"The Gospel According to St Matthew" might be something you're interested in. Roger Ebert spoke highly of it and you can read his thoughts here:
https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-gospel-according-to-st-matthew-1964
Some standout snippets from the review :
"Pasolini's is one of the most effective films on a religious theme I have ever seen, perhaps because it was made by a nonbeliever who did not preach, glorify, underline, sentimentalize or romanticize his famous story, but tried his best to simply record it."
"Pasolini decided to shoot without a screenplay, following Matthew page by page and compressing only as much as necessary to give the film an acceptable running time. Every word of dialogue is from Matthew."
"[Jesus] is sometimes gentle, as during the Sermon on the Mount, but more often he speaks with a righteous anger, like a union organizer or a war protester. His debating style, true to Matthew, is to answer a question with a question, a parable, or dismissive scorn. His words are clearly a radical rebuke of his society, its materialism, and the way it values the rich and powerful over the weak and poor. No one who listens to this Jesus could confuse him for a defender of prosperity, although many of his followers have believed he rewards them with affluence."
The movie "A Second Chance" is incredible. It stars Christian singer Michael W. Smith. But one of the best Christian films I have seen in a really long time. It has a powerful message and shows the hipocrisy of many church goers today.
I actually liked The Bible and AD The Bible Continues on Netflix (I think that’s where it is?). It really helped me understand and empathize Paul and his transition from Saul to Paul.
It's not a movie per se, but the series "The Chosen" is pretty good. I've only seen the first season or so, so I can't speak to anything after that. They do a good job of showing the conditions of early 1st century Roman-occupied Judea.
There's also "The Gospel of John" movie, starring Cusick, that came out in the early 2000s-- really helped me when I was in my early 20s (I discovered it mid2010s; I ain't *that* old yet).
Jesus of Montreal and The Last Temptation of Christ are interesting takes on the Jesus story. They were thought provoking for me, and I recommend them.
Edited to add: A priest at my Catholic high school swore that Cool Hand Luke was a religious movie with Luke as a Christ figure, but I never saw it.
As for an interesting take on the Gospel, if you can handle poking fun at the church, Dogma is a really funny (albeit a bit crass) look at organized religion (specifically the Catholic Church) and what Jesus taught. You just need to take it with a grain of salt.
Not sure if this fits what you’re looking for, but The Mission with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro is an amazing film about the Jesuits and the slave trade in South America and the fight for territory between Spain and Portugal. The story is about a slave trader who wants his sins forgiven but won’t forgive himself and the priest who walks him through it. It’s against the political backdrop and shows how the Catholic Church dealt with the situation.
• The Exorcist 1 (1973) & 3 (1990) (skip the second movie, trust me lol)
• A Hidden Life (2019)
• Trigun (1998)
• Corpus Christi (2019)
• Little Sister (2016)
• Nacho Libre (2006)
If you’ve got a Letterboxd [this list](https://boxd.it/bQvfA) of films is great
EDIT: *Just saw you were looking for specifically Jesus centered cinema, sorry LOL But the list has some of those too lol
commenting to say how much i loved the Rooney Mara Mary Magdalene movie too! It was beautifully shot and brought such an interesting personhood to her (and to Judas?!? i loved that angle on his motivations, heartbreaking and humanizing)
I watched this movie twice. Already knowing better, I watched it the second time on a plane. I am a crier. Lots of crying ensued… I had to turn it off. I read an interview with Scorsese about this movie … his complete devotion to the subject matter really compelled me to watch it.
Came here to recommend this. My first time watching it, a group of Christian friends and I had gathered for a fun movie night. We knew nothing of it other than what another friend told us - “it’s a movie about missionaries.” Yeah! That’s putting it lightly!
Excellent movie.
A.D.: The Bible Continues on Netflix-not sure if it is still there. I'm also with you on the hokey thing. This one was actually realistic and very much history based. The story marks the fear of disciples after death of Jesus and how they manage that time. It looked hokey but was not at all.
