Postmodern Cinema and Messianic Heroes The advent of the modern era is usually described by the disenchantment of the

world or the death of God. If post-modernism inherits this modernist skepticism to all things theological, then why are there so many examples (as will be shown) of messiah figures in post-modern film? It will be argued that this is due a reinvigoration of religious belief that takes place in reaction to modernist attacks on the authority of science and philosophy as the sole means of acquiring knowledge. This reaction sparked a post-modern return to the subject that implies a personal space for religious belief which cannot be obliterated by the instrumental rationality of science, philosophy, or even institutionalized religion. This post-modern return to theological motifs is chronicled through this genres history of films which present numerous reconfigurations of messianic figures. Yet, this immediately begs the questions of what the genre of post-modern film is, and what the theme of the messiah represents. Although this paper will attempt to sketch the ephemeral boundaries of the categories of post-modernism and messianism, it will focus specifically upon these motifs as they occurred in contemporary western cinema. This paper will focus solely upon the implicitly (though not exclusively) Judeo-Christian concept of the messiah as it has become a topic of cinematic focus in western, post-modern film. Post-Modernism: Seeking a Definition Albrecht Wellmer in his book The Persistence of Modernity attempts to define the slippery category of the post-modern as a sustained and attenuated reaction to the problems of modernity. Although he admits that in his attempts to define this category he chooses his examples arbitrarily, his hope is to create of collage of images such that post-modernism can

be perceived as a symbolic or conceptual field with distinct force-lines.1 Wellmers primary category from which he identifies post-modernism is by means of its philosophical deconstruction or unmaking. Wellmer claims that [t]he moment of post-modernism is a kind of explosion of the modern episteme in which reason and its subject- as guarantors of unity and the whole- are blown to piecesthis turns out to be a movement towards destruction- or deconstruction- of the cogito, of totalizing rationality, that has been underway in modernist art for a long time.2 This transformation of what was a suspicion of enlightenment rationality within modernism to a full blown explosion of the modern episteme is what gives post-modernism its kaleidoscopic and disjunctive perspective. These themes of deconstruction within cinema are articulated in the form of non-linear or chaotic narrative styles, moral relativism, as well as a palpable anxiety towards science, capitalism, and institutionalized authority in general. This systematic deconstruction of philosophy, art, and history becomes a loss of meaning, universal truth, and grand narratives in the post-modern tradition. Wellmer describes how this post-modern impulse is manifested saying the critique of totalizing reason and its subject is compressed into a repudiation of the terror of theory, of representation, of the sign, of the idea of truth.3 This loss of meaning and truth without any theory with which to search for them causes the post-modernist to grasp blindly for definitions, for new perspectives, for some shred of understanding from the chaos of life. Wellmer identifies the post-modern artist in similar fashion saying that a post-modern artistis in the position of a philosopherthe work he produces is not in principle governed by pre-established rules, and they cannot be

1 2

Wellmer, Albrecht. The Persistence of Modernity. MIT Press 1991. Pg 38. Wellmer, Albrecht. The Persistence of Modernity. MIT Press 1991. Pg 38. 3 Wellmer, Albrecht. The Persistence of Modernity. MIT Press 1991. Pg 40.

judgedby applying familiar categories to the work. Those rules and categories are rather what the work of art are looking for.4 This insight of Wellmers illuminates a possible reason for the heavy application of messianic themes within post-modern film; it is because the messiah is a metaphor for rescuing the hope for capturing this loss of truth and meaning. Ultimately, the goal of finding lost meaning and recapturing the power of reference from within a blinded society is utopian, and this glimmer of salvation begins to shine within post-modernism where modernism was still mourning the death of God and the loss of meaning. Wellmers association of the artist with the philosopher is a key aspect for identifying post-modern cinema. Basically, there is no particular time period in which these films exist, other than their situation in reference to the vague historical category of the modern film era. Rather than engaging in an argument about the usefulness of post-modernism as a historical category, since it is a decidedly anti-historical intellectual movement, it can be defined by a persistent progression of the concerns of modernity. In this way, post-modern film can simply be identified by its philosophical perspective which is searching for new rules of representation and new meaning. One of the possible cultural byproducts of this constant searching for meaning in a chaotic and symbolically empty world is that recurrent image of the messiah in cinema has become a powerful tool for re-capturing the utopia which has been lost in modernity. Susan Hayward in her book Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts defines postmodernism precisely as this sort of cultural liberation from historical prejudices in narrative perspective. Hayward claims that postmodernism refutes generalizations that exclude, and advocates a plurality of individualized agency. In this respect, therefore, gender and race are no longer dichotomized.

