{"id":42439,"date":"2022-01-21T12:00:29","date_gmt":"2022-01-21T17:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=42439"},"modified":"2025-05-26T07:03:15","modified_gmt":"2025-05-26T13:03:15","slug":"my-top-religious-themed-movies-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2022\/01\/my-top-religious-themed-movies-ranked\/","title":{"rendered":"My Top Religious Themed Movies, Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"

A well done religious-themed movie can be a powerful spiritual experience. Unfortunately, the movie industry generally either shies away from religious themes (unless to deride them), or they fit in the Christian cinema niche that produces simple starches for the masses. It is hard to find a religious-themed movie that is authentically spiritually touching and has good production value, that\u2019s not sappy but also not cynical. Because of their rarity I\u2019m on a lifelong hunt. I\u2019ve scrounged foreign, domestic, old, and new, and these are the fruits of my labors (in order, so 1= my favorite). If I\u2019ve missed some, do let me know. They are rank ordered with favorite=1.<\/span><\/p>\n

1.\u00a0<\/span>Son of Saul\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

Academy award-winner for best foreign film in 2015. A Jewish concentration camp prisoner forced to help dispose of gas chamber bodies comes across the corpse of his son and tries to find a rabbi to say Kaddish. The cinematography is experimental (the camera focuses on his face the whole time), which creepingly makes the graphic horrors of the camp happening at the edges seem like a sideshow. Definitely not for kids, but a very powerful depiction of earnest, concrete faith.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. A Hidden Life<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Terrence Malik is controversial (aesthetically, not socially\/politically), but I like his work. <\/span>A Hidden Life<\/span><\/i> is the story of Franz J\u00e4gerst\u00e4tter, a (now beautified) Austrian Catholic living in the Alps who was executed for refusing to fight for the Nazis. The cinematography, music, and settings are gorgeous, and the dialogue and themes are very overtly Christian. Sometimes when life gets stressful here by DC I\u2019ll watch the last few minutes, which depending on my mood is either a depiction of the Millenium or the Zion-like farming hamlet that I want to move to.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Wit<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

First saw this in my BYU English class (shout out to Zina Petersen). Emma Thompson plays a English professor grappling with a terminal illness who gradually comes to terms with the shortcomings of her academic-driven life and, near the end, gets a glimmer of the numinous that is described in the poetry she has studied her whole life without really \u201cgetting it.\u201d Very interpretively rich movie that made me want to get into John Donne.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Tree of Life\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Again, Malik is controversial, so don\u2019t skip the rest of the list if he’s not your thing. In this movie, Malik\u2019s explicit voice-over philosophizing about nature and grace doesn\u2019t do it for some people, but I thought it added more than it took away. For some of Malik\u2019s movies it makes as much sense to watch them for the plot as it does to watch a painting for the plot.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When what I thought I wanted to be when I grew up wasn\u2019t turning out, I kept thinking back to the scene where Brad Pitt\u2019s character\u2019s business fails and he comes home to his kids: \u201cyou\u2019re the only thing that I have, and you\u2019re the the only thing that I want to have.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The non-CGI creation scene with quotes from Job playing in the background convinced me that CGI was a copout that we haven\u2019t recovered from.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Midnight Mass<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A definitely-not-for-kids miniseries from an atheist writer. A mysterious priest is assigned to an isolated island town and the residents deal with all sorts of heavy religious issues such as faithfulness to tradition, conversion, skepticism about miracles, the afterlife for miscarried children, religious epistemology, and non-believers grappling with a world without grace for sins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t want to watch the whole series, episode 4 from 27-37 (minutes in, not minutes left), is one of the most powerful religious discussions of miscarriages and the afterlife I’ve ever seen on film. Also, vampires burning up while Muslims are performing their morning prayer to \u201cnearer my God to thee\u201d is surprisingly touching.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Amazing Grace<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Story of the religiously motivated campaign to abolish slavery in England. Great acting, somewhat predictable, but it\u2019s clearly supposed to be a feel good \u201cfamily film,\u201d and for that aim it succeeds admirably well.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Les Miserables <\/em>(2012 film)<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m a huge Les Mis fan. In this version the all-star casting was close to perfect, so I think this is the best movie depiction we\u2019ll ever get. The deathbed scene was one of those \u201cwatch when I need a spiritual\/emotional lift\u201d go tos for me for a while.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

8. Silence<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A pair of Jesuit priests undertake a dangerous journey to then anti-Christian Japan to try to serve the underground Catholic community there and save their mentor who apostatized.\u00a0 My favorite \u201cvoice of God\u201d scene in cinema is near the end of the film. The \u201ceveryman\u201d theme of chronic sin and repentance is heart wrenching.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun fact: a BYU professor is the translator for\u00a0 Sh?saku End?, the author of the book the movie is based on; although he didn\u2019t translate Silence he consulted with Martin Scorsese on the film.<\/span><\/p>\n

9. Noah<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Great production value, takes the scriptural source material seriously enough to be true to it, and not just the mainstream 21st century understanding of it (with some Hollywood, of course). The left can be just as preachy about their issues as any cheesy Hallmark movie, but <\/span>Noah<\/span><\/i> delivers a message about creation that is powerful without being didactic. Also, Russell Crowe reciting the Genesis creation story, enough said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

10. Calvary\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A good Catholic priest struggles to minister to a jaded congregation in post-sex abuse scandal Ireland. During a confession an anonymous parishioner reveals that because he was an innocent who was victimized by a then-deceased priest, he will seek justice by murdering an innocent priest. The priest continues to go about doing good among his non-appreciative congregants while preparing for his own death. I have no idea how they made a film that managed to be both authentically tender and saturated with Quentin Tarantino-esque dark humor, but they did.<\/span><\/p>\n

11. States of Grace<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

In my opinion one of two good things to come out of the \u201cMormon cinema\u201d moment (Brigham City<\/em> being the other one), and this film is most certainly the apogee. It\u2019s a tragedy that it didn\u2019t receive more exposure; it\u2019s much more profound and artistically well done than anything in Mormon cinema before or since.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

12. The Chosen<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Series on the life of Christ is a little hit and miss, but the hits are powerful. Great character development. However, while I realize artistic depictions of the Savior are tricky and controversial, I\u2019m not a fan of super smiley Jesus (yes yes, I know this makes me a conservative curmudgeon).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

13. Color of Paradise<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Tear jerker Iranian film about an impoverished father who struggles with the difficulties in his life brought on by his religious son\u2019s blindness. The director, Majid Majidi, is better known for Children of Heaven<\/em>, which is also good, but I like this one better.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a014-17. \u00a0Fiddler on the Roof, Chariots of Fire, Gandhi,<\/em> and The Ten Commandments<\/em>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Growing up these were the classic \u201cSabbath appropriate\u201d Sunday night family movies that you\u2019d calendar in to watch with your family when you saw they were playing on public television. Of course, this was before the ubiquity of on-demand media options and smartphones killed family movie night. I\u2019m probably the last generation that remembers the thrill of finding out that a particular movie was playing on channel two.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

18. The Mission\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The second film on this list where Liam Neeson plays an Age of Discovery Jesuit trying to minister to an indigenous people. Probably most famous for its moving soundtrack, also a touching story of redemption.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

19. The Nativity<\/em> (the Church movie)<\/span><\/p>\n

Some might think that putting a Church production on here is like listing a Mormonad as a great religious work of art. Still, I\u2019ll defend this listing as one of the greatest nativity depictions on film.<\/span><\/p>\n

20. The Passion of the Christ\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

A controversial choice, but still probably the best cinematic depiction of the Passion Week. Again, while cinematic depictions of the Savior are tricky and risky, The Passion<\/em>\u2019s Christ feels more accurate to me than The Chosen<\/em>\u2019s depiction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

21. The Man who Knew Infinity<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Biopic about Ramanujan, one of the smartest mathematicians ever, who, with only a rudimentary formal education solved problems that had befuddled professional mathematicians for years. He attributes his mathematical inspiration to his hometown Goddess, to the befuddlement of his largely irreligious British Oxbridge colleagues.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

22. Arranged\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Charming, innocent romantic comedy about a friendship between an Orthodox Jewish and Muslim woman and their respective intra-faith dating lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

23. Hacksaw Ridge\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Story of a 7th Day Adventist conscientious objector who wins a Medal of Honor. Somehow manages to come off both as a feel-good family film and a gratuitously gory war film. Didn\u2019t appreciate how they seemed to downplay how his particular faith played into his decision to not carry a weapon, but still a powerful faith based movie.<\/span><\/p>\n

24. Cry, the Beloved Country\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

The book is great too, both so especially near the end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

25. Prince Egypt\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Moving soundtrack, great kids movie<\/span><\/p>\n

26. Guys and Dolls<\/em> (1955)<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the few movies where the highly religious character is the only one with her head on straight. The kind of movie I show my sons to give them ideas about the kind of person they should marry.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

27. Shadowlands\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Biopic about CS Lewis (played by the inimitable Anthony Hopkins) struggling with his wife\u2019s death. Fun rumor (but heard it from an actual MoTab member who was there), Anthony Hopkins is a MoTab fan.<\/span><\/p>\n

28. To the Wonder<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Another Terrence Malik film, not his best, but there\u2019s a subplot about a priest overcoming a faith struggle that is insightful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

29. Decalogue<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Polish miniseries about faith that was a standard at the BYU foreign cinema when I was there. Addresses faith issues through a variety of stories.<\/span><\/p>\n

30. Becket<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Story of Thomas Becket, who was supposed to be a political appointee as Archbishop of Canterbury who decided to take his spiritual responsibilities seriously and paid the ultimate price for it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

31. The Scarlet and the Black\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

My wife, half tongue in cheek, has stated that if I don\u2019t behave she\u2019s going to be Gregory Peck\u2019s plural wife in the afterlife, and between this movie and <\/span>To Kill a Mockingbird<\/span><\/i> you kind of understand why. Biopic about a priest in the Vatican who sheltered people from Captain Von Trapp<\/del><\/span>\u00a0the SS commandant in Rome.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

32. Gladiator<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Okay, not really a religious film, but the afterlife scene at the end is very powerful.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Possible future addition: The Way of the Wind<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Not out yet, but will probably be on this list, a forthcoming Terrence Malik film about the life of Christ with a great cast<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A well done religious-themed movie can be a powerful spiritual experience. Unfortunately, the movie industry generally either shies away from religious themes (unless to deride them), or they fit in the Christian cinema niche that produces simple starches for the masses. It is hard to find a religious-themed movie that is authentically spiritually touching and has good production value, that\u2019s not sappy but also not cynical. Because of their rarity I\u2019m on a lifelong hunt. I\u2019ve scrounged foreign, domestic, old, and new, and these are the fruits of my labors (in order, so 1= my favorite). If I\u2019ve missed some, do let me know. They are rank ordered with favorite=1. 1.\u00a0Son of Saul\u00a0 Academy award-winner for best foreign film in 2015. A Jewish concentration camp prisoner forced to help dispose of gas chamber bodies comes across the corpse of his son and tries to find a rabbi to say Kaddish. The cinematography is experimental (the camera focuses on his face the whole time), which creepingly makes the graphic horrors of the camp happening at the edges seem like a sideshow. Definitely not for kids, but a very powerful depiction of earnest, concrete faith.\u00a0 2. A Hidden Life Terrence Malik is […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10403,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1254],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42439","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-film"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42439","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10403"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42439"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42439\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":50090,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42439\/revisions\/50090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42439"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42439"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42439"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}