Yesterday’s class discussion led me to continue thinking about two, related issues. First, Deliver us from Evil is the second film we’ve seen this semester that discusses religion. How would you compare and contrast Deliver us from Evil and Trembling Before G-d? How do Berg and Dubowski represent their respective religions? What are their relationships with the film subjects? Do these two films have anything in common?
Second, the mid-2000s seemed to be quite a popular time for documentaries on topics relating to religion. For example, there’s Kirby Dick’s 2004 documentary Twist of Faith, a film that also examines the clergy sex abuse scandal, as well as Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady’s popular documentary Jesus Camp from 2006 (a documentary about children and Evangelical Christianity). In 2007, Daniel Karslake made For the Bible Tells Me So, a film exploring homosexuality and religion. There’s also Lake of Fire, Tony Kaye’s 2006 documentary about the abortion debate that devotes a considerable amount of time to the role of religion within this controversial issue. Moreover, this is just a sampling of the works created recently that address religion. This makes me ask: Why? Why so many docs about religion at this particular time? Is it, as Carl Cannon suggested in his article assigned for this week, that the 2000s have been a time (i.e. the “post Monica Lewinsky” period) when the media are more willing to tackle controversial, previously taboo issues? Or can this phenomenon be explained by something else? Why do you think that religion seems to be a popular preoccupation of recent documentary cinema?
These are both great questions that are in fact directly related to one another. Both issues seem to address the idea of people coming into conflict with their religions and trying to express their voice via documentary filmmaking. Though Berg's film was not as personal to her as Dubowski's was to him (Dubowski is in fact both gay and Jewish and dealing with these issues while Berg was never molested by the Catholic church), they are still both shedding light to religious confrontations, voiced by the victims of religious organizations and law, that might not have been so readily available before the age of the Internet and media conglomerates. Though Berg's film seems more directly influenced by the media coverage of religious scandals, both films were most likely made during the 2000's because of the technology available as well as the cultural climate of the decade. Homosexuality is now a largely talked about and relevant lifestyle in the media and is therefore more accessible to film-going audiences.
ReplyDeleteTrembling Before God brings up complaints against the Jewish faith but goes to great lengths not to vilify the religion in its totality. The movie leaves audiences wanting Jews to continue practicing with the hope that the Jewish religion will one day embrace all it practitioners. Deliver Us From Evil presents little evidence for audiences to root for the Catholic church. It criticizes O'Grady and the hierarchical diocese of Los Angeles. The accusations don't stop on American soil; Berg takes her complaints all the way to Rome and accuses Pope Benedict of ineffectively handling the situation. By the end of the film, Berg's condemnation is nonnegotiable and offers the Catholic church no leniency.
ReplyDeleteBoth films do, however, present subjects who deviate from the popular belief. Trembling Before God contained interviews with more liberal rabbis and some openly gay Jews. Likewise, Deliver Us From Evil featured an ordained Catholic priest who wanted to speak out about the pedophilia and tried to raise an issue with Rome and institution of the Catholic church. These deviants help reaffirm the documentarians' intended messages and give the films the struggle and conflict which make up much of the films' respective plots.
I think religion is such a popular documentary subject because we currently live in a generation that is beginning to speak out about some of the misdoings of some organized religions. Historically, religion has been something that has incited multiple wars in which people have died fighting for it. Our country was founded on freedom of religion. But as alternative lifestyles become more and more accepted, the struggle between religion and secular society has intensified and the fear of speaking against something that was once so sacred and protected from scrutiny no longer exists.
Amy Berg's documentary "Deliver us from Evil" explores the increasingly controversial topic of sexual abuse in the Catholic clergy, predominantly following one individual - Father O'Grady, who was deeply involved in numerous 'incidents'. It is an interesting approach for a documentarian to explore such a topic by focusing on one priest in a pool of hundreds not only across the United States but as a world-wide problem.
ReplyDeleteThere are many variables that contribute to the recent surge of documentary films that focus on the Catholic clergy and the sexual scandals that surround their institution. Documentaries like "Trembling Before God", a film that can be equally compared to "Deliver us from Evil", explores the risque issue of homosexuality in orthodox Judaism. One possible factor fueling the recent production of these films of this particular genre is the fact that the majority of the victims of the sexual abuse, have only recently begun to speak-out and expose the events and situations that have transpired in the last twenty or thirty years in the Catholic church.
