New Netflix ‘Knives Out’ explores faith themes, director Rian Johnson says

Oscar-nominated director Rian Johnson said his Christian upbringing inspired Netflix’s newest “Knives Out” thriller, explaining that he set out to make “a movie about faith” that grappled with faith, doubt and the role of the church in American life.

The now-streaming “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” is largely set in a Catholic church in upstate New York over Easter weekend. It follows detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) who investigates a murder with the help of Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), an idealistic priest.

Accordingly RollingOut MagazineIn the film, both characters are at times forced to “confront the limitations of their own worldviews and reconsider their basic assumptions.”

Johnson told Netflix’s official fan site: I kept it The film was “the most difficult script he’s ever had to write” because it was so personal, he said Friday.

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Although he is no longer religious, Johnson said he grew up in a Christian home and that experience continues to influence him.

“I grew up very Christian,” Johnson said. “I’m not like that anymore, but when I was a teenager in my mid-twenties, I framed the world around me through the lens of my relationship with Jesus. That was a very important part of my life, so I have a lot of complicated feelings about all of this.”

Johnson said the film is full of religious Easter eggs, including references to biblical figures and stories. It also shows religious characters from different perspectives.

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” director Rian Johnson said the newest episode of the Netflix mystery series contains religious themes. (New photo by Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images for Netflix)

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Johnson said that Father Jud, for example, exhibits “Christ-like” behavior, while his character Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) takes an “us-versus-them approach to faith.”

“I feel strongly about faith: both from my own personal experience and how faith intersects with the cultural and civic life of our country, and how that intersection touches us all differently,” Johnson explained. “So it felt like rich ground for a good story.”

Actor Daniel Craig plays detective Benoit Blanc in Netflix’s “Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery.” (Tudum from Netflix)

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“Hollywood in Toto” podcast host Christian Toto said Johnson has managed to maintain a sense of balance.

Just as the first “Knives Out” bridged the political divide “in ways we rarely see,” the newest film aims to do the same with religion, the critic told Fox News Digital.

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“The director’s complex feelings about faith play out before our eyes,” he said. “Yes, the main character is a priest (Josh O’Connor) and he looks like the guy sitting next to you at the bar. Put aside his salty language. He’s still a kind and decent soul who understands how Christianity can save our souls. But Benoit Blanc, the series’ hero sleuth, is an atheist and proud of it. Daniel Craig’s sleuth still treats religion with a certain level of respect, despite some characters in the Christian community. The film, too, is far from faith-based storytelling, and some Christians may be offended by some elements of the story.”

“Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” opened in theaters over Thanksgiving weekend and arrived on Netflix on Friday.