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Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick
The objective of this dissertation is to discuss how spirituality is explored in the films Mirror (1975, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) and A Hidden Life (2019, dir. Terrence Malick) through the application of the concept of transcendence. This dissertation approaches transcendence from a spiritual framewor...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
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Centre for Film and Media Studies
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613330619760640 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Nkukwana, Oyisa Amahle |
| author2 | Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm |
| author_browse | Nkukwana, Oyisa Amahle Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm |
| author_facet | Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm Nkukwana, Oyisa Amahle |
| author_sort | Nkukwana, Oyisa Amahle |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The objective of this dissertation is to discuss how spirituality is explored in the films Mirror (1975, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) and A Hidden Life (2019, dir. Terrence Malick) through the application of the concept of transcendence. This dissertation approaches transcendence from a spiritual framework (removed from religion and theology) as opposed to the philosophical treatment it tends to receive in other literature. Recent discussions surrounding transcendence in film have been concerned with a films philosophical content, narrative content and aesthetic style and while these have merit, they tend to ignore the unique aspect of cinema that allows one to feel that sensation while viewing. As such, this dissertation identifies mood as the distinctive quality of cinema that allows it to be a medium for transcendence. In order to understand how this may be achieved, I arrive at three conditions of transcendence in film; point of view, the revelation as opposed to opposition and externalising the internal. To illustrate how these conditions function in a film of transcendence, I apply them to Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky's film Mirror (1975) as well as American director Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life (2019) as they are known to have spiritual engagement with the medium, albeit approached differently. By analysing Mirror and A Hidden Life, this exploration seeks to highlight transcendence's subjectivity and, paradoxically, its universality. I conclude my exploration by summarizing my findings and proposing that future studies be done to test the validity of these conditions. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41816 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:34:25.395Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Centre for Film and Media Studies |
| publisherStr | Centre for Film and Media Studies |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/41816 Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick Nkukwana, Oyisa Amahle Rijsdijk, Ian-Malcolm transcendence spiritual framework religion theology The objective of this dissertation is to discuss how spirituality is explored in the films Mirror (1975, dir. Andrei Tarkovsky) and A Hidden Life (2019, dir. Terrence Malick) through the application of the concept of transcendence. This dissertation approaches transcendence from a spiritual framework (removed from religion and theology) as opposed to the philosophical treatment it tends to receive in other literature. Recent discussions surrounding transcendence in film have been concerned with a films philosophical content, narrative content and aesthetic style and while these have merit, they tend to ignore the unique aspect of cinema that allows one to feel that sensation while viewing. As such, this dissertation identifies mood as the distinctive quality of cinema that allows it to be a medium for transcendence. In order to understand how this may be achieved, I arrive at three conditions of transcendence in film; point of view, the revelation as opposed to opposition and externalising the internal. To illustrate how these conditions function in a film of transcendence, I apply them to Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky's film Mirror (1975) as well as American director Terrence Malick's A Hidden Life (2019) as they are known to have spiritual engagement with the medium, albeit approached differently. By analysing Mirror and A Hidden Life, this exploration seeks to highlight transcendence's subjectivity and, paradoxically, its universality. I conclude my exploration by summarizing my findings and proposing that future studies be done to test the validity of these conditions. 2025-09-15T14:25:12Z 2025-09-15T14:25:12Z 2025 2025-09-15T14:22:36Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MA http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41816 en eng application/pdf Centre for Film and Media Studies Faculty of Humanities Universiy of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | transcendence spiritual framework religion theology Nkukwana, Oyisa Amahle Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick |
| title_full | Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick |
| title_fullStr | Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick |
| title_full_unstemmed | Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick |
| title_short | Searching for transcendence: an exploration of spirituality in the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Terrence Malick |
| title_sort | searching for transcendence an exploration of spirituality in the films of andrei tarkovsky and terrence malick |
| topic | transcendence spiritual framework religion theology |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/41816 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nkukwanaoyisaamahle searchingfortranscendenceanexplorationofspiritualityinthefilmsofandreitarkovskyandterrencemalick |