Reel Spirituality: Exploring Religion and Film in the Age of Pandemics

This series 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 Conversation, Harriet, A Serious Man, and The Social Dilemma.

Participants are encouraged to watch the films before the bi-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.

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 pandemics of 2020, we will look at themes of loneliness, racism, social media, and interfaith dialogue.

Schedule: 

Tuesday, May 18th

Theme: Loneliness
The Conversation (1974, Francis Ford Coppola)
Lost in Translation (2003, Sofia Coppola)

Tuesday, May 25th

Theme: Interfaith Dialogue
Blinded by the Light (2019, Gurinder Chadha)
A Serious Man (2009, Ethan and Joel Coen)

Tuesday, June 8th

Theme: Social Media
The Social Dilemma (2020, Jeff Orlowski)
Network (1976, Sidney Lumet)

Tuesday, June 22nd

Theme: Racism
I am Not Your Negro (2016, Raoul Peck)
Blindspotting (2018, Carlos Estrada)
Harriet (2019, Kasi Lemmons)