Religious Cinema for Non-Believers: Film Criticism as Spiritual Practice

Religious Cinema for Non-Believers is a collection of longform film criticism essays written over the span of a decade by theologian and film critic Joel Mayward. Ranging in scope and style from Silence to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Playtime to Philomena, A Hidden Life to Hundreds of Beavers, each chapter is an in-depth movie review that weaves together film analysis, theological reflection, and personal narrative. Part movie-watching memoir, part cultural criticism, the book ultimately demonstrates how watching and reviewing films can be a spiritual discipline, even when appreciating so-called "secular" films. As a creative act of thoughtful appreciation, film criticism--both writing it and reading it--has the capacity to make us better human beings and grow closer to God. Religious Cinema for Non-Believers will appeal to any cinephiles (religious and non-religious alike) who have ever had a transcendent experience at the movies.