Page - 52 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 01/01

52 | Mia lövheim www.jrfm.eu 2015, 1/1, 45–56 nected to “marriage and family” as core elements of the “consistent” and “true” values the Church offers in an “unruly” world. The Coca Cola commercial’s opening scene of an attractive man getting dressed after a swim is presumably shot through the gaze of the young woman encounter- ing this sight while walking on a sunny beach. in this, the video reverses the conven- tional “male gaze” in films that subjects women to a heterosexual male’s desire and control.23 This is accomplished by the camera’s focus on the woman’s sexual desire, represented by her yearning eyes, her movements including the eager consumption of the drink, and the inciting music. The unexpected twist at the end of the com- mercial takes place when the attractive man on the beach turns out to be a priest, as signalled by his white priest’s collar. The man/priest approaches the girl, but instead of responding to the attraction signalled by her with the expected kiss, he offers her a blessing by making the sign of the cross on her forehead. as he walks away, the girl is shown left with the can of Coca Cola and an expression of confusion. This disruption or twist in the narrative is constructed through a combination of unconventional and conventional themes, where the commercial plays not only with heterosexual gender conventions – the attraction between men and women – but also with the convention or tacit understanding of Christian people as conservative and restrained in terms of sexual morals. MeDiaTisaTiON aND reliGiOUs ChaNGe: (RE)MAKING A DIFFERENCE? According to Hjarvard’s theory of the mediatisation of religion, instances of “banal religion”, such as commercial videos, challenge the power of religious institutions and belief systems to define and control the meaning of religious symbols as these become used and circulated in new contexts and for other purposes. in line with this theory, we could interpret these videos as an example of how religion changes in con- temporary society from institution and dogma to a more personalised, bricolage form of religion where symbols and practices can be used for purposes such as promoting popular drinks. however, as the discussion about the theory has shown, mediatisation of religion is a complex process in which the cultural and religious context in which a media text is situated also plays a part. Of the approaches presented above, hepp and Krönert’s analysis of the Catholic World youth Day represents an interesting point of departure for interpreting the commercial Catholics Come Home. In Hjarvard’s presentation, “religious media” represents a category where religious institutions gradually come to adapt to the media logic, which leads to individualisation and the weakening of the normative, collective aspects of religion. hepp and Krönert’s social interaction 23 Mulvey 1975, 6–18.