Worship at the Altar of Perry: Spectatorship and the Aesthetics of Testimony

In “Worship at the Altar of Perry: Spectatorship and the Aesthetics of Testimony,” Brandeise Monk-Payton encourages us to think more richly about the relationship between affect and testimony that is available to fans of Perry’s content. Calling Perry’s affective effect on his audiences a “cinematic ministry” that is replete with scenes of pulpit-like testimony, Monk-Payton examines faith-based affect as a type of responsiveness that characterizes intimate encounters with Perry’s films. In her reading of Perry’s 2012 film, Good Deeds, Monk-Payton theorizes that Perry, as title character Wesley Deeds, “testifies” for his fans using a mode of “cinematic address” that is predicated on the affective desire for the audience to engage in a version of African American expressivity.