The piece traces the birth, childhood, life, miracles, passion, and death of Jesus Christ, set against the long arc of history where many regimes ruled. In 1907, under French influence, a lineage of cinema began to reckon with sacred themes. A procession of films, from silent era to the modern age, shows how religion has continually shaped the medium. The presence of the divine on screen invites viewers to reflect, question, or even laugh, illustrating cinema’s power to mirror faith, challenge it, or flirt with it through science fiction and satire. This evolution marks a turning point in the seventh art.
That is how José F. Cámara Sempere, a technical architect and deputy director of Cineclub Luis Buñuel, framed the topic. He gathered material for a book that surveys how God has been treated across fifty films from varying eras. The work, titled Long live analysis, will be presented on Wednesday the 28th at 19:00 at the Pynchon bookstore, with the participation of Elche filmmaker Chema García Ibarra, who engages with the subject in his own film. Holy Spirit.
The author began to think that, despite the sheer volume of work, there exists a broader concept of God that encompasses all faiths. He aligns with Catholic and Protestant perspectives, recognizing the challenge of choosing films to discuss during quarantine. The task involved watching movies about God and existential questions while feeling imprisoned and reflecting on Bergman’s The Seventh Seal, whose stark meditation on plague and mortality can be hard to bear during an epidemic. That contrast led him to mix in films with lighter themes that still probe serious questions about life and fate, offering moments of acceptance and peace.
discoveries
Through this process, the author rediscovered a number of lesser-known works. The exploration spans Carl Theodor Dreyer and others linked to themes of love, faith, and doubt. An American film from 1977, not released in Spain, is described as funny and deeply satisfying for its willingness to push beyond conventional portrayals of God in cinema.
During these years, the portrayal of religious figures evolves in step with social change. From Capra’s benevolent voice in the heavens to the sharper, more challenging ideas found in Dogma by Kevin Smith, the depiction shifts. Dogma, with discussions about gendered conceptions of the divine, marks a move away from idealized representation toward more provocative questions about belief.
Humor, horror and science fiction
And the dialogue with faith became more varied, incorporating humor, horror, and even speculative science fiction. Humor in the 1970s, courtesy of Woody Allen and Mel Brooks, allowed filmmakers to approach the topic with irony and satire. Monty Python’s travails also offered a cheeky lens on sacred matters. In Cámara Sempere’s view, Buñuel and his surrealism, often described as a dreamlike critique, used humor to illuminate questions about belief and disbelief. The era’s films can be seen as a blend of spiritual inquiry and pointed satire.
Buñuel’s influence is clear, even as his international career crossed borders. In Spain, Carlos Saura drew from Buñuel while presenting fear and awe from a different cultural vantage point. The film Mother and Wolves, for instance, looks at God from a perspective of terror, marking a shift in how religious themes could be treated on screen. This wave of cinema opened doors for Almodóvar and others who followed, inviting new voices to question sacred narratives.
One notable trend in the 1970s was the grappling with terror as a lens on faith. Works like Aguirre, the Wrath of God and other bold experiments looked at divine power through a harsher, less idyllic lens. The spiritual dimension began to mingle with political and existential anxieties, signaling a shift in how filmmakers could portray the sacred without saccharine simplifications. Such films helped broaden the conversation about belief in cinema.
In addition, the 1970s saw science fiction become part of the conversation about the divine. Directors like Spielberg explored intersections between faith and the unknown, while other filmmakers used imagery that linked God with cosmic questions beyond earthly reach. Even when artists conflicted with religious doctrine, a shared curiosity about the nature of belief remained a constant undercurrent.
Directors such as Pasolini and Bergman, each in their own way, wrestled with God. Even when their characters rejected dogma, the films carried a deep religious sensitivity that resonated across cultures. The conversation continued to unfold as Almodóvar and a new generation drew from these roots, pushing faith into new forms and frameworks for contemporary audiences.