Page - 14 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 06/02

14 | Natalie Fritz and Anna-Katharina Höpflinger www.jrfm.eu 2020, 6/2, 7–20 We see Florence go through the most extreme emotional depths, where the pain is almost unbearable, but even there hope rises, and she finds a way out of the pain (fig. 6) and to a new strength. At the end, Florence sits in the water alone, her shattered self whole again. She is very wet after a short dive through the water, and touches her still in- tact body with a certain astonishment and sensitivity. A new chapter of self love and self esteem can begin. She is blessed and in a sense has baptised her- self. Throughout this whole ceremony of rebirth, her gaze is directed upwards. The interaction of the textual characterisation of an emotion and its visual representation in Big god is clearly religiously charged. The music video’s choreography highlights emotional aspects of the song’s lyrics by visualising them. Florence is not only visually but also metaphorically almost naked – she cannot hide her feelings beneath her clothes, which are almost transparent and actually underwear. This music video gives us a multidimensional rep- resentation of emotions, as pure as it gets. Art historian Hans Belting proposes that an image (understood in a broad sense) does not come from nowhere but has its roots in our cultural imag- inary, which has been fed over the centuries with vast numbers of images, which are more or less popular depending on the socio-political situation.15 15 “But it is not at all obvious what we mean when we refer to a ‘new’ image, for all past images were once new. Some may seem new because they employ a new medium or Fig. 4: Getting better after profound sadness. Music video still from Big God, Florence + The Machine, 00:01:57.