Screening the Afterlife

<p><em>Screening the Afterlife</em> is a unique and fascinating exploration of the ‘last things’ as envisaged by modern filmmakers. Drawing on a range of films from <em>Flatliners</em> and <em>What Dreams May Come</em> to <em>Working Girl</em> and <em>The Shawshank Redemption</em>, it offers the first comprehensive examination of death and the afterlife within the growing field of religion and film. Topics addressed include:</p><ul> <p> </p> <li>the survival of personhood after death</li> <p> </p> <li>the language of resurrection and immortality</li> <p> </p> <li>Near-Death Experiences and Mind-Dependent Worlds</li> <p> </p> <li>the portrayal of ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’.</li> </ul><p>Students taking courses on eschatology will find this a stimulating and thought provoking resource, while scholars will relish Deacy’s theological insight and understanding. </p> <p>Introduction. Acknowledgements 1. Mapping the Afterlife in Theology, Eschatology and Film 2. Resurrection or Immortality?: The Body and the Soul in Theology and Film 3. Near-Death Experiences and Mind-Dependent Worlds in Theology and Film 4. Towards a Cinematic Realized Eschatology: The Afterlife as Now 5. Heaven and the New Jerusalem as a Place on Earth: Case Studies of <em>Working Girl</em> and <em>The Shawshank Redemption</em> 6. Punishment or Rehabilitation?: Competing Perspectives on Hell in Theology and Film 7. Conclusion: Using Film to Revisit Eschatology. Bibliography. Index</p>