The Rapture: Weekly Response #6

The Rapture is not the best example of an apocalyptic film, but I still did see some familiar themes that we have previously discussed during class in the film.

For example, like John in the Book of Revelation, the main character Sharon abandons her life full of sex and sin and claims it dirty. She goes through purification to cleanse herself by washing her sheets and taking a shower. When she gets out of the shower, she clothes herself in clean white linen, just as some of the pure characters dressed in the Book of Revelation (examples: 19.8 & 19.14).

There is also the theme of waiting for the Apocalypse to come throughout the film. Like in the Book of Revelation, there is no distinct date of the Apocalypse. Sharon and her daughter are constantly waiting in the desert for the Apocalypse to come. Their prophet had not given them an exact day of judgment.

Of course, while there are some themes that resonate throughout the film, The Rapture, like most of my classmates pointed out, there are even more inconsistencies. For example, John’s dislike of women in the Book of Revelation made me question the use of a female protagonist instantly. If this film was based on the Book of Revelation, I saw no hope at all for Sharon. Despite the fact that she renounced her old lifestyle, I do not think that John would think her worthy of being saved because of her previous promiscuity. John already does not favor women, but the fact that Sharon is neither pure nor a virgin does not put her in an agreeable position. Though there are some apocalyptic themes in The Rapture, it is still not the best example of a film that uses themes from the Book of Revelation.