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Finished Through a Screen Darkly by Jeffrey Overstreet last night. It was easily one of the better film and theology books I have read over the last several years (and I’ve read a lot of them). It ranks up there with Robert Johnson’s Reel Spirituality in the variety of subjects he covers. It is, however, a vastly different book than RS. Reel Spirituality is a great introduction to the concept of experiencing films from a theological perspective. Johnson goes through how to watch a film theologically - from how to approach films with an open mind (that is, how to try to watch films on their own merits instead of trying to immediately fit them into a theological framework) to tools that directors use in putting a film together to examples of specific directors. It is an excellent introduction that I have recommended many times to people thinking along these lines.

Overstreet approaches the task from a much less didactic way (surprise, Johnson is an academic professor, Overstreet is a film critic for ChristianityTodayMovies.com ). His approach is through his experience of film throughout his life. He examines different overarching genres of film and the ways that those genres and specific films have intersected his life at various stages. He does not exclude the theological side of films, but instead (like Johnson recommends) largely allows the films to speak on their own merits. He also does an excellent job of not overly Christianizing film, but does bring his Christian faith and experience to bear on the films both as credit and critique.

It took me a while to warm up to his writing style because I was expecting the didactic examination a la Reel Spirituality. Through the first section, I kept wondering when we’d move out of the foreword / introduction type of writing and into the “real stuff.” I eventually began to truly enjoy the way that he crafted the book and it got me to thinking about my own experiences of film.

I have always been a movie lover to the point that there was consideration in my first year of college about entering CU’s film school (I took a few classes my first year, but stopped at that point). But I have always loved the ways that film transports me to places I might not otherwise have gone - whether its a galaxy far far away or it is entering into the stories of people throughout the world I might not have the chance to meet.

Anyway, it is an excellent read that I highly recommend to anyone interested in this topic.

It did get me thinking as I finished last night about my “transcendent” film experiences. Without going into the details of why each of these films are on the list - each were ones that left me sitting there, as the credits rolled, feeling like I had experienced something I had not before. (in no particular order)

• Star Wars Ep IV: A New Hope
• Heat
• Crash
• American Beauty
• The 39 Steps
• Schindler’s List
• Hotel Rwanda
• Fellowship of the Ring
• Unforgiven
• Gattaca
• The Matrix
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Children of Men
• The Fountain
• Into Great Silence
• Moulin Rouge