Pitfalls of the Pseudo-Biblical Films

Abstract

In the first decades of the 21st century, more than 70 feature films have already been produced in various cultural and religious contexts, with Jesus of Nazareth as the central figure; among them there is the ambitious and innovative project of the series The Chosen, scheduled for seven seasons. The creators are inspired by the Gospels and other books of the Bible, but many of these works, uncritically adopted by some catechists, turn out to be films that depart from the content and meaning of the biblical books (e.g. The Shack, Noah). In this way, do attractive works of audiovisual popular culture, produced outside the context of the Church’s faith, reinterpreting profoundly the content of the Gospels, not become new loci theologici, however, leading the viewer into theological pitfalls?