Wellmer, Albrecht. The Persistence of Modernity. MIT Press 1991. Pgs 47-48.

Postmodernism represents, then, a cultural liberation.5 This cultural liberation of formerly neglected or repressed narratives plays out through post-modern cinema in the varied races, genders, and classes the messiah is presented as, and the varying hopes which the messiahs coming is expected to fulfill. The Anointed One Who Comes At the End of Times In order to properly identify themes of messianism within post-modern cinema it is useful to define what is meant by the term messiah. Messiah comes from the Greek word messias6 which means anointed one. Sigmund Mowinckel and G. W. Anderson in their book He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism define the messiah as having a strictly eschatological context. Mowinckel and Anderson write that in later Judaism the term 'Messiah' denotes an eschatological figure. He belongs to 'the last time'; his advent lies in the future. To use the word 'Messiah' is to imply eschatology, the last things.7 Hence, it is clear to see that the messiah not only is a figure who is chosen or selected (or at least indicated by their anointed status), but they are also the figure who comes during the end of times. All of this suggests that whatever is expected at the end of times, whether it is destruction or rebirth, will be linked to the expectations surrounding the arrival of the messiah. Another important aspect of the term messiah is its connection to political sovereignty. Indeed this concept of anointment is closely tied with biblical rites of marking the king with scented oil to indicate his divine election, or a state of divine grace. Mowinckel and Anderson discuss the connection between the Kings of Israel and suggest that the term messiah is the
5 6

Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. Routledge Press 2000. Pg 284. Mowinckel, Sigmund ; Anderson, G. W. He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism. 2005 William B. Eerdmans. Pg 3. 7 Mowinckel, Sigmund ; Anderson, G. W. He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism. 2005 William B. Eerdmans. Pg 3.

title and name for the eschatological king, Messiah does not occur in the Old Testament, but appears first in the literature of later Judaismthe word 'Messiah' is an abbreviation of the fuller expression, 'Yahweh's Anointed'. This shows that the eschatological Messiah derived his name from the sacral title of the ancient kings of Israel.8 Because this term derives from biblical notions of the divine right of kings to their political dominion, this implies that the figure who comes in the end times will be some kind of ruler. Once again, this all has to do with what the end times are conceived of as being like, as to whether this ruler is someone who does so by establishing a new utopian order, or by providing salvation for a world upon the brink of destruction. The vagueness which surrounds the notions of the term messiah is inherent in its historical applications. Mowinckel and Anderson cite the lack of definition to the promise of the eschatological king presented as a being tied to the indescribability of the ideal kingship. These authors claim that because the ideal of kingship was so lofty, and because the king was regarded as a divine being, of whomdivine virtues and divine help were expected, the ideal of kingship became something which haunted everyday reality as the object of dreams, wishes, and longings, something for whose realization the people would hope in every new king and prince, or at least something which would at some time be fulfilled. For one day the true king must surely come and put everything right9 Due to the numerous variations of historical applications of this term, and the lack of consensus that has always existed in scriptural claims to divine political authority, the possibility of the messiah as the ideal ruler takes on different aspects depending on what it is that society is desperately desiring or lacking. The hope for the messiah to be a redeemer at the end times is implicit to the nature of this term as it references a divine ruler who does the will of God, or

Mowinckel, Sigmund ; Anderson, G. W. He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism. 2005 William B. Eerdmans. Pg 7. 9 Mowinckel, Sigmund ; Anderson, G. W. He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism. 2005 William B. Eerdmans. Pg 97.