Just yesterday I had finally seen the "Catholic.com" advertisements during a Boston Celtics game - something I had heard about a few days earlier but found difficult to believe. I feel like, and as we discussed in class, the Catholic church, an institution like Anheuser- Busch or Philip Morris, is a corporation and has, since the exposure of these sexually-oriented scandals, have bleed financially, loosing millions of dollars left and right in addition to a massive fallout of 'devoted Catholics".
I feel like the rise in religion-based documentaries is similar to the rise in political documentaries. Many of the films that we've watched in class seem to be documentaries that question the standards or authority of certain establishments or societies. I think a film like "Deliver Us from Evil" could be compared with a film like "The Fog of War". Both films focus on a certain authoritative figure who is held responsible for hurting (in one way or another) many people, and the response of the public to their actions. The issues that are presented by each person's actions then lead the viewer to take into question the greater establishment that person represents (the Catholic Church, or the US Government). Similar ideas apply to both "Trembling Before God" and "Fahrenheit 911". I feel like rather than there being a separate rise in religious docs, there is a greater rise in docs that take into question authorities and establishments that are meant to protect us turning against the people they represent.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, one of the major reasons for an uprising of religious documentaries has to do with the contrast between an evolving global society and a relatively stagnant group of religious governing bodies. As society develops and changes, religion remains a constant. To some, this provides comfort. To others, religious doctrines that resist adaption seem to cause contention.
ReplyDeleteThose who take issue with traits of their given religion, but are not compelled to abandon it, are left in a difficult situation. This situation, in the case of many filmmakers, is reason to make a film. Just as many of the interviewees in "Trembling Before G-d", their qualms with religion did not outweigh their desire to retain their faith.
Matt, that's a really grounded point, and I think it's the foundation on which the whole discussion rests, and the sort of...starting assumption in my personal conversations about the topic. I think this discussion presents a false choice however - the choice is not between retaining your faith and qualms with religion. I think Berg's film goes out its way to understand that dichotomy, and force the issue. It's not a question of "how bad is too bad," but how to reconcile, how to forgive, and how to understand the structure of abuse.
ReplyDeleteReligion is such a popular subject in documentary today arguably for similar reasons that the pedophile scandal captured the national and international imagination. An unsatisfying answer is that a variety of social changes inspired by the grass-roots internet movements that almost launched presidential campaigns, and helped support almost constant opposition against his presidency, are the same social via technological changes that insprired grassroots movements to promote Justin Beiber, Michael Moore, and the current 'mini-blockbuster' documentary trend that is pervasive today. Could the explosion in religious documentaries coincide with the explosion in reporting about pedophile priests, just as the explosion of Iraq documentaries coincided with the war?
A better question, to me, would be what effects these documentaries are having, not on church affiliation or attendance, but on perceptions of the church within itself.
I think one of the many possible explanations for why there have been so many religion-based documentaries lately, is that religion has become so much more than just one's personal beliefs. Religion has always been a source of conflict- whether personal or psychological, or within a community, or something as big as war. But today, the combination of the "post Monica Lewinski period" that makes religion ok to talk about, and the fact that the involvement of the United States in the Middle East (whose issues largely stem from religious conflict) is such a controversial issue has really brought it to the forefront. And I think that's a wonderful thing. It's important now more than ever for people to be aware and understanding of religions and cultures other than their own, and for people to not be blinded by their beliefs and see the flaws of some of these institutions.
ReplyDelete(This is a long one. It's very train of thought. I also had to split this up because it's too f-ing long! Sorry. TLDR at the bottom!)
ReplyDeleteOk, here's what I think. Matt, I totally agree, religious institutions refuse to update their structure in the light of social changes. John, you brought up the Internet, but I think it has a much huger impact that you make it out to be, and, to me, it is not an unsatisfying answer at all! And Danielle, I think your point about the spread of knowledge is of the utmost importance in our society today. (Consequently, it's probably the driving force behind the rise of Atheism these days.)
