How to Talk to a Movie: Movie-Watching as a Spiritual Exercise

by Elijah Lynn Davidson, Kutter Callaway (Foreword)

Watching a movie is more than an opportunity to be entertained. Watching a movie is an opportunity to meet with God. In a few brief chapters, How to Talk to a Movie will forever change the way you watch movies by opening your eyes and ears to what movies are saying, how they are saying it, and how God might be speaking to you through them. ""The writer Frederick Buechner once said that the most basic lesson that all art teaches us is to stop, look, and listen. When we truly listen, he says, we discover that life is a vastly richer, more mysterious business than we might have initially suspected. Davidson's book helps us to do just to listen to what our neighbor is saying, through a movie, and to discover the mysterious business of God's voice there, too.""  --W. David O. Taylor, Fuller Theological Seminary ""Deceptively brief and simple, How to Talk to a Movie is a great read--whether for students taking classes on film, for Christians wanting to lead a film discussion group, or for any and all film lovers who recognize that a film's presence extends outward beyond its screening to conversations with others and perhaps the Other.""  --Robert K. Johnston, Author of Reel Spirituality; Coeditor of God in the Movies ""Talking at a movie is easy. Talking to it requires a different attitude, and a more refined set of skills. In How to Talk to a Movie, Elijah Davidson instructs the reader in that skill set and also makes the persuasive argument that this approach to cinema is one that Christians in particular should embrace. I wholeheartedly agree."" --Josh Larsen, Editor, Think Christian; Cohost, Filmspotting; Author of Movies Are Prayers ""How to Talk to a Movie offers thoughtful, spiritual reflection worth considering for anyone who wants to engage with movies beyond the surface. This would be required reading if I were teaching any theological film analysis course. Highly recommended!""   -- Avril Z. Speaks, Producer; Director; Educator ""Davidson responds to cinema with both heart and mind, and builds a raft for people of faith to explore something beyond the light on the screen. Asking what shape the meaning in the movies can take in our own lives, his is a warm and enthusiastic invitation to a better way of experiencing art and soul."" --Gareth Higgins, Founder, moviesandmeaning.com and theporchmagazine.com Elijah Lynn Davidson is Codirector of Reel Spirituality, a Brehm Center initiative of faith and film at Fuller Theological Seminary. He covers multiple film festivals, hosts the Reel Spirituality podcast, and reviews more than one hundred films each year. He also really likes pie.

Genres: Media Tie In, Christian

120 pages, Hardcover

Published February 3, 2017

Reviews

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short, but very good book on how to get the most out of watching movies, and allowing them to enhance your faith. The author mentioned movies I love, movies I now really want to see, and never mentioned Star Wars once!

[Porter Sprigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty basic but I’m so glad stuff like this actually exists

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are like me, a person of faith who is captivated by movies - watching them, reading about them, exploring the world with them - this is the best primer out there.

There are lots of books out there about watching films through a Christian lens, and lots of them are quite good. What is special about Davidson's little book is that it takes very seriously what it means to watch a movie Christianly. That is, not just considering it through a Christian lens academically, but what it means to approach a film with generosity, hospitality, and Christian love. It's also the most succinct and readable version of Christian film engagement that I've found. It simultaneously introduces a hospitable hermeneutic to seasoned Christian film critics, and can introduce newcomers to the discipline altogether.

So if you have ever asked, "Why does this 'secular' movie seem so theologically important while this 'christian' movie feels foreign," or "why is it okay to watch explicit movies as a believer," or any number of questions related to faith and film, you would do well to start here, and then keep going! Davidson recommends a number of books here to keep you on the journey! But we will all be better off being reminded by Davidson that Christian film-criticism starts first with Christian hospitality and love.

[Andrew Sweatman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book serves as an excellent primer to any Christian film lover, or any Christian who wants to learn more about film. Specifically, it has much to say on how Christians respond to films (and all culture), and it helps to reconcile the perceived tension between one's faith and the ugliness present in many films. Or, put another way, it helps the Christian to find value in a movie that depicts things at odds with their faith.

The second half of the book is a quick trip through the highlights of film criticism, and argues that the most "Christian" response to a film is listening closely, thinking critically, and responding, or "talking" with the film by engaging with its message in your community. Very accessible, and immediately applicable.

Highly recommended! And a very quick read.

[Justin Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent introduction to film. I’d recommend this book for anyone wanting to understand the basics of film language: narrative, plot, character, editing and framing. It graciously guides the reader towards adopting a charitable posture towards movies that leads to empathy, understanding and growth in engaging with these works of art.

[Miles Mullin · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short easy read that introduces a reader or the basics of filmmaking and how to allow the film to tell its story before engaging it.

[Jessie Briggs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and cool

[Wade Bearden · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great little book that will introduce readers to film criticism from a faith-based perspective.