Movies with a religious theme don’t always have to be overt. Religious elements are frequently delicately weaved into stories, occasionally appearing as a conflict between good and evil, moral problems, or the need to fit in.
Other instances have more blatantly faith-based religious implications.
Whatever the perspective, they all have introspective narratives that focus on lessons, values, and religious teachings.
Discover the top 11 religious films in the following paragraphs. How many of these have you seen?
Black Narcissus (1947)
The film “Black Narcissus,” which is based on the 1939 book of the same name, tells the tale of a tiny convent of sisters who are constructing a school and hospital in a castle in the remote Himalayan foothills.
The conflict between the nuns’ devotion and their attraction to the palace owner on a sexual level is what causes the tension. The film had gorgeous cinematography and received Academy Awards for Best Art Direction.
Minari (2020)
This film, which is based in part on the upbringing of filmmaker Lee Isaac Chung, tells the story of a Korean family trying to survive as farmers in Arkansas in the 1980s.
The movie, according to Angel Us News, isn’t overtly religious but instead focuses on how God works invisibly and how people cope with disappointment.
Divine love (2019)
The character of this Brazilian drama is a religious registry office employee who uses her job to try to stop couples from divorcing.
The movie received great marks from reviewers and had magnificent photography and a gripping plot. When the movie was being made, the director was only 35.
Atanarjuat: The Fast Runner (2001)
This film, which is based on an Inuit tradition, tells the tale of an evil spirit that causes havoc in a society and one warrior’s tenacity in the face of its devastation.
Variety claims that this was the first script ever to be written in the Inuit language of Inuktitut.
Maria Full of Grace (2004)
A young Colombian woman decides to become a drug mule for the cartel since she is in desperate need of money to support her family.
Catalina Sandino Moreno, who played the title role, made history by becoming the first actress to ever be nominated for Best Actress at the Academy Awards for a part that was performed entirely in Spanish.
The master (2012)
Joaquin Phoenix goes home and makes an effort to fit back into society. He connects with the founder of The Cause, a religious movement led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and finds fulfillment there. Amy Adams plays the leader’s wife in the movie as well.
Three Academy Awards were given to the picture, and director Paul Thomas Anderson told the BBC that it was his favorite movie he had ever done.
The seventh seal (1957)
The scenario is the time of the Bubonic Plague in Sweden. While engaged in a chess game with the Grim Reaper, a knight is seeking clarification about the nature of God, life, and death.
A chapter from the Book of Revelation is referenced in the movie’s title. IMDb claims that Ingmar Bergman made the movie as therapy for his crippling fear of dying.
The Rider (2017)
In “The Rider,” a young cowboy experiences a near-fatal head injury and must struggle to forge a new identity. According to The Christian Review, the movie challenges us to consider our morals and character, or, to put it another way, to appreciate our blessings in the midst of adversity and tragedy.
Hard to Be a God (2013)
A group of scientists depart from Earth for a mirror-image planet that is centuries behind in culture and technology in the Russian science fiction art film “Hard to Be a God.” It took director Alexei German about 40 years to conceive and 12 to complete, according to Roger Ebert, making it one of the most visually “disgusting” movies ever created.
Son of Saul (2015)
In “Son of Saul,” a Jewish-Hungarian prisoner in a concentration camp searches for a grave for a kid he believes to be his son.
The devastating Saul is the incarnation and merger of Jewish aggression and Jewish goodness, according to The New Yorker.
Schindler’s List (1993)
In the movie “Schindler’s List,” Liam Neeson plays Oskar Schindler, a businessman who begins to protect Jews from Nazi persecution while living in German-occupied Poland. According to Religion News, the movie has attained “canonical significance” among the Jewish community and teaches deeper lessons about our natural propensities for good and evil.
