The film industry quite often gets religion wrong. Either the industry completely misunderstands faith (think Noah and the recent Exodus), or the movies are so saccharine that theaters ought to offer diabetes testing for movie-goers on the way out of the theater (Left Behind and anything else Kirk Cameron has been involved with). This is really too bad, because movies are an art form that have the power to move us, to make us think, to ponder more deeply critical questions of our fallen human nature, our relationships with others and with God.
Zelda Caldwell, at Aleteia, has put together a nifty list of ten great religious films you can watch now on Netflix. Each of these has their own merit, and there is a nice range of films included. I’ll note just a few here:
Ida (PG-13) follows a young nun-to-be in post-WWII Poland, trying to come to terms with the war. This Polish film has been nominated for the 2015 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film.
The Bicycle Thief (unrated) is a 1947 Italian film about a poor man who has his bike stolen and he his struggle to find a job to support his family.
The Way (PG-13), directed and produced by Emilio Estevez and starring Martin Sheen, depicts a grieving father trying to find solace over the death of his son while making the pilgrimage of the Camino de Santiago.
The Keys of the Kingdom (unrated) stars Gregory Peck as a young priest who discovers his calling as a missionary to China.
Read “January 2015: Top Ten Movies About Faith Now Streaming on Netflix” at Aleteia.
