Contemplating Law, Film and Mennonites

Abstract

In this article, I put Carlos Reygadas’ prize-winning art film, Stellet Licht, to use for Law and Film purposes. Stellet Licht (or Silent Light) is the first film made in the medieval German/Prussian dialect, Plautdietsch (or Low German), and filmed in an Old Order (very conservative) Mennonite colony in Mexico. Viewers of Stellet Licht must be prepared to be contemplative because the film often eschews dialogue or action in favour of contemplation. This fictitious film invites us to contemplate a heterosexual love triangle and provides a novel site for thinking about how law and patriarchy can unconsciously work in our lives. When we do the contemplative work invited by the film, we not only see law differently, but we can also imagine miraculous reconciliation between people.