Narrative technique · used in 3 films
Retelling a religious figure or miracle in human or natural terms, so the sacred story is read through doubt, desire and real events.
Examples
Martin Scorsese · 1988
Jesus is a carpenter who does not trust his own calling, and he argues with God's plan. His friend Judas is sent to kill him but later asks him to lead a rebellion against the Romans. The film makes the story a fight inside one person.
Where to see it: Jesus and Judas: Jesus, torn between his own desires and God's plan, deals with Judas, who was sent to kill him but later suspects he is the Messiah.
Ridley Scott · 2014
Scott said he wanted the miracles to have natural causes, such as a tsunami draining the sea. Effects supervisor Peter Chiang said the aim was for it to feel like a natural event, with no one waving a stick at the water. After Moses throws his sword into the sea, a comet crashes into it, and by morning the water has pulled back into a path.
Where to see it: The sword in the sea: in despair at the shore, Moses flings his sword into the water, a comet strikes and the sea splits by morning.
Darren Aronofsky · 2014
The film retells the flood as a harsh, human story. Noah is haunted and uncertain, and the family fights about what God wants. Fallen angels made of stone help build the ark, and the miracles feel strange and physical.
Where to see it: Noah's decision about the twin girls. He prepares to kill a newborn and finally spares the babies.
Questions