O olhar que evidencia o sagrado: hierofania pela forma no filme Lazzaro Felice

Abstract

This thesis investigates the potential of religion to infuse human existence and consciousness, drawing on the theoretical framework of Romanian historian of religion and philosopher Mircea Eliade. The work identifies, through Eliade's lens, the existential crisis of human beings in modernity, marked by the loss of cosmic religiosity and a detached relationship with the cosmos, which is perceived as mute and inert. The research proposes that, even in this scenario, the sacred does not disappear, but is “camouflaged,” and can be perceived and evidenced through new formats, with particular emphasis on cinematographic art. The theoretical foundation is anchored in Eliade's concepts of the morphology of the sacred and the profane, of non-homogeneous time and space, and, centrally, in the notion of hierophany coupled with the author's ontological thought. The research advances with an original hermeneutic contribution by interpreting hierophany not as a simple manifestation, but as the act of “rendering the sacred manifest,” an unveiling of what is already self-evident and immanent to reality. This approach supports the analysis of Homo religiosus and the search for an “ontological settlement” as a response to existential angst. As a methodological bridge for film analysis, the dissertation draws on Paul Schrader's theory of Transcendental Style, reconceptualizing it as a hierophanic style. This method allows us to analyze how the “form” of cinema—and not just its content—can be orchestrated to evoke and simulate a kind of encounter with the sacred through the constituent phases of this Style: everyday life, disparity, decisive actions, and ecstasy. The object of study for the interaction and testing of this theoretical instrument is the Italian film Lazzaro Felice (2018), by director Alice Rohrwacher. The analysis demonstrates that the film operates as a contemporary hierophany, as the main character Lazzaro is presented as the very embodiment of hierophany and his gaze functions as a pedagogical device for the evocation of the sacred. The form of the film, with its aesthetic and narrative choices, guides the viewer on a journey that culminates in a moment of ecstasy, exemplified in the scene of the “escape from the music” of the church, which redefines the characters' existence and resonates with the viewer. Thus, the work proposes a “restitution of the gaze,” functioning as a kind of secular liturgy that offers the possibility of a resumption of ontological settlement. The work thus revalidates the relevance of Eliade's thinking for the analysis of contemporary culture and affirms the potential of cinematic language as a powerful vehicle for the expression of the sacred.