Biblical Narratives in INTERSTELLAR (Christopher Nolan, US/GB 2014)

Abstract

Religion is an essential marker of culture, for its doctrines reflect the systems of thought and values of any given civilization. The Christian faith and culture of the West were in turn based upon the holy scriptures of the Jews. Christian and the Jewish religions ergo view the Hebrew Bible as a holy text – as absolute truth. It is still possible to recognize the imprint of myths and narratives originating in the biblical text, as well as other religious Christian sources, in many Western cultural productions. The present article considers the presence of biblical narratives and myths in contemporary cultural productions based on an analysis of the science fiction film Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, US/GB 2014). Interstellar follows the space voyage of a team of experts sent through a wormhole to search for a planet fit for human settlement since Earth is in the grips of ecological catastrophe that threatens to wipe out humanity. A narrative analysis of the film reveals that it draws much of its inspiration from Judeo-Christian sources, particularly the narratives of the Old Testament. As a work of science fiction, Interstellar relies on the study of the physicist Kip Thorne, but, in addition to its scientific subject matter, the film is also replete with biblical narratives such as the apocalypse, Noah’s ark, the tale of the spies, prophecy and the tasking of the “chosen” one with a mission, signs and miracles, the ability to control nature and to create elements within it, and the idea of punishment in the form of being denied entranceto the promised land.

Keywords

• biblical narratives
• interstellar
• catastrophe
• science fiction
• western culture
• orientation
• mythology
• future humanity