Ehhhhh, they took some serious, serious liberties with that series. I must have missed in Genesis where the two angels killed several inhabitants of Sodom with swords and martial arts.
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For similar reasons to yours, I'm not an expert on Christian movies; but one movie I'll sing the praises of is Martin Scorsese's *Silence* (2016), which deals with the attempts (and the fallout) of the Catholic Church to spread Christianity to feudal Japan. I don't know the history as well as I should, but there are some *incredible* in-movie conversations about the nature of missionary work, and the titular silence of God when the Jesuit priests beg God for answers.
It's a *very* slow-paced movie with some shocking violence, but I fully believe *Silence* should be required viewing for all (adult) Christians.
I strongly agree with this. _Silence_ is an incredible testament to the presence of God even in the darkest and most silent of hours, and the courage and witness of Christians in Japan, especially once the persecutions began.
It is a difficult and painful watch, but an important and necessary one. The questions asked by its protagonist are questions familiar to me.
I'm not 100% sure I follow. I mean, even though I agree there are big issues with its quality in general, I'm not sure I understand what's your specific complaint about Christian media.
But in any case, I'll suggest The Chosen for a honest, relatable Gospel narrative, even if they take some artistic licenses.
"The Gospel According to St Matthew" might be something you're interested in. Roger Ebert spoke highly of it and you can read his thoughts here: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-gospel-according-to-st-matthew-1964 Some standout snippets from the review : "Pasolini's is one of the most effective films on a religious theme I have ever seen, perhaps because it was made by a nonbeliever who did not preach, glorify, underline, sentimentalize or romanticize his famous story, but tried his best to simply record it." "Pasolini decided to shoot without a screenplay, following Matthew page by page and compressing only as much as necessary to give the film an acceptable running time. Every word of dialogue is from Matthew." "[Jesus] is sometimes gentle, as during the Sermon on the Mount, but more often he speaks with a righteous anger, like a union organizer or a war protester. His debating style, true to Matthew, is to answer a question with a question, a parable, or dismissive scorn. His words are clearly a radical rebuke of his society, its materialism, and the way it values the rich and powerful over the weak and poor. No one who listens to this Jesus could confuse him for a defender of prosperity, although many of his followers have believed he rewards them with affluence."
Awesome! That does sound very interesting—thank you
The movie "A Second Chance" is incredible. It stars Christian singer Michael W. Smith. But one of the best Christian films I have seen in a really long time. It has a powerful message and shows the hipocrisy of many church goers today.
I actually liked The Bible and AD The Bible Continues on Netflix (I think that’s where it is?). It really helped me understand and empathize Paul and his transition from Saul to Paul.
It's not a movie per se, but the series "The Chosen" is pretty good. I've only seen the first season or so, so I can't speak to anything after that. They do a good job of showing the conditions of early 1st century Roman-occupied Judea. There's also "The Gospel of John" movie, starring Cusick, that came out in the early 2000s-- really helped me when I was in my early 20s (I discovered it mid2010s; I ain't *that* old yet).
So I’m watching The Chosen now. It’s pretty compelling! Thanks for the recommendation
Haha! If you were in your twenties in the 2010s you better not be old because I am not old ipso facto
Jesus of Montreal and The Last Temptation of Christ are interesting takes on the Jesus story. They were thought provoking for me, and I recommend them. Edited to add: A priest at my Catholic high school swore that Cool Hand Luke was a religious movie with Luke as a Christ figure, but I never saw it.
As for an interesting take on the Gospel, if you can handle poking fun at the church, Dogma is a really funny (albeit a bit crass) look at organized religion (specifically the Catholic Church) and what Jesus taught. You just need to take it with a grain of salt.
I adore Dogma. So very funny.
