Minute 39

Minute 39 (by Davina Glaser)

In minute 39 of the film, a scene can be seen which appeared to me as a baptism. The focal point of this scene is a woman. She is first led into the lake, then baptised, and then led away from the baptism, looking unhappy. This scene made me think about religion or more specifically, the relationship between women and religion. Thus, I decided to create a video in order to explore the relationship between women and religion as it is depicted in different forms of media in an attempt to draft a commentary on it. My video, which I titled “rebirth“, includes various artworks, scenes and stills from films, TV shows and a short film, as well as music by American singer-songwriter Ethel Cain. Through these, I attempt to illustrate the two contrasting images of women and religion as they are painted: she, who is holy (though not in her own right) and suffering, and she, who is a temptress and in close relation to evil. As Barbara Creed puts it in her work exploring the monstrous feminine, a woman is to be either a virgin or a whore.