So, going off what you guys have said, I'd "blame" the Internet for the explosion of interest in docs about religion. (Although, I'm nowhere near hating on teh internets!) Just take a look at the Atheism subreddit http://www.reddit.com/r/atheism, I think that should give you a good idea (I am in no way promoting Atheism). I think it's pretty obvious that the rapid spread of free information is the culprit here. Especially when there are articles like this one http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/8416104/Surge-in-Satanism-sparks-rise-in-demand-for-exorcists-says-Catholic-Church.html talking about the rise of satanism.
For those who aren't about to read that article (because I don't know how to hyperlink it from here) I'll summarize it. Basically, this past week, under the Vatican's authority, a conference is being held at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical University in Rome, about Exorcism. They're saying how the Internet, what with its free information, is the source of new satan-worshiping groups, which in turn are getting more people possessed. They're saying that anyone who uses the internet will search for info on the occult, and will invariably join and worship satan. Of course, since I haven't yet seen anyone "vomiting shards of glass and pieces of iron," I'm skeptical. Interestingly, in the same article, Father Gabriele Amorth "claimed that the sex abuse scandals which have engulfed the Church in the US, Ireland, Germany and other countries, were proof that the anti-Christ was waging a war against the Holy See."
But I'm skeptical because I haven't seen any videos on YouTube of spontaneous glass and metal vomit. (Not that I really want to see that, but how ridiculous would that be?!) What I'm getting at is that if we did see this happening thru the power of the Internet, everything would change. If it happens anywhere in the world, 60 seconds later, everyone on Reddit would know about it. If the hand of God himself reached from the sky and gave us all the middle finger, there'd be a thousand cell phone videos of it. Everyone would say "LOLOMGWTFBBQ." And then we'd all be believers. That's the power of the Internet.
ReplyDeleteSO, it's the instant spread of free information and ideas that makes the web so powerful. As Danielle pointed out, we need to be aware of other cultures and make our own decisions in our lives. The 'net really propagates that faster than the door-to-door bible salesmen of yore. The more points-of-view we gather, the easier it is to make our own opinions, and then post them on a forum, rather than the church on your block and the newspaper being the only source of information (as it would have been 200 years ago, I assume).
It seems the explosion of the Internet coincides with a lot of previously taboo subjects being covered in documentaries, including this one. I think maybe docs like these are made to appeal to the web surfing culture of today. Do some googling and you'll definitely find web forums centered around gay jews and christians who were sexually molested. It's entirely possible to find subjects to interview for your new doc on these sites.
To an extent, I kind of understand why religions are so stubborn. Some people just need something to hold onto. In a rapidly changing world, sometimes old tradition is all there is. I think that if you need SOMETHING as your rock in life, religion can provide that for some people. Sometimes it saves lives, and sometimes it hurts them. As with everything in our crazy world, there's no set Right or Wrong, everyone is affected differently by differing experiences. And besides, when you try to give a new spin on religion and update it for the young people and celebrities, you end up with Scientology... or Raelians (google it). And those people are CRAZY. And they STILL cannot tell us how the fuck magnets work!
*Too Long, Didn't Read: The Internet spreads ideas and info FAST. More people learn about others, change their beliefs. More people realize religion is bunk. Churches are scared because of waning support. They do weird things, alienate the non-believers, and are stubborn, so we document it because it's interesting. I guess I blame the Internet because they blame it, too...
I think one of the biggest trends in documentary in the past decade is to question authority. In many ways, documentary has become the new stage for revolt. It is ironic to me that in an attempt to usurp authority so many documentaries and documentarians present themselves as authorities on the subject they are analyzing and rarely try to get viewers to question their own authority as filmmakers. But I digress. I think the explanation for this trend, the documentary as the questioner of authority, is not one factor, but a collection of factors, many of which are mentioned in this discussion. As Matt points out, there are the static, unchanging, inflexible systems that have existed for decades, even centuries, governments, established religions, even notions like core values or ethics, these are all "authorities" that often exist outside the world of social change. Rapidly evolving technology and immediate access to information via the internet has created a modern environment in which change is nearly constant. When so much else is in flux, it draws attention to the things that aren't: these unflinching authorities that govern society. And because people now have such easy access to opinions and perspectives that are neither their own nor similar to their own, and because the average person is more receptive to the idea of change, questioning these authorities has become more prevalent. Despite the religious subject matter though, I think that "Deliver Us From Evil" and "Trembling Before G-d" are two very different films. Both are questioning the authority of religion, be it Catholicism or Orthodox Judaism, but "Deliver Us From Evil" is much more pointed. There is, at no moment, a sense that the Catholic Church's system of burying information about sexual abuse by Priests is warranted. Though the film attempts to redeem the religion as a whole, it makes it very clear that the system is "wrong." I think "Trembling Before G-d" presents a situation that is much less black and white. Viewers experience the turmoil of the gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews as they struggle to reconcile their sexuality with their faith. But at the same time the Orthodox Rabbis and scholars aren't vilified.
