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Abstract
This article analyzes the representation of the priest in cinema between 1930 and 2025, with the aim of tracing its narrative-symbolic transformations. The research qualitatively analyzes significant films from different contexts, employing tools of film hermeneutics and reception studies. The results reveal three major stages: in classical cinema (1930-1960), the hagiographic and apologetic image predominates; from the 1970s onward, the priest appears marked by secularization and the psychologization of guilt; in the contemporary period (2000-2025), a plurality of approaches stands out, including institutional critique, exploration of existential crises, and silent spirituality. The analysis also highlights how cinema plays a role in the construction of the social imaginary, either supporting the moral authority of the Church or questioning it in the face of contemporary controversies. It concludes that the cinematic priest gave way as a symbol of religious authority to be represented as a mediator of spiritual and social tensions.
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