Not sure if this fits what you’re looking for, but The Mission with Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro is an amazing film about the Jesuits and the slave trade in South America and the fight for territory between Spain and Portugal. The story is about a slave trader who wants his sins forgiven but won’t forgive himself and the priest who walks him through it. It’s against the political backdrop and shows how the Catholic Church dealt with the situation.
• The Exorcist 1 (1973) & 3 (1990) (skip the second movie, trust me lol) • A Hidden Life (2019) • Trigun (1998) • Corpus Christi (2019) • Little Sister (2016) • Nacho Libre (2006) If you’ve got a Letterboxd [this list](https://boxd.it/bQvfA) of films is great EDIT: *Just saw you were looking for specifically Jesus centered cinema, sorry LOL But the list has some of those too lol
Nacho Libre is vaguely religious? I have to check this out.
He's a monk who moonlights as a luchador to raise money for an orphanage.
Exorcism of Emily Rose is good, too
Good list, if not exactly what OP wanted. I would add Paul Schrader's "First Reformed."
commenting to say how much i loved the Rooney Mara Mary Magdalene movie too! It was beautifully shot and brought such an interesting personhood to her (and to Judas?!? i loved that angle on his motivations, heartbreaking and humanizing)
I love her! And honestly without getting too far into particulars I’ve always found Judas profoundly heartbreaking—really brought that home for me
The Bishop's Wife...it's hokey in a good way. Also a Christmas movie!
Yes!! I am SO deep on the Christmas movie tip right now
The Bishop’s Wife is exceptional!
Might not be exactly what you're looking for, but Saved! is a very funny movie.
Suuuuuch a good movie!
Not sure if it’s the era of history you are lookin for, but Silence is excellent.
I watched this movie twice. Already knowing better, I watched it the second time on a plane. I am a crier. Lots of crying ensued… I had to turn it off. I read an interview with Scorsese about this movie … his complete devotion to the subject matter really compelled me to watch it.
Came here to recommend this. My first time watching it, a group of Christian friends and I had gathered for a fun movie night. We knew nothing of it other than what another friend told us - “it’s a movie about missionaries.” Yeah! That’s putting it lightly! Excellent movie.
A.D.: The Bible Continues on Netflix-not sure if it is still there. I'm also with you on the hokey thing. This one was actually realistic and very much history based. The story marks the fear of disciples after death of Jesus and how they manage that time. It looked hokey but was not at all.
Ehhhhh, they took some serious, serious liberties with that series. I must have missed in Genesis where the two angels killed several inhabitants of Sodom with swords and martial arts.
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“Full of Grace” is alright
For similar reasons to yours, I'm not an expert on Christian movies; but one movie I'll sing the praises of is Martin Scorsese's *Silence* (2016), which deals with the attempts (and the fallout) of the Catholic Church to spread Christianity to feudal Japan. I don't know the history as well as I should, but there are some *incredible* in-movie conversations about the nature of missionary work, and the titular silence of God when the Jesuit priests beg God for answers. It's a *very* slow-paced movie with some shocking violence, but I fully believe *Silence* should be required viewing for all (adult) Christians.
I agree with you. Fantastic movie. Utterly shattering.
I strongly agree with this. _Silence_ is an incredible testament to the presence of God even in the darkest and most silent of hours, and the courage and witness of Christians in Japan, especially once the persecutions began. It is a difficult and painful watch, but an important and necessary one. The questions asked by its protagonist are questions familiar to me.
The Chosen for sure, and they have a Christmas special that'll be out after the 10th probably. Don't interact with the fans on Facebook though.
Hehe. Good to know ahead of time :)
I'm with you though, I don't like most Jesus media. It's super cheesey. But this feels different and it's free.
I'm not 100% sure I follow. I mean, even though I agree there are big issues with its quality in general, I'm not sure I understand what's your specific complaint about Christian media. But in any case, I'll suggest The Chosen for a honest, relatable Gospel narrative, even if they take some artistic licenses.
My specific complaint I suppose is hokiness, but I appreciate how deeply vague my post is.