The season of Lent should be time for spiritual reflection. Many give up meat and other luxuries for Lent. Fasting can be part of spiritual growth, but there’s more to faith development. Stories that help you reflect and talk about deeper topics can help you hone your faith and beliefs. We’d like to offer a list of inspirational movies for Lent. Not all are religious or even about the Easter season, but they will make you think.
- The Way (2010)
Martin Sheen plays an American doctor who goes to Spain to retrieve his dead son’s body. When he arrives, he determines to walk the spiritual trail, Camino de Santiago, with his son’s ashes.
- I Am David (2003)
This film is about a 12-year-old boy who escapes a labor camp to take a letter to Copenhagen. It’s based on a book by the same name. The boy is given a compass, a loaf of bread and told to trust no one on his journey. The people he meets along the way help him to learn to open up and feel again.
- Amazing Grace (2006)
This movie is about William Wilberforce, a member of the British Parliament who ended the British slave trade. The movie received multiple awards for its theme and screenplay. The title is in reference to the popular hymn, but the movie is about Wilberforce and the initial defeat of the bill that ended the slave trade.
- Wild (2014)
Reese Witherspoon plays a recently divorced woman who has no hiking experience in this film. Despite having no experience, Witherspoon’s character determines to hike part of the Pacific Crest Trail as part of a healing and redemption journey. The movie is based on a memoir by Cheryl Strayed.
- Chocolat (2000)
In this film, a young mother decides to open a chocolaterie in a small rural French town. She is a Bohemian atheist, who doesn’t fit in well with the community. She opens her shop at the beginning of Lent, tempting the people when the church is preaching abstinence and denial. Can she become part of a town or will she end up leaving? A beautifully told story of how challenging the status quo can change you and those around you.
- The Courageous Heart of Irena Sendler (2009)
This Hallmark production is more difficult to find on DVD, but it is available. Sendler is a Catholic social worker who saves Jewish children during World War II. It’s estimated that she smuggled more than 2,500 children to safety. She wrote down every child’s name and who the child was placed with, put those papers in a jar and kept it safe. The Gestapo arrested her, but she remained true to her mission.
- Still Alice (2014)
Julianne Moore won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of a professor who is afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease at a fairly young age. As the disease takes her memories, her family is also affected. Each of her children has their own way of coping. How do you hold on to life when your reality is going dark?
- God Is the Bigger Elvis (2011)
In this 37-minute documentary, you’ll learn about Dolores Hart, an actress who co-starred with Elvis Presley