I missed this post over at Pop Theology about a book to which I contributed last year, edited by Jeff Sellars (Light Shining in a Dark Place). I wrote a chapter called “Recalling Jesus: Form, Theory, and Trauma in Jesus Cinema.” Which the post summarizes well:
He argues, quite rightly, “Excepting discussion of films like The Passion of the Christ or The Gospel According to St. Matthew, Jesus cinema is rarely subject to this kind of film-theoretical scrutiny. I think this is the case because discussion of Jesus cinema has struggled to find a point of access to actual aesthetic discourse” (54). He sets out to bridge film study, trauma studies, and Jesus films in some truly fascinating ways through analysis of films as diverse as La Vie de Jesus and Van Sant’s Last Days.
So two things:
1. This post is a great summary of the volume, which contains a treasure of essays on film and theology in a way few books are about film and theology.
2. Give it a look.