Page - 123 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 02/02

Beyond Cinematic Stereotypes | 123www.jrfm.eu 2016, 2/2, 123–140 Sofia Sjö Beyond Cinematic Stereotypes Using Religion to Imagine Gender Differently ABSTRACT In films, religious characters are often gendered in quite traditional ways, but there are some notable exceptions. This article discusses two Scandinavian films that partly break the mold. The analysis illustrates how in films varied forms of religion are gen- dered quite differently, and explores the ways in which religious themes can open up for alternative male and female characters. Different ways of understanding the representations are discussed and related to views on the place and role of religion in the contemporary Scandinavian context. The article draws on the mediatization of religion theory as a theoretical framework, but also highlights the challenges that complex images of gender and religion pose to this theory. KEYWORDS scandinavian cinema, religion, spirituality, gender, mediatization, agency BIOGRAPHY Sofia Sjö is a researcher and lecturer in Comparative Religion at Åbo Akademi Univer- sity. She received her doctorate in Comparative Religion from Åbo Akademi University in 2007. Her research interests include: religion and film, religion and media, digital religion, religion and gender, religion and youth. INTRODUCTION Gender and film has long been an interest of mine, as has been the relationship between religion and film. I have also occasionally combined these interests and discussed the gendering of religious characters and themes in films.1 In this article, I want to further explore questions of religion and gender in film, with the focus on Scandinavian films, a favorite area of research of mine. Finding 1 Sjö 2007a; Sjö 2013a, Sjö 2015a; Sjö/Häger 2015.