Review

Title: Mormonism and the Movies
Editor: Chris Wei
Publisher: By Common Consent Press
Genre: Arts/Essays
Year Published: 2021
Number of Pages: 328 pages
Binding: Paper
ISBN: 9781948218467
Price: 14.95

Reviewed by Liz Busby

This book is a great collection of essays on the many different ways Mormonism can interact with film: as a director/producer, as an actor, as a consumer/viewer, and as a critic. Some of the ideas were familiar to me, but just as many were new or stated in a more beautiful and succinct way that I had heard them before. I hadn’t seen some of the films mentioned, particularly the independent or artistic ones, which occasionally made the reading a bit harder. (Many of these films are now on my watch list.) But when I came across an essay that focused on something I had seen before, that’s when the book really spoke to me.

Essays I particularly enjoyed:
“The Case for Resurrection: A Mormon Movie Manifesto,” Barrett Burgin – I am one who enjoyed the much benighted Mormon cinema of the early 2000s. Mock me if you wish. But Burgin gives a deft analysis of what worked and what didn’t, and challenges creators to reclaim the movement in a more sincere and realistic way. His vision of the mainstreaming of films about Mormons is one I share for Mormon literature.

“Watching Bodies: An LDS Ethic of Spectatorship,” by Scott Parker – I admit that some of the philosophical language was a bit above my head, but I think this essay lays out a good case for how to morally and ethically move beyond the “wholesome,” Disney-level of movie watching into exploring films that are more tough to process.

“My Mother’s Broomstick: Navigating a Faith Crisis with Kiki’s Delivery Service,” Brooke Parker – I have never seen someone describe the point of Kiki as clearly as Brooke does in this essay, and it meshed well with the narrative of her own questioning of her beliefs.

“Groundhog Day,” Adam S Miller – More of a creative non-fiction piece than an essay, it reads much like the original film only even more intense because the author brings your life into the situation.

“Three Approaches to Crisis,” Chris Wei – Perhaps I enjoyed this one because of the abundance of references to films that I actually had seen, but I also think it’s an excellent analysis for dealing with a faith crisis. I could easily see (and I mean this as a compliment) this essay as a great basis for a 5th Sunday lesson on dealing with doubt and crisis, with the films mentioned being used as particularly vivid examples to the youth. Highly recommend this essay to everyone.