Abstract
The article proposes an interpretative study of Darren Aronofsky's film Noah. The film draws inspiration from various spiritual traditions ranging from shamanism to Buddhism, whilst relying heavily on Jewish midrash, and adds a layer of innovation. Our main assertion is that the film attempts to present three viewpoints on issues of religion, humanity, nature, and God-while negating two of them and preferring one. Each of the various characters and groups in the film represents one of the three stances, as the film's protagonist must cope with the problematic nature of his worldview and revisit it. The film engages with current pivotal issues: climate change, the depletion of natural resources, materialism and hedonism, fundamentalism in both religious and environmental trends, suspicion of religious institutionalized interpretations, and gendered spiritual religious beliefs. Thus, the film Noah is a cultural product that disseminates spiritual ideas and values within mainstream culture.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 143-158 |
Number of pages | 16 |
Journal | Journal of Religion and Popular Culture |
Volume | 32 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2020 |
Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2020 University of Toronto Press Inc.. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Alternative Spiritualities
- Bible and film
- Ecofeminism
- Flood myth
- Fundamentalism
- New Age
- Noah
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- Religious studies