ReplyDeleteIf someone had told me 40 years ago, that the United States and the Western World in general, would be involved in another "Crusade" I would have thought them crazy. I think the Sept. 11th attacks by Islamic extremists, and the subsequent invasions of Near-Eastern Islamic counties has brought about a new interest and many global discussions about religion and its role in Geo-Politics. This in my opinion is one of the main reasons so many documentary's concerning religion have been coming out. Another reason, is what a lot of people posted here concerning the "new technologies" and how that has revolutionized the ability to even make a documentary film.
ReplyDeleteTo me the difference between the two films we watched is significant. "Trembling Before God" was more of a "cry for recognition" and understanding and acceptance of gay and lesbian Orthodox Jews, and was not necessarily a condemnation of their religious practices. "Deliver Us from Evil" is a direct condemnation of religious practices... that being the "institutionalized" acceptance of pedophilia and sexual abuse, which has no doubt existed for centuries within the Catholic Church.
I think the only similarity between these two films is that the subject matter is religious. There are some big differences between this film and Trembling Before God. Dubowski's film pretty much shows the good and bad side of conservative Judaism while the other film pretty much just shows that Catholicism is totally fucked. Dubowski also conveys much stronger personal relationship to the religion and subjects he's interviewing while Berg seems much more withdrawn from the whole mess and honestly, in my opinion, seems to be a lot more exploitative. the Catholic Church isn't shown any sort of positive light throughout the entire film. I mean, the situations are so different but I don't really think there's any way around Berg's film coming off in any other way. His subjects were actively abused by their religion whereas Dubowski's subjects are just having trouble fitting in.
ReplyDeleteAs far as religion being the subject recent documentaries, I think that has a lot to do with right-wing politics becoming reinvigorated with conservative Christian rhetoric since the 2004 presidential elections. Conservative Christianity has become so prominent in the media (i.e. Fox news), that it has forced religion as a general topic into the public eye, especially in light of recent anti-Muslim sentiments. So I think religion as a whole something that is coming less of an understood, integrated part of personal, individual American life, and more question as to motives and intent. I think recent documentary films are just reflecting a popular trend in media.
There is a definite difference between how Berg and Dubowski both dealth with and represented their subjects. Before I go onto my criticisms Berg, I must first say that I realize the delicacy of the situation and I doubt that there is ever a 'right way' to go about this situation. However, I found her ways offensive more than once.
ReplyDeleteShe was sympathetic to these victims. However, I do not believe the editing of the film was sensitive to them at all. Lingering on the father who was crying out and screaming as a reaction to his daughter being raped was uncomfortable and unnecessary.
Second, the staging in this was absurd. "Lets get all of these victims together and sit in a circle and read a letter" or "Let's bring this one victim back to the site of the rape"...they were too contrived and were unfair to the victims. Her distance from her subjects was glaring.
On the other hand, I found Dubowski much more involved and sensitive to his subjects. He was tasteful and always seemed to have their best interests in mind.
I agree with Katie B. that the reason I think so many documentaries recently take on religion is because our new generation is more and more fed up with it. I think there's statistics that show that more and more young people are leaving religions to find their own way, either because they were discriminated against for being homosexual, were fed up with their church defending pedophiles (as in the catholic church) or have just generally lost faith in religion.
ReplyDeleteThat said, I do commend both films for holding at least a reverence for the beliefs that they are challenging. I get really incensed by condescending commentators like Bill Maher who think the right answer is to mock people for what they believe and condemn all spirituality as a haven for kooks and lunatics.
I don't think that kind of rhetoric is constructive, and I'm glad both films that we saw that dealt with religion allowed for church-going people to watch and not be offended.