Red

The movie “Red” had no apparent direct connection to religion. However, after thinking about it, and listening to our class discussion, I realized that the point of watching this movie for a religious studies class was to recognize the purpose of religion, and to identify what replaces religion in times when there is none. Religion’s main purposes, as we have discussed numerous times in class, are to set moral guidelines for both the group and the individual, to give identity and community, and to explain the unknown, along with many others. Because this movie does not incorporate religion into its plot, the viewers must infer some other source for these important criteria.
Coincidence is used most frequently in the movie to explain the unknown and the unnatural. In countless instances throughout the movie, the characters are faced with situations that seem surreal, such as the seemingly bizarre connections between the characters or the symbols that reoccur throughout the movie. Many people in real life would explain these circumstances through religion or a higher being, but the movie uses coincidence to rationalize them. In everyday life, people who do not use religion find other ways to explain things as well. Many people are superstitious and use their superstitions to dictate certain aspects of their lives. If something bad were to happen, these people might blame it on the fact that they saw a black cat earlier that day, rather than using a metaphysical or religious explanation. This is similar to the Hindu tradition of Karma. In this case, if something bad happens to a person, the cause is a negative thing that the person did earlier. While this is a religious way of explanation, the movie articulately illustrates the non-religious aspects of explanation.