Car, Jesus, and Punk Rock

Kendrick Jacobs is a senior from Jupiter, Florida majoring in Religious Studies. The following blog post was written for REL 360: Popular Culture/Humanities.

Repo Man at first glance comes off as being another cult classic film. It captures a moment in American history you can’t read in a book or put your finger on, but if you asked someone who grew up in that time they would know exactly what you were talking about. The strange atmosphere put on by the satirical consumerism, dark comedy, and punk vibe that the movie has makes most people watch it and leave thinking nothing more than how weird it was to watch. But, underneath that tough punk exterior hides deep seated symbolism for religion. You would probably think it crazy if someone said it to you, but taking a closer look can really make this movie shine brighter than it already does.

The first religious symbolism in the movie is found in the movie’s theme itself, repo man. A repo man is not the kind of person you want to see ever in your life. They come and take your car from you when you least expect it. As shown in the movie, they break into, sneak into, and sometimes outright steal cars in order to get their job done. Now, with this image in mind, jump to what tax collectors were in Jesus’ time. Tax collectors would steal money and lie about how much was due in order to get a larger commission off of what they collected. When asked why he ate with tax collectors, Jesus responded by stating that he was sent not for the righteous, but for the sinners in Mathew 9:12. This same concept is seen in the movie because the repo men are able to drive the glowing car at the end of the movie without any protective gear or any special procedures. They simply get in the car and drive it off. This scene plays a vital role in the nuanced religious aspects of the movie because the federal agents wearing protective gear, and whose job it is to retrieve the car, are killed in the process of attempting to get close to it. The agents represent the Pharisees and Sadducees of Jesus’s time. Throughout the movie, the federal agents attempt to take the car by any means necessary but are thwarted by the repo men in the end.

Another aspect of symbolism is the rebirth symbolized in the movie. Although comedic in nature, the scene where the repo men go to Bud’s hospital bed give us a clear example of rebirth in the movie. Upon opening the door, the gang are greeted with an empty bed. The phrase “He is risen” is exclaimed by someone and they leave to find him. Bud’s hospital scene could go one of two ways in terms of symbolism. The obvious is that it is a jest at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and the opening of his tomb. This example would be most plausible because the exact same phrase is uttered in both scenarios. Also, Bud is the first to successfully drive the car without any need for extra equipment. After his driving, the car is able to glow and fly by some divine manner. One way of looking at this is to say that in the same way Jesus’s sacrifice was a way for others to follow him into heaven, Bud’s actions were a way for the repo men to amount to more in their society. Through his “resurrection” he was able to leave behind a new meaning for the repo men. No longer were they the lowly car stealing scumbags that society had seen them as, but instead, they had transcended to a place where the federal government agents were looking to them for guidance. Another way his death can be seen as symbolism is through the resurrection of Lazarus. The reasoning for this is because Bud is definitely not a saint nor is he the “Jesus” of the repo men.

Overall, Repo Man was a great movie that combined comedy with grinding pop culture to weave a time and place that many would consider real fiction in a way. Through the clever placement of symbolism, many religious properties come through which make the repo men look like the disciples of Jesus. Coming back to this symbolism, the car in the movie can be seen as a sort of Holy Ghost left behind by Bud for the other repo men, or maybe even the Kingdom of Heaven itself. This final analysis comes from the idea that Jesus taught in Mark that it would be easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven. The underlying theme in Repo Man might just be this: The restructuring and reordering of power that leads to those hated by society, be they a punk or an unwanted car repo man, being put on top to the dismay of the higher ups.

One thought on “Car, Jesus, and Punk Rock

  1. Hey Kendrick. I really enjoyed your analysis of the cult film Repo Man that was posted to the Religion in Culture Blog on January 12, 2018. I must congratulate you on how well thought out your blog post was. You were able to make some interesting connections to religious themes that I would not have thought of. As of March 22, 2018, the date I am writing to you, I have not seen the cult classic film, because I am busy with my REL-104-600 class at the University of Alabama, a class which continues to defy my expectations. I had some trouble understanding some references you made to religion, because of my unfamiliarity with religious history. I was unfamiliar with Pharisees and Sadducees, and wondered how they paralleled the agents depicted in the film. From what I understand, the film uses themes that parallel religious history. Repo men are like tax collectors, the alien car represents Jesus (or the idea of Jesus), and many of the scenes and dialogue have deeper religious meaning. The number of connections you made were astonishing, but I found the symbolism did not aid the story in a significant way, at least from what I understand. The connections were not broad, but they struggle to stay consistent with the characters in the film, and the figures in religion. Do you think the added symbolism in the film aids the thesis, and if so, how does would the film change without it? I am happy I read your blog post, and I thank you for your contribution to my studies.