Czyściec by Michał Kondrat in the Light of Contemporary Teaching of the Church and the Pop-Cultural Turn in the Catholic Dogma

This article presents an attempt at an analysis of the fictionalised documentary Czyściec by Michał Kondrat (2020) in the context of the contemporary teaching of the Church and postulate of a popcultural turn in Catholic theology, formulated by Józef Majewski. Directing strategies, topoi, and graphic metaphors from this hybrid film – the script of which refers to Stefania Horak’s mystical experiences – are interpreted in the context of a long tradition of reflections on the topic of purgatory and the key principles of the post-conciliar teachings of the Catholic Church on this subject. These analyses and interpretations enable consideration of whether the said film aims at refreshing the forms of expression of purgatory-related topics. They also let the reader explore whether the mass-culture elements included in the film can help the viewer become more spiritually mature and whether they deepen the eschatological reflection.