fulfills Gods prophecies. Since the messiah is such an openly defined term, it provides a broad lens with which post-modern cinema can explore the possibility of cultural liberation10 in a world on the brink of destruction from the loss of symbolic meaning which Albrecht Wellmer described as characteristic of this intellectual movement. Dogma and the Female Messiah Kevin Smiths 1999 film Dogma is the comedic tale of Bethany, the unwilling female messiah. In characteristic post-modern fashion, Bethanys religious morality is brought into question since she is a practicing catholic who works at an abortion clinic. However, the film is portrayed as a gradual opening of Bethanys bleak materialist worldview to an over-abundance of theological entities. Systematically, Bethany meets Metatron (the voice of God), the thirteenth apostle left out of the bible for political reasons, and a muse (a non-Christian entity) who all hint at the great task ahead for the protagonist. Although the film expresses anti-catholic sentiment with the premise that two angels (played by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon) are threatening all of creation by exploiting a loop-hole in catholic dogma, it does repeatedly stress the personal nature of faith as something which is needed to resist this form of dogmatic oppression. This theme is repeated throughout the film as Bethanys crowd of theological acquaintances reveal a variety of misconceptions in common theological notions. For instance, the thirteenth apostle, Rufus (played by Chris Rock), was left out of the bible because he was black, and the gospel he was preaching would have revealed that Jesus (the messiah) was black. Another example of this is when Bethany discovers that she is the ancient descendant of Jesus and Mary Magdalene, and that she is the chosen savior of humanity meant to end dogmatic oppression, thereby making her a female inheritor of Jesus legacy.
10

Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. Routledge Press 2000. Pg 284.

Although critical responses to this film range from ecstatic to vitriolic, this is perhaps unsurprising for such an irreverent comedic appraisal of religion. For instance, Gilbert Adair in his review entitled Oh For Heavens Sake accuses Smiths film of making the viewer feel like a schoolmaster confronted with an exam paper so unsalvageably hopeless he's tempted to slash a big red X across it and pass on to the next. Nothing, absolutely nothing, not a single idea, not a shot, not a camera movement, not a performance, not a gesture, not a gag, nothing at all, I repeat, works in this movie. Even nowadays, that must be some kind of a first.11 In spite of these kinds of critical reactions to the Film, Kevin Smith argued for the sincerity of this film describing it as my letter to Godwith a few dick and fart jokes thrown in.12 Although Smiths anti-catholic sentiments which are derived from his own faith experiences inspired negative reactions from within this community, the off-the-cuff and witty comedic presentation of this film caused reviewer Dann Gire to express surprise that Dogma would turn out to be both a glib and nimble satire of religion and a reverential valentine to God.13 In between the lines of these two reviewers analyses of the film lays the vision of Smiths portrayal of a personal faith journey in which the recovery of faith must come without acceding to the destructive potential of dogma. This films presentations of surprising contradictions to popular theological beliefs by a female messiah is completed with the appearance of Alanis Morissette, the female God who completely re-writes the tragic history of final battle with the revenging angels. Bethany overcomes the post-modern crisis of faith by accepting a world that is crowded with theological

11

Adair, Gilbert. Oh For Heavens Sake. The Independent; London, England. Dec 26 th, 1999. Located at http://www.questia.com/read/1P2-5032361/film-oh-for-heaven-s-sake-dogma-18-kevin-smith. 12 Adair, Gilbert. Oh For Heavens Sake. The Independent; London, England. Dec 26 th, 1999. Located at http://www.questia.com/read/1P2-5032361/film-oh-for-heaven-s-sake-dogma-18-kevin-smith. 13 Gire, Dann. Good God! 'Dogma' a Satirical Valentine to the Almighty. Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL), November 12, 1999. Located at http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-68836164/good-god-dogma-a-satirical-valentineto-the-almighty.

meaning, and it becomes her task to help society recover their loss of faith by overturning dogma. This metaphor of Bethany as the genetic inheritor of the role of the messiah is extended when, at the end of the film, Bethany immaculately conceives from a touch by God. This artistic repositioning of the hope for humanitys salvation into a woman and her unborn baby becomes a vague symbol of the need to educate and guide the next generation merely to believe in something. Ultimately, this becomes the films only guiding precept. This symbol of the female messiah opening the minds of society also depicts Smiths artistic interpretation of what he believed to be the true meaning of Christs message of acceptance and universal love, simple and vague though it may be. In the conclusion of the film Bethany asks God why we are all here; all she gets is a wink, a funny noise, and a smile at which point God promptly turns around and begins doing handstands. In this scene the message of the film is clear, in a world where no meaning is readily available, and the theological entities we do encounter are absurd, only by making our own faith journey can we discover Gods true hopes for us. This film engages with post-modern forms of artistic representation by overlaying the traditional Christian imagery with an inter-textual combination of cultural references in order to create a layered and inter-textual presentation. For instance Matt Damons character is the fallen angel of death by the name of Loki, and he entails the trickster ways his name implies.14 There is a scene in which he is in an airport utilizing Lewis Carolls Alice in Wonderland to convince a nun that the poem The Walrus and The Carpenter is an indictment of religion. Loki sways the nun from her vows by telling her that the walrus represents the Buddha or Vishnu and the carpenter is Christ, and since they shuck and devour the oysters, religion is not to be trusted. In this artistic layering of angels and Christian theological entities with Norse gods, muses, and
14

