I’m a film critic with a background in the academic study of religion. In grad school, I studied political theology and religious history (mostly Islamic and Christian) at Boston University. Prior to that, I studied religion, strategic communication, and English at Calvin University in Grand Rapids, MI. Though my studies have been focused on religion, I watch way too many movies and mostly write about film; often, because of my religious interest and education, my two interests flirt with and inform each other. I use the tools from my education—philosophies of beauty, theological aesthetics, political theories, etc—to help me make sense of the cinematic world. An example of this is my two-part series on the theological filmmaking and visual style of Paul WS Anderson. But I occasionally also just try to think through religious representations on film, such as my review of Josephine Decker’s The Sky is Everywhere (2022).

My religion writings can be found here amongst other places.

In addition to freelancing for publications like The Young Folks and Bay Area Reporter, I write monthly for “the post calvin” and regularly for The Boston Hassle. If you’re looking for even more movie stuff, I’ve been on Letterboxd for a few years. And here is my favorite episode from a now defunct film podcast that I hosted as an undergraduate with some friends (I know, cringe):