Beyond the Matrix: Revolutions and Revelations

Can we unplug? The groundbreaking Matrix trilogy dares us to do something as terrifying as Neo's leap from a skyscraper and discover our true selves and live our unique lives. Citing scenes from all three movies, Stephen Faller plugs into the richly textured and deeply interwoven network of religion, philosophy, Western values, and popular culture to reveal the films' many layers of meaning. He parallels the conceptions of Andy and Larry Wachowski-The Matrix creators-with those of such visionaries as Socrates, Descartes, Kierkegaard, Freud, Orwell, Huxley, and Spielberg, as well as explores the Matrix as an expression of the fears, the quests, and the dreams humankind has struggled to define and conquer. Faller's journey through the Matrix does not stop at the movies. He uses the concept to uncover the matrices that exist in our own society (racism, bureaucracy) and in our lives (game playing in relationships). Faith and love have the power to challenge these matrices which bind us today. Faller encourages us to examine the systems that keep us captive, and he inspires us to have the faith to make the jump to liberation, to be truly free.

Stephen Faller is a chaplain in Trenton, N.J., and is the author of Beyond the Matrix and Reality TV: Theology in the Video Era, from Chalice Press