Peterson, Amy; Dunworth, David. Mythology in Our Midst: A Guide to Cultural References. Greenwood Press 2004. Pg 103.

literary tropes, post-modern films like Dogma utilize a vast array of cultural references to both challenge traditions while pointing towards new hopes of finding meaning. Post-modern cinema is thereby aligned with this messianic impulse by creating a puzzling artistic reference that demands engagement from the viewer to achieve a variety of potential interpretations, but ultimately an interpretation which has the most impact of creating meaning for the viewer. Donnie Darko and The Suffering Messiah At the beginning of this 2001 film Donnie is out sleep-walking when a low, murmuring voice tells him the world is coming to an end. Twenty-eight days, six hours, forty-two minutes, and twelve seconds is amount of time left from the moment when Donnie, in his sleepwalking daze, escapes death in his bedroom from a mysterious falling jet engine. This event, unbeknownst to the characters, results in the creation of a tangent universe in which Donnie begins to manifest the incredible powers of a time traveler. During this twenty-eight day period Donnie successively utilizes his newly acquired powers to flood his school, expose a pillar of the community as a criminal, and fall in love with a girl. Yet, the timeline in which Donnie has survived his appointed time of death is an unstable tangent universe which threatens to become a black-hole that could destroy all of reality. The post-modern impulse to destroy and convolute the narrative structure becomes morphed in this film into an actual metaphysics of time travel and the destruction of reality. The overtly theological motifs of Donnie Darko become apparent when the characters of the film discuss the philosophical problems of time travel. Donnie and his physics teacher are discussing a book The Philosophy of Time Travel when Donnie asks whether it is possible to travel back in time and alter the past. His teacher responds that this statement contains a logical contradiction; if the past has already occurred, then there is no universe in which the altered past

wasnt simply the current state of reality. Donnie responds that there is no contradiction if one travels within Gods path, a portal or wormhole created by God, to allow the time traveler this godlike power to alter reality. Following this scene, the film progressively becomes a story of Donnies revelation to his calling to follow Gods path, and repair the branch-line universe he is inhabiting by traveling in back to the original reality in which her perishes from the falling jet engine. If he fails to move into Gods channel going back in time to the universe in which he perishes, then the tangent universe will collapse destroying all of reality with it. Kevin Dodd in his article Donnie Darko and the Messianic Motif supports the postmodern reading of this film saying Donnie Darko is a most ambitious cinematic retelling of the Jesus myth from the vantage point of apparent madness.the Christ figure and ones sacrifice irreversibly alter the lives of those who remember and follow this one. They alone have come to understand that behind the strange behavior and ideas of the hero was a real redemptive purpose; others, however, will continue to see the character as a misfit, at best.15 The use of a mentally ill messiah sends a powerful message about the social repression of those who have been stigmatized by being labeled as insane. Donnie has difficulties interacting with his family as he is faced with the unbelievable fact that he must save the world, but they all show him unconditional love in spite of his anger and confusion during his revelatory journey. Donnie develops devout followers who see value in his bazaar acts of destruction, which all seem to have such oddly fortuitous consequences. An example of this is when he burns the local motivational speakers house down only to reveal that he is a child pornographer. The image of Donnie as Christ is completed when, while on his way to burn this house, he exits a movie

15

Dodd, Kevin. Donnie Darko and the Messianic Motif. The Journal of Religion and Film Vol 13 No. 2 October 2009. http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol13.no2/Dodd_DonnieDarko.html

