Reel Spirituality: Exploring Religion and Film

Examine spirituality through a new lens.
This course is as much about the use of film to study religion as it is about the use of religion to study film. Through different critical approaches, this program will examine how religion, as variously defined, pervades modern film, and how one may deepen one’s own spirituality through engaging in dialogue with it. Among the films to be discussed are Blinded by the Light, The Fisher King, Chinatown, and A Serious Man.

Participants are encouraged to watch the films before the weekly session. Films are outlined below in the schedule. All films are available on various streaming platforms. We will also discuss films that are important to participants in our program so the schedule below will leave space for flexibility.
Participants in this series can look forward to:

Discussion of film from both religious studies and theological perspectives. This will help you to broaden your understanding of the term “religious” and then to realize its significant role in film plot, narrative, and imagery; and help to deepen your own spirituality.
In light of the contemporary situation, we will look at themes of Grief/Loss, Aging/ Legacy, The Environment and Politics/Government

Schedule:

Tuesday, June 4th

Theme: Grief/ Loss
The Fisher King (1991, Terry Gilliam)
The Apostle (1997, Robert Duvall)
Of Gods and Men (2010, Xavier Beauvois)

Tuesday, June 11th

Theme: Aging/ Legacy
Lost in Translation (2003, Sofia Coppola)
A Serious Man (2009, Ethan and Joel Coen)

Tuesday, June 18th

Theme: The Environment
Before the Flood (2016, Fisher Stevens)
Chinatown (1974, Roman Polanski)

Tuesday, June 25th

Theme: Politics/ Government
Blindspotting (2018, Carlos Estrada)
Blinded by the Light (2019, Gurinder Chadha)