Integrating film in RE

Film can...

stimulate
illustrate
challenge
support

...the RE curriculum.

Film can...

be used as a starter activity or it may form a core area of study
be used alongside a variety of thinking skills activities e.g. fortune lines, community of enquiry, prediction, odd one out, etc.

When used appropriately film can deepen reflection and enable pupils to actively engage mentally, emotionally and sometimes spiritually with the area of study.
But it is important to address the complexity of the cinematic material and not simply take a film for its narrative content – otherwise we under-use the resource and limit pupils’ critical reflection on the medium.

The interface between film and faith

These areas of interface and the films that stimulate them may be legitimately explored in RE providing that this exploration is critical (in the best sense of the word) and takes note of the cinematic delivery (and not just the narrative content):

'Re-presenting'	Some films ‘re-present’ religious material either from scripture or from the lives of founders or key figures, e.g.: Little Buddha (Note), The Miracle Maker (Note), or Gandhi (Note). The extent to which these films are, or are not, faithful to the scriptures and/or biographical material they are based upon is an interesting area of study.
Exploitation/Exploration	Other films may exploit or explore religious material and where a film lies on this spectrum will depend on the viewer. Diversity of view as to where a film should be placed on this spectrum may lead to conflict and controversy. An example of the complexity here would be the film Priest (Note) - the subject of both admiration and boycott by different members of the Christian faith who either admired or despised its presentation of a homosexual Catholic priest. Bend it like Beckham (Note) (Sikh) and East is East (Note) (Muslim and Christian) are examples of two British films that sought to explore the religious backgrounds, beliefs and diversity of the British Asian experience but which were received very differently by members of the faith groups concerned. Sometimes an extended exploration of religious material and concepts turns up in an unlikely place: it would be worthwhile comparing the extended on-screen discussions of the definition and nature of ‘signs’ that takes place in Pulp Fiction (Note), The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (Note) and Signs (Note). Each of these directly refers to a Christian context and seeks to explore when an event may be understood as a sign from God.
'Faith-free' concept use	Other films depend for narrative coherence upon concepts that originated within, and are given meaning by, faith communities but that, in their portrayal may have little to do with those living religious contexts. Examples of this might be City of Angels (Note), The Devil’s Advocate (Note) and Constantine (Note). In their exploration of angels, demons and the devil these films have something to say about human free will, human suffering, the nature of God and God’s relationship with humankind but they do so in a 'faith free' context. What they do say can legitimately be explored in RE where the faith context can be revisited and the stance of the film explored in that light. It is perhaps appropriate to note here that when a faith context is offered (and it is often Catholic Christian as in Dogma Note) it is frequently not one that the faith community itself would acknowledge or affirm. For example it is generally assumed in many horror films that there is an afterlife from which spirits may return for good (Sixth Sense Note) or for ill (Ghost Ship (Note) and many hundreds of others!) but this is rarely ever explored within a coherent theological context. Films that do seek to explore heaven and hell are often religiously unorthodox, presenting images that faith communities would reject or see as unhelpful. The extent to which a given portrayal of an idea, concept or figure is 'orthodox' or acceptable to any given faith community is a valid area for study in RE.
Allegorical representation	Some films may be read as allegorical representations of faith stories, figures or traditions. There is a long tradition of ‘Christ figures’ in film from Cool Hand Luke (Note) through Jesus of Montreal (Note) to Neo in The Matrix (Note). The Truman Show (Note) has been successfully read as an allegory of Genesis 2 and Deep Impact as an expression of the teachings of Baha’u’llah: the founder of the Bahai faith. The Stars Wars (Note) films have been allegorically read by those from many diverse faith traditions and have led to the establishment of a new faith: Jedi.