The Power of Image Part 2: hearing the story
I was a late bloomer when it comes to being in the loop regarding the first Matrix movie. The Matrix came out while I was in seminary which was a time of self imposed cloistering (except for chasing after my finance) so I didn’t have a clue about this tremendous work of art. But, once I saw the movie I was hooked and like many other emergent and progressive evangelical Christians I “mistook” Neo’s death and resurrection as a great representation of Jesus Christ. After I started ministering in 2000 I came across several books from emergent and progressive evangelical writers that made the same claim and it seemed that in the younger generations this connection between Christ and Neo was constantly being made.
It was with great anticipation that I awaited the release of the second Matrix movie The Matrix Reloaded and was confused by Neo’s change from a “Christ-like” figure to enlightened being/super hero figure. The disillusionment with The Matrix spread throughout the church world as people began to realize the mix of philosophy and religious elements from around the globe in this incredible story. There were, of course, those in the Evangelical world who saw this at the beginning and had a healthy critique and deep appreciation for what the Wachowski brothers were attempting with their trilogy (there were also those, as there always are, who considered the whole thing to be dangerous, evil, bad, etc. etc. etc. but this blog isn’t about that kind of a response to movies).
What happened with those of us who considered Neo to be a Christ-like figure and then become disillusioned as the movie series continued to unfold? We failed to hear the story and instead projected our own worldview and Christian beliefs into the movie. This seems to be a common practice, especially among youth and young adult ministries that attempt to use movies to teach Biblical ideas. We find symbolism and allegories in a movie that our worldview connects with Christianity and then use it to help teach our theology to others. This is not a bad practice (I use this approach myself) unless it destroys the integrity of the film which is what happened with my interpretation of Neo in The Matrix. I’ve found several popular books that use movies to teach Bible studies at the local Christian bookstore that take film segments out of context in order to make a point while destroying the integrity of the movie’s story.
In order to have a theological dialogue with a movie it’s important to hear the movie. What is the movie attempting to say? How does the world the movie creates function? What questions and ideas are the characters wrestling with in their fictional world? It’s important to understand that even a movie based on a real story within the real world actually creates a fictional world because the camera can only show one perspective and it’s a perspective the director of the movie wants us to see in order to wrestle with an idea. This is what makes the movie entertaining; it’s portrayal and challenge of life and questions that people are asking enabling them to empathize with the characters and fictional world they live in.
Once we’ve heard the story it’s then that we’re able to bring a theological critique to bear upon the movie. Our theological critique is not that of the world that the movie creates but how this fictional world and it’s characters wrestle with the questions and ideas that guide the movie’s story. I use to wonder how people found Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” to be “Christian” until I understood that even though Tolkien recreated a pagan world he’s wrestling with questions of power, good, and evil in a manner that invites theological discussion. The problem, again, was that Christians considered the movie Christian when it wasn’t. The Lord of the Rings is a pagan story that invites conversation on Christian ideas. Tolkien’s Christian theology is embodied within this fictional pagan world.
Movie’s are today’s story tellers and movie theatres have replaced the ancient practice of sitting at the fire place and listening to the bard tell stories. The stories of the bard served to entertain the people but in doing so they also recounted the history and meaning of the people while reinforcing the moral and spiritual beliefs of the people. This is the function that movies play today and just like the bard’s stories they have questionable elements that were immoral or fictional but the purpose of the story remains the same; creating entertainment that wrestles with the questions and ideas people have about life.
To hear the movie’s speak these questions and ideas provides the youth and young adult minister with guidance regarding what questions people are asking and how they are thinking about the world. Movies provide a great place to begin the theological conversation in helping to make theology practical and relevant so that Christ becomes real within the real world.
this was a pleasure to read. i agree wholeheartedly with what youre conveying. the matrix films are phenominal – and we can certainly get a great richness from them from a christian perspective, regardless of many other philosophical/religious themes that permeate the film. ive always thought that films give us a sense of the world writ small – they, like novels, tell a story with the director/author acting as creator. one of my reasons for beleiving in god is that i find it entirely plausible that our innate capacity as humans to create mini-worlds comes from a greater capacity still – ie, we are the characters in gods story. this is also important as it humbles us. another film you might wanna check out is ‘the fountain’ by darren aronofsky, its a bit ‘arthouse’ (if not to your taste)but rich in the big themes.
I still have never watched them. So, we talked about this before, but let me know when you want to baptize me into the Matrix world!
I guess I ought to say something about what you have written. I agree, the power of image is something we must consider. I like the analogy you make to sitting around the fire listening to the bard telling stories. I love to watch movies with the The Lord of the Rings (which I took a long time deciding if I wanted to watch or not!!) at the top of my list! I am also really looking forward to Prince Caspian coming out in May. I know there are some who will not watch an R rated movie, or will walk out if the Lord’s name is taken in vane. As you state, we need to watch with a discerning eye and listen with a discerning ear. We need to interact with the questions that are asked. But I agree, rather than counter attack, let’s get to the bottom and find the real issue at hand. And then how can we represent Jesus in a way that shines His light into their Darkness? Too many times are WE the reason that people don’t see the light? Do we need to lay down arrogance and pride in order to be able to enter a conversation that allows for the truth to be told? In every accusation that really makes us squirm, there is some shred of truth, or it would not cause us to react. So if the reaction is to circle the wagons as you put it, we need to think long and hard about why we want to get defensive.
Lot’s more to chew on here!