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A review by rachelhelps
Mormonism and the Movies by Chris Wei
4.0
This is a collection of essays on a wide range of topics having to do with Mormonism and movies. There is not a lot of analysis of Mormon movies themselves, but Barrett Burgin's "The Case for Resurrection: A Mormon Movie Manifesto" is a standout essay that examines the history of Mormon film and promotes the "nuanced" approach to faith in Mormon films. This is definitely filling a gap in the area of Mormon film criticism for films in the 21st century.
I didn't like the section on the ethics of violence in movies and debate over watching "R" movies. Multiple essays mentioned the importance of watching films for one's betterment and developing empathy for other people. It kinda made me feel bad for just watching films for entertainment. I don't mind being challenged occasionally, but there are enough horrific things that I read about in human history and written fiction that I don't feel like I'm missing out.
My main issue with many of these essays is that they were more about the ideas of the essay than the films themselves. Films were just convenient illustrations of the ideas the authors were discussing. Maybe that's why the close reading section was one of my favorites, especially Brooke Parker's "My Mother's Broomstick: Navigating a Faith Crisis with Kiki's Delivery Service" and Davey Morrison's "Pan's Labyrinth and the Sanctity of Disobedience." That said, I did enjoy many of the idea-centered essays, especially Chris Wei's "Three Approaches to Crisis." I wholeheartedly agree with Wei that we don't need to say some people have a more "evolved" faith than others, no matter what stage of faith they're in.
I didn't like the section on the ethics of violence in movies and debate over watching "R" movies. Multiple essays mentioned the importance of watching films for one's betterment and developing empathy for other people. It kinda made me feel bad for just watching films for entertainment. I don't mind being challenged occasionally, but there are enough horrific things that I read about in human history and written fiction that I don't feel like I'm missing out.
My main issue with many of these essays is that they were more about the ideas of the essay than the films themselves. Films were just convenient illustrations of the ideas the authors were discussing. Maybe that's why the close reading section was one of my favorites, especially Brooke Parker's "My Mother's Broomstick: Navigating a Faith Crisis with Kiki's Delivery Service" and Davey Morrison's "Pan's Labyrinth and the Sanctity of Disobedience." That said, I did enjoy many of the idea-centered essays, especially Chris Wei's "Three Approaches to Crisis." I wholeheartedly agree with Wei that we don't need to say some people have a more "evolved" faith than others, no matter what stage of faith they're in.