Viewers whose gaze is oriented by biblical studies will associate “the tree of life” …

Spirits And Ceremonies: How To Construct Religious Experience In Documentary Film, Jouko Aaltonen

Journal of Religion & Film

For a documentary filmmaker there are several challenges in presenting religious phenomena. It is easy to document the rituals and the sensory level of events, but how can religious experience be represented? How can the invisible be made visible? What are the means to do this visually, aurally and cinematically? There are also special epistemological problems, when we are dealing with documentary film. Previous documentary studies have emphasized the indexical relationship between the object in front of the camera and its representation. But when one is constructing spiritual, abstract, conceptual, religious or theological phenomenon, how can it be done?

These …

Hinduism And Its Others In Bollywood Film Of The 2000s, Diana Dimitrova

Journal of Religion & Film

This article was delivered as a paper at the 2015 International Conference on Religion and Film in Istanbul, Turkey.

The Seal Of The Confessional: Robert Lepage’S Le Confessionnal In Social And Cultural Context, Adele Reinhartz

Journal of Religion & Film

The Quiet Revolution brought an end to Catholic hegemony in Québec culture and society. Despite the Church’s fall from power, Catholicism did not disappear from Québec society after the Quiet Revolution. The continued importance of Catholicism in conjunction with the dramatic shift to secular institutions and values creates a palpable tension in Québec public and private life. One film that explores this tension explicitly is the 1995 drama, Le Confessionnal. The film was written and directed by Robert Lepage, one of Québec’s, and Canada’s, most versatile artists. This article explores the primary existential theme -- the relationship between the …

Philippine Muslims On Screen: From Villains To Heroes, Vivienne Angeles

Journal of Religion & Film

Early portrayals of Philippine Muslims in film show them not only as a people who profess a “heathen religion” but also whose culture is dominated by notions of superiority and violence against women and non-Muslims. This presentation is largely due to the colonial legacies of Spain and the United States, whose respective occupation of the Philippines was met with resistance by Muslims. Such negative portrayals made their way into early films as indicated by Brides of Sulu (1934) and The Real Glory (1939). This paper argues that representations of Philippine Muslims in films changed over time, depending on the prevailing …

Examining The Critical Role American Popular Film Continues To Play In Maintaining The Muslim Terrorist Image, Post 9/11, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This article was delivered as a paper at the 2015 International Conference on Religion and Film in Istanbul, Turkey.

Paul Tillich And The Possibility Of Revelation Through Film, Kutter Callaway

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Paul Tillich and the Possibility of Revelation through Film by Jonathan Brant.

Is Slumdog Millionaire A Retelling Of The Ramayana?, William L. Blizek, Michele M. Desmarais

Journal of Religion & Film

Is a banner with a picture of Rama and Sita on it and the word, “Ramayana,” the only link between the film Slumdog Millionaire and the great Hindu epic? In this paper we explore elements in the film that correspond to elements in theRamayana. There is no one-to-one correlation, and some relationships between the two are, in fact, mirror images. However, there are enough correlations and influences to suggest that the film might be considered a retelling of theRamayana. We also acknowledge though that there are also features of the film that some would …

Life Itself, Daniel Ross Goodman

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of the movie "Life Itself" (2014), Steve James' documentary about the life of film critic Roger Ebert.

Leviathan, Denis J. Bekkering

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Leviathan (2014), directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev.

Documentary As Exorcism: Resisting The Bewitchment Of Colonial Christianity, Michael Broyles

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Documentary as Exorcism: Resisting the Bewitchment of Colonial Christianity by Robert Beckford.

Eucharistic Imagery In Film: Two Patterns Of Usage, Caesar A. Montevecchio

Journal of Religion & Film

In Christian tradition, the primary effects of the Eucharist are the formation of koinonia and the facilitating of metanoia. Metaphorically, these effects make the Eucharist a symbol of community building and personal transformation. However, the way that such symbolic meaning is emplotted in film can vary between two distinct approaches. Augmentative usage uses Eucharistic symbols to deepen and amplify narrative instances of community building, such as by family gathering or reconciliation between characters, or character growth. In ironic usage, Eucharistic symbols elicit standards of virtue and goodness that help critique actions or events that damage koinonia or prevent characters …

An Evil Threat To Marriage, Children And The Future: Queer Theory, "The Passion Of The Christ," And Evangelical Political Rhetoric, Richard Wolff

Journal of Religion & Film

This article employs queer theory to analyze Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ (2004) for its portrayal of queer characters (Satan and Herod) in contrast with non-queer (Pilate and Claudia, Seraphia, Simon the Cyrene, and Mary, Christ’s mother), and how it depicts the former as evil and the latter as good. In particular, these contrasts involve self-indulgent or predatory sexual expression versus a healthy marital relationship, and evil versus loving influences over children, who represent hope for the future. Finally, the article looks at the film’s heavy marketing to American evangelicals and how the symbolic representations in the …

Slamdance 2015, Kristian Petersen

Journal of Religion & Film

This is an introduction to our coverage of the Slamdance 2015 Film Festival.

Across The Sea, Kristian Petersen

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Across the Sea (2015), directed by NIsan Dag and Esra Saydam.

Prophet's Prey, Rubina Ramji, Jodi Mcdavid

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Prophet's Prey (2014), directed by Amy Berg.

The Amina Profile, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Amina Profile (2014) directed by Sophie Deraspe.

The Visit, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Visit (2014) directed by Michael Madsen.

The Hallow, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Hallow (2015) directed by Corin Hardy.

Entertainment, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Entertainment (2015), directed by Rick Alverson.

The 414s, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The 414s: The Original Teenage Hackers (2015), directed by Michael T. Vollmann.

Umrika, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Umrika (2015), directed by Prashant Nair.

Princess, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Princess (2014) directed by Tali Shalom Ezer.

Sundance Film Festival 2015, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is an introduction to our coverage of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

Female Pervert, Kristian Petersen

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Film Pervert (2014), directed by Jiyoung Lee.

Partisan, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Partisan (2015), directed by Ariel Kleiman.

The Stanford Prison Experiment, Rubina Ramji

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015), directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez.