Because the Bible contains so many universally powerful themes, it’s not uncommon to find connections between the art we love and the church traditions we grow up with. I discovered this at a pivotal Maundy Thursday service in high school. As I listened to a member of the congregation tell the story of the Last Supper and Jesus’ arrest, I felt a pang of emotion, a bittersweet mix of sadness, fear, and anger I instantly knew I’d felt somewhere before: watching the final scenes of Peter Jackson’s adaptation of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.
Finding Biblical Themes in Popular Movies
At the end of Fellowship, our heroes are scattered to the winds. Their leader, Gandalf, has been killed in the caves of Moria. Another member, the embattled Boromir, is dead at the hands of the orcs. Two others, Merry and Pippin, have been taken prisoner. Frodo, the ringbearer, is entering the hardest part of his journey with only his friend Sam by his side. As viewers, we know their mission will succeed—it has to— but in that moment, the future looks bleak and uncertain.
Examples from The Lord of the Rings and Maundy Thursday
Listening to the story of Maundy Thursday as a teenager, I could easily imagine Jesus’ disciples feeling the same way. Just days before, they were welcomed into Jerusalem with joyful celebration. Now, their teacher is gone, soon to be killed, following the betrayal of one of their own. Jesus’ family and closest followers mourn that loss, but also know their own lives are in danger. In my modern context, I knew Christ would return from the dead and ascend to heaven, fundamentally changing the nature of humankind’s relationship to God. But like the disciples, in that moment all I could feel was darkness.
Emotions in Film as Reflections of Faith
Given the Catholic faith of The Lord of the Rings author J. R. R. Tolkien, this connection was likely intentional. Certainly, Gandalf’s return in The Two Towers has echoes of Jesus’ resurrection. But for me, that experience in church was the first of many.
The Power of Relatable Characters in Film
Because popular culture echoes its audience’s interests and fears, it’s inevitable that there’s a commonality between what art is expressing and the ideas we as Christians carry with us and engage with every Sunday—even in art that doesn’t come from an explicitly religious perspective. Watching movies from a Christian perspective may make certain dramatic beats hit harder as we make connections between what we see on screen and what we talk about in church.
Seeing God’s Love in Eighth Grade and Psalm 139
For instance, seeing heartbroken thirteen-year-old Kayla in Eighth Grade react to her dad’s declaration that he wishes she could see herself the way he sees her becomes more moving in light of Psalm 139 (“You have searched me, Lord, and you know me”) and the knowledge that this is how God sees us. Considering the Paddington films through the lens of 1 John 4:19 (“We love because he first loved us”) gives the film’s bear hero an extra layer of marmalade-sweetness. Paddington loves his neighbors not just because he’s been told to, but through the example of others who have loved him.
Renewing Our Faith through Film’s Emotional Journey
Encountering a resonant moment in a film can also help familiar biblical passages or seasons of the church year gain a renewed sense of immediacy or applicability. Witnessing the sacrifice of the characters in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story may better connect us to the disciples’ feelings of vulnerability and uncertainty at the crucifixion. T The pain of loss and the hope of resurrection in the ending moments of The Iron Giant reflect the same solemnity followed by triumphant joy we feel at Easter. The “great cloud of witnesses” described in Hebrews 12:1 might feel more personal after watching the Pixar movie Coco, or Kirsten Johnson’s love letter to her dad, Dick Johnson Is Dead, and remembering the people who shaped our own journeys.
Stories that Shape Us and Our Faith Journey
The stories we carry with us go right to the heart of what we care about and what we believe. The world’s best stories—the Bible included—are as complicated as humanity itself, with characters and ideas that require unpacking. Understanding the narrative complexity of what we watch, and the themes communicated, can help us understand ourselves and each other; applying what we learn from that process can help us become better neighbors.
The “Great Cloud of Witnesses” in Coco and Dick Johnson Is Dead
If we look closely, we can see God at work in the relationship between the stories we love and the seasons of our own faith journey, as we gain perspective on stories we thought we already knew.
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Adapted from Films for All Seasons by Abby Olcese. ©2024 by Abby Olcese. Used by permission of InterVarsity Press. www.ivpress.com.
Taken from Films for All Seasons by Abby Olcese
Taken from the introduction, “Why Watch Films as a Spiritual Practice?”