theater where he and his girlfriend were watching Evil Dead. Donnie looks up at the theater bill to see the title of another film The Last Temptation of Christ. Though Donnie Darko is an oddly dark and difficult to follow film, it certainly contains the stylistic elements of post-modernism while simultaneously adopting messianic themes. It is set in 1988 and this films re-appropriation of 80s time-travel nostalgia which, complete with references to Back to the Future, gives the distinct sense of a time when America was going through a post-modern, Cold War crisis of meaning. Each of the characters is in their own form of identity crisis. Donnie is in legal litigation for burning down an abandoned house weeks before he began having his visions that the world would end. His older sister is waiting to hear if she will get into Harvard, and his younger sister is waiting to see if her dance team will make it onto Star Search, a popular television talent show from this era. Similarly, Donnies new girlfriend has just moved to the area in the witness protection agency and has been given a new name, Gretchen. All of these characters encounter tragedy as the result of Donnies cheating death. Hence, Donnie is presented with the cost of his new found time powers which he gained from surviving his appointed time of death, and if he fails to surrender his newfound powers along with his life, then everyone he cares about will die. The vision of the end of time presented in this film is thereby associated with the revelations of a messiah who is driven slightly insane by the suffering he must endure in order to save the world. Ultimately Donnie chooses to die alone in his room. The post-modern emphasis of a world without hope or meaning is driven home in a scene when this manic Christ figure is coming to terms with his calling while speaking to his therapists. In Kevin Dodds retelling of this scene, his therapist questions Donnie as to whether he feels alone right now, Donnie says he would like to believe he isnt, but hes never seen any proof otherwise, so he considers it

absurd to debate it. She asks: The search for God is absurd? It is if everyone dies alone, Donnie answers.16 In this scene, Donnie foreshadows his own death alone in his bedroom at the end of the film. However, he also echoes the post-modern sentiment that the search for God is absurd if all there is to find is loneliness in the world. Instead, by surviving his death at the beginning of the film, Donnie finds love and hope which gives him the resolve to go back and accept his appointed doom. This film does provide one twist upon cinematic retellings of the messiah; Donnie is not resurrected in the end. Though this is not necessarily incommensurate with the above discussion of the historical associations of the term messiah, it is worth asking what the world has gained from the coming of Donnie if he is meant to be symbolic of a divine king that comes at the end of times. Dodd points out this aspect of Donnie Darko writing that [t]he greatest deviation is at the point of legacy, of resurrection. Donnie Darko saved the world by his act of self-sacrifice, but no one there will ever know it, nor will anyones life be altered because of his altruistic example. Hell remain to everyone a mentally troubled young man, who died an untimely death under mysterious circumstances... There is something very striking, unsettling, and yet also welcome about the anonymity of it all. This welcome, yet unsettling anonymity Donnie displays is representative of the uncertainty of the historical truth of Jesus resurrection as a sign of his being the messiah. However, this uncertainty is welcomed because it represents the true mystery of the messiah, the mystery of faith. Also, the idea of the messiah as an everyman, as someone arbitrarily chosen to save the entire world at their own peril, drives home the utopian hopefulness in comparing the messiah with the post-modern subject attempting to rescue meaning in an absurd world in which we all die alone.

16

Dodd, Kevin. Donnie Darko and the Messianic Motif. The Journal of Religion and Film Vol 13 No. 2 October 2009. http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol13.no2/Dodd_DonnieDarko.html

The Matrix and Techno-Messianism The first installment in the Matrix trilogy, The Matrix (1999) provides the best example of a post-modern presentation of the messiah out of this series of films. Although all three of the films in this trilogy present aspects of post-modernism by their anxieties with science and technology, the first utilizes a film noir style that is excellently characteristic of the post-modern reworking of tradition in search of new modes of representation. The film noir elements of The Matrix are best characterized by the sense of mystery of what is the matrix? which drives the rising action of this cloak and dagger plot. Adding to the sense of suspicion of reality, all of the scenes within the matrix were filmed with a green filter which gives the appearance of darkness and a vague glow reminiscent of a computer screen. Likewise, the world outside is filmed using a blue filter which gives a sense of depression and closeness in the scenes of the desolate real world.17 By use of these stylistic methods the Wachowski brothers simulated what has become one of the most popular dream-within-a-dream films to date. The post-modern elements of The Matrix are presented early on in the film when history is disrupted. The world believes the year to be 1999, but it is, in fact, two to three hundred years in the future during a period in which intelligent robots have enslaved the human race. Mark Stuckey in his article He Is the One: The Matrix Trilogys Post-Modern Messiah supports this reading of The Matrix as a messianic metaphor for a world trapped in a technological nightmare. Stuckey claims that it is not without coincidence that The Matrix was released on the last Easter weekend of the dying twentieth century. It is a parable of the original Judeo-Christian worldview of entrapment in a world gone wrong, with no hope of survival or salvation short of something
17

