CODA is one of several films from the last year that show young people struggling to carve out or create a normal existence in the midst of circumstances that can and do overwhelm many of their peers and elders. The acronym stands for Children of Deaf Read More …
Joel Coen’s film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s 17th-century play retains the source material’s themes of the corruptive powers of greed, treachery, and unfaithfulness. It is a cautionary tale of the dangers that may come from seemingly promising whispers of glory – falsities that are revealed Read More …
What do you worship? Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog never asks this question explicitly, but it does examine it through its provocative riff on the Western. For cowboy Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), it’s clear what he worships: manhood. He’s fashioned himself as the ultimate masculine Read More …
In 2017, when IMAGE Journal still owned and operated the Arts & Faith website, its film issue came with a photo from David Lowery’s A Ghost Story on the cover. Like The Green Knight, that film polarized Arts & Faith members. Lowery’s quiet films are Read More …
Why are the films of Asghar Farhadi, the foremost chronicler of his Muslim country, especially recommended to Christian viewers? Perhaps one reason is that Farhadi doesn’t shy away from illustrating the gaps between the principles and values that inform the culture and its citizens and Read More …
Art influences life and life influences art. In other words, our entertainment shapes the way we view the world, and the world shapes the type of entertainment that is made. On its surface, Annette is a toxic love story between offensive comedian Henry McHenry (a terrifying Adam Read More …
Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of West Side Story begins with what looks like a shot from the director’s 1998 film Saving Private Ryan. The camera hovers over a crumbling city, swooping past a wrecking ball as it haunts the remains of a once bustling neighborhood. Eventually, Read More …
In Luke 4:5-6, the devil tempts Jesus by showing “him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment in time” and tells him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give Read More …
When a radical act of mercy and forgiveness serves as the climax of a film, the love it has for all its characters is apparent. When that act references Babette’s Feast, Chef, and Ratatouille, the love extends not only to the characters but to our Read More …
For a juror’s appreciation of one of the listed films, click on the appropriate link: The Green Knight Pig The Tragedy of Macbeth Dune West Side Story A Hero CODA C’mon C’mon Annette The Power of the Dog Jury: Kenneth R. Morefield; Gareth Higgins; Wade Read More …