Psychology of Belief: WAKE UP DEAD MAN

This movie sticks in my head like few others. I love how the two heroes are an atheist and a devout priest, and both are depicted positively and respectfully.

The *lighting* in this movie is next level mastery.

What I adore about this movie is how it exists in such stark contrast to Glass Onion, without either film undercutting the other. Glass Onion is all about indulging in punitive justice against evil, in validating righteous fury and destruction. This movie is about offering grace even to those who have deeply wronged us. I also adore Blanc and Jud’s relationship as a contrast to Helen and Marta. For once, Blanc’s own biases lead to a tension between he and the person he’s here to assist- he can’t *help* but let his antipathy for religion bleed into how he treats Jud and Jud’s choices.

I like that they showed Louise, to show that there is a person on the other line of your phone call.

"SHE HAS BEEN HEALED!" Martha's over the top reaction to Simone getting out of her wheelchair lives rent free in my head. Simone has to exasperatedly explain that she's perfectly capable of walking, it's just painful to do so. We've all met or known someone like this.

The way this movie emphasizes that kindness and nobility are universal, such that while Jud doesn't convert Blanc to his religion - nor does he need to - but *does* convert him on the ethics of mercy and have a positive impact on his cynicism regardless of whether he's religious or not, is a brilliant element of the movie's emotional writing to me. The Benoit Blanc films just keep getting better and better with each installment.

I am a priest who worked as a consultant on this film from the time of the script writing through production. I appreciate how you highlighted the rich themes, especially the importance of making room at the table for people who disagree with us. In the character of Fr. Jud, we get a beautiful portrayal of a faithful priest and how to show mercy to our enemies. Great reflections! Thank you! -Fr. Scott Bailey

I enjoyed Vera's story the most. Usually, in stories where career women are tasked with having to care for a child, she'll end up getting accustomed to the role, warming up to motherhood. However, Vera never grows to love being a mother, and is distant towards Cy when he's an adult. It's cathartic for Vera to move away to get her own happy ending, away from having to meet the unrealistic expectations of the men in her life. She also easily empathises with Grace.

This is the best representation of Catholic priests I've seen lately. Yes, there are priests like Wicks, who, as fanatics, they make their own worldview an absolute truth. And then there's Jud, who's a young, enthusiastic priest, who makes service the center of his calling, as it should be (his scene with Louise on the phone makes me cry EVERY TIME). This movie, even though it was made by a non catholic as Rian Johnson (one of my fave directors lately!), makes clear what the Church says, but not excluding the posibility that people can misread the message and manipulate for their own gain.

I grew up hating organized Christian religions because of people like Wicks. Meeting more people like Jud helped me grow to be more open to religion in general. This movie is an outright miracle ❤.

I am an atheist and an addict currently trying to work through a 12 Step program. The idea of a “higher power” filled me with anxiety; how can an atheist possibly be successful in this program that invokes God regularly, despite the fact that it also states that anything can be used as your personal “higher power.” After significant consideration, I decided to consider Mr. Rogers as my personal “higher power.” As a GenX child of multiple divorces, Mr. Rogers was my most significant role model. He taught me kindness, empathy and to treat everyone with respect and equality. When I am feeling sad, anxious or triggered, instead of acting out, I sing “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood” until the feeling subsides.

The scene with Father Judd and Louise hit me so incredibly bc this was around the time my dad had just passed away from cancer. There was so many layers of empathy and true human compassion towards a soul who felt so lost…I related to that so strongly. Father Judd stopping the adrenaline of solving a murder to truly speak to Louise in her time of need was proof he was born to do this: being a priest.

Haven't seen the movie, but I thought, "It's Cinema Therapy, I'll give it a watch." Holy buckets. As a Christian, this video touched me on so many levels. I actually have a few tears running down my face as I watch, it's just so beautiful to see your universal compassion for anyone who needs it, who just needs to hear some more good in the world. This is the power of Storytelling. The power of humanity.

Skepticism is healthy, because - if properly applied - it leaves room for you to accept that you're wrong when presented with sufficient evidence. Cynicism is not, because it can twist that into immediate rejection of that same evidence that should sway an intellectually honest person. If you are a true skeptic, you can back your every belief with verifiable evidence of one form or another, and you know that being wrong FEELS EXACTLY like being right, until you're shown.

One of my favourite moments remains the one where the wheelchair user stands up and the old woman starts screaming about a miracle and gets shut down with "I can walk it just hurts". I felt so seen right there. Because sure I can walk, for around 10 metres (30ft) but not repeatedly, not without walking aids, and it hurts. Without a wheelchair I wouldn't make it more than 4 paces from home, so wheels are freedom. Despite years and years of working through the worries, I still get anxious moving my legs in my chair because some people are so caught up in "wheels means paralysed" and that's exhausting. Would love to see your analysis of ableism and representation of disability in movies because most of it is pretty frustratingly bad.

I loved the way Blanc's skepticism is written, because the typical angle of a skeptic in a movie is someone who views religion as childish or frivolous or delusional. Blanc's issue, on the other hand, has more to do with systemic corruption and faith being used as a cudgel to beat and repress people, which I find far more relatable; I'm not a very religious person myself, but nearly all the issues I have with religion have more to do with the organizations themselves and less to do with the actual beliefs.

As a PK, I recognized that shift when Father Jud realized he needed to be a priest and not a detective's sidekick. Love this movie.

I ADORE how this movie uses lighting, especially inside the church. It's telling it's own story, and gives its own hints about the characters and the murder itself. As an atheist, who leans more Blanc than Judd, I felt it did a good job of showing the two extremes of religious leaders: the Power-Tripping Bigot, and the Loving Tolerant Humanist.

thank god we finally got around to wake up dead man, it has to be by far the most emotional installment of the series and its core messages of grace and understanding others despite being at odds with their faith are something that we seldom get to see in film, especially a murder mystery lol. Good job team !!

I'm not religious at all. Don't plan to be! But I adored Father Jud. It was so easy to relate to him, understand his plight and cheer him on as he kept his own morals without shame. He made space for everyone to exist without humiliating them but also didn't take crap either and stood on his own! I was sad to see the movie end because he and Benoit made such a fun team together. "AND THEN... THAT'S IT!" Laughed so hard at that.