Most later DVD versions have had color-filtering applied, giving the real-world scenes a blue tint and scenes within the Matrix a green tint. Taken from the Internet Movie Database page on The Matrix located at http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0133093/alternateversions.

miraculous.18 The hope for a savior capable of taking on the burden of awakening humanity from its technological enslavement is driven home when Neo (played by Keanu Reeves) comes back to life at the end of the film, and suddenly begins to exhibit new powers to overcome the controlling sentient programs, the agents. Also, the movies release date suggests that the directors were aware its references to the end of times. In this technological dystopia, Neos role as the messiah is constantly reiterated by Morpheus (played by Lawrence Fishburne) who proclaims that Neo is the one. Though the theological motifs run deep throughout this film, for instance the last bastion of humanity is Zion, in typical post-modern fashion these characteristic Judeo-Christian archetypes are overlaid with numerous historical references. An example of this is that the ship that rescues Neo is the Nebuchanezzar, the second king of Babylon, and Morpheus is named after the Roman god of dreams. However, this film ultimately adopts Neo as a Christian messianic figure by means of his death and resurrection. Stuckey cites the overtly Christian nature of the Wachowskis presentation pointing out that .at the core of the Nebuchadnezzar is a plaque with the words "MARK III No. 11. With the Wachowski brothers' incessant attention to details, including names, it should not be passed off as coincidence that, in the Bible, Mark 3:11 describes how people possessed by evil spirits fall down before Jesus and say, "You are the Son of God. Indirectly even the ship declares that Neo is the One19 The Wachowsis attention to detail and their reworking of historical tradition once again displays the post-modernist impulse to search for new means with which to create multivalent allusions to layered, inter-textual references. The constant paranoia within this film which is presented by the question of whether reality is merely a dream takes the deep post-modern anxiety of a world

18

Stuckey, Mark. He Is the One: The Matrix Trilogys Post-Modern Messiah. The Journal of Religion and Film Vol 9 No. 2 October 2005. http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/Vol9No2/StuckyMatrixMessiah.htm 19 Stuckey, Mark. He Is the One: The Matrix Trilogys Post-Modern Messiah. The Journal of Religion and Film Vol 9 No. 2 October 2005. http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/Vol9No2/StuckyMatrixMessiah.htm

devoid of meaning and turns it into a rich symbolic tapestry which the viewer must interpret to understand Neos destiny as the messiah. The Matrix begins with Keanu Reeves in the guise of Thomas Anderson a thoroughly alienated, cyber-punk hacker with no clear agenda in life. By the films conclusion he has been transformed into a karate fighting, reality-bending, techno-messiah who has been liberated from his past to seize a new identity as the liberator of humanity. The transformation of Neo from average citizen to techno-messiah implies a sudden gain of purpose that happens from theological revelation within a society enslaved by technology. Stuckey attempts to decode the inter-textual symbol of Keanu Reevess transformation from Thomas Anderson into Neo arguing that Thomas was famous as the doubting disciple who would not believe in the resurrected Jesus until he felt the nail wounds himself. Thomas Anderson...doubts his alleged identity as the One until nearly the end of the movie. "Anderson translated from its Greek roots means "son of man, the term favored by Jesus to describe himself. But Thomas Anderson takes on the name "Neo, which is an anagram of "One. When Thomas Anderson claims the name Neo, he becomes a "new man.20 Although this sort of deconstruction of the possible biblical references within Neos identity is certainly invited by The Matrixs suspicious perspective, this powerful overlapping of references all point towards Neo as the messiah. In this way the film makers are suggesting that all of history points towards the arrival of this figure as the key to salvation at the end of time, thereby making this film one of the most overt displays of messianism in post-modern cinema. However, the necessity for a single individual to act as the harbinger of change for a planet on the brink of destruction becomes the moral center of a post-modern world drained of hope or meaning, asleep and enslaved.
20

Stuckey, Mark. He Is the One: The Matrix Trilogys Post-Modern Messiah. The Journal of Religion and Film Vol 9 No. 2 October 2005. http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/Vol9No2/StuckyMatrixMessiah.htm

Pulp Fiction and Waiting for the Messiah Ezekiel 25:17- The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and goodwill, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you. Pulp Fiction (1994) is often hailed as director/writer Quentin Tarrantinos post-modern masterpiece of cinema. The above biblical verse is the line that Jules (played by Samuel L. Jackson) uses at the beginning of the film to deliver vengeance upon the unfortunate individuals who botched a deal with his boss Marcelus Wallace. During this botched deal Juless partner Vincent (played by John Travlota) retrieves a brief-case which is opened by the code 666. Upon opening this case Vincents jaw drops in awe and his face begins to glow. Although the viewer is never told what is in the brief-case, when first encountering Marcelus Wallace in the film, he is shown in close focus upon a band-aid on the back of his head. In similar fashion to how the imagery of Neo as the messiah was decoded in The Matrix, these theological references from Pulp Fiction can be interpreted as meaning that Jules and Vincent are recovering their bosss soul, which he has sold in Faustian fashion. In this way, Jules and Vincent can be understood as caretakers of the human soul, and the difficulties they encounter in the process of returning it are symbolic of the challenges of saving a soul in modern society. Todd Davis and Kenneth Womack in their article Shepherding the Weak: The Ethics of Redemption in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction argue against claims that pulp-fiction presents nothing more than a drug and money fueled post-modern nihilism. Davis and Womack claim that

[s]uch critical assessments of the filmneglect to account for the remarkably palpable elements of metamorphosis involved in the redemption of the character who functions largely as Pulp Fiction's moral axis, Jules Winnfield. His dramatic struggle with the notion of divine belies any rudimentary evaluation of the film as a morally vacuous vehicle that emphasizes Tarantino's lust for the flashy entrails of pop culture over the sublime qualities of artistic substance.21 Since, it is easy to lose a moral center in such a violence and drug filled, chopped up narrative style which tells multiple stories from multiple points of view, this theological motif of redemption of souls stands out as the asynchronous beginning and ending of the films trajectory. During the botched deal to recover their bosss soul, both Vincent and Jules have a revolver fired at them at close range, but miraculously neither of them is hit by the bullets. During this moment Jules feels the touch of God, and this event causes him to decide to quit being a gangster and to change his ways. This becomes a central moment in the film as Jules and Vincent begin to debate the implications of the miracle Jules which has purported to have witnessed. However, Tarantino makes his commentary about the nature of redemptive faith clear when Jules suggests that it doesnt matter what criteria one uses to judge if a miracle has occurred, only that he felt the divine presence at that moment and he can no longer ignore Gods call. Davis and Womack in their exploration of the theological motifs of this film interpret this moment within the plot as one which is a kind of textual re-reading of Juless life. Instead of reading the above bible verse as a sign of his forthcoming wrath, Jules utilizes it in the final scene of the movie to spare the live of two amateur thieves attempting to steal his bosss briefcase (soul.) Davis and Womack write that [t]he redemptive act of re-reading the text of his life, then, allows Jules to glimpse for the first time the prospects of faith, hope, and love-possibilities that the stasis of his past life, in
21

Davis, Todd F.; Womack, Kenneth. Shepherding the Weak: The Ethics of Redemption in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction. Literature/Film Quarterly January 1, 1998. Accessed at http://www.questia.com/read/1P328455653/shepherding-the-weak-the-ethics-of-redemption-in.

its devotion to death, could never offer.22 This statement once again rejects notions of Pulp Fictions post-modern presentation as inherently nihilistic, while simultaneously affirming the arch of redemption as it plays out in the figure of Jules. In characteristic inter-textual, genre-bending post-modern style, when Jules is asked what he will do until he knows Gods plan for him now that he is on the path to redemption, he merely claims that he will Walk the wind like Cain from the Kung-Fu television series. Juless decision to move on from his criminal life and travel until he discovers Gods purpose for him highlights the vagueness implicit in understanding the true meaning of redemption or the possible path to it. Davis and Womack cite this post-modern obfuscation of this tale of redemption saying of Jules that although he pledges himself to the promise of spiritual redemption, he realizes nevertheless that such a commitment necessitates faith in the intensity of his cataleptic impression, and in the unknowable ways of God: [Jules claims] "If it takes forever, I'll wait forever.23 The possible interminability of waiting for Gods purpose to become clear is a brilliant metaphor for the post-modern search for meaning, yet it is decidedly hopeful that meaning can be found in faithful searching rather than in expounding the particulars of what or when the eschaton may be. Although Jules saves the would-be thieves in the end of the film, he is no messiah. Instead, he represents the religious convert who must await the ultimate arrival of messiah which is symbolic of renewed meaning in this post-modern cinematic depiction of his quest for Gods purpose for his life.

22

Davis, Todd F.; Womack, Kenneth. Shepherding the Weak: The Ethics of Redemption in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction. Literature/Film Quarterly January 1, 1998. Accessed at http://www.questia.com/read/1P328455653/shepherding-the-weak-the-ethics-of-redemption-in. 23 Davis, Todd F.; Womack, Kenneth. Shepherding the Weak: The Ethics of Redemption in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction. Literature/Film Quarterly January 1, 1998. Accessed at http://www.questia.com/read/1P328455653/shepherding-the-weak-the-ethics-of-redemption-in.

Indeed there is a way to view the asynchronous narrative of Pulp Fiction as a representation of eschatological end time. As linear history turns into a convoluted series of interconnected loops, this film makes the overarching tale of Juless redemption and the salvation of his bosss soul into a powerful message of the challenges facing the moral man in a world of violence and deceit. Davis and Womack cite Juless revelation of his responsibility to follow the example Jesus set saying that Jules realizes the value of human life, and his own ability to sustain it. The truth is you're the weak. And I'm the tyranny of evil men, he tells the thieves. But I'm tryin'. I'm tryin' real hard to be the shepherd.24 These associations Jules makes of himself as being caught between the choice of being a tyrant or a shepherd indicates his desire to act in the capacity of the messiah, even though this may be an impossible task. The ambiguities of what this redemption entails for Jules in this film presents the ambiguities of what the messiah represents as a fulfillment divine kingship or when the end time will come. Although the image of the messiah never quite comes to the fore in this film, it could be argued that there is a glimmer of the messiah in Juless expectant waiting for the emergence of Gods purpose. Searching for the Messiah in Post-Modern Cinema Though this paper has not been an exhaustive review of all of the possible representations of messianism or post-modernism within cinema, it has been an attempt to present a collage the variety of artistic interpretations that have occurred when these two categories overlap in the history of film. In reviewing some of the most popular films which exhibit both post-modernism and themes of messianism, it is hoped that both of these categories have been able to be sketched

24

Davis, Todd F.; Womack, Kenneth. Shepherding the Weak: The Ethics of Redemption in Quentin Tarantinos Pulp Fiction. Literature/Film Quarterly January 1, 1998. Accessed at http://www.questia.com/read/1P328455653/shepherding-the-weak-the-ethics-of-redemption-in.

into a symbolic or conceptual field with distinct force-lines.25 It has also been demonstrated that, although the concept of the messiah is unclearly defined, cinematic presentations give reality to visions of the end time, the messiah, and what their coming might signify. There has been a variety of different portrayals of the messiah (as black, female, cyber-punk, or mentally ill) that have been discussed within post-modern cinema. This opening up of historical depictions of the messiah to traditionally neglected narratives is representative of the cultural liberation26 that the post-modern destruction of grand narrative entails. Conversely, the notion of messianism seems to imply this same anti-authoritarian perspective which may have caused Jesus to be viewed as a rebel against the Jewish temple. By reviewing these films relations to the categories of post-modernism and messianism it has been implied that these two concepts are innately connected in the artistic imagination. Since post-modernism is an intellectual movement more than a unified historical category, it has been useful to examine these primary examples to indicate that there are a great deal of possible films which would manifest aspects of this connection between post-modernism and messianism. Although there are many examples of post-modern cinema which render a morally bereft worldview (Taxi Driver and Raging Bull), the persistence of theological themes such as messianism within this genre of film suggests that it needs careful re-examination before being dismissed as patently disenchanted. Indeed, the morally bereft and symbolically empty world that post-modernism presents is easily associated with the end of times, and thereby the dreams, wishes, and longings27 that occur during this period. Although all of these cinematic visions of how the end will come vary greatly in their presentation, it is universally accepted throughout
25 26

Wellmer, Albrecht. The Persistence of Modernity. MIT Press 1991. Pg 38. Hayward, Susan. Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts. Routledge Press 2000. Pg 284. 27 Mowinckel, Sigmund ; Anderson, G. W. He That Cometh: The Messiah Concept in the Old Testament and Later Judaism. 2005 William B. Eerdmans. Pg 97.

these films that this is a period in great need of redemption, and this need to rescue humanity from the brink of destruction is the hope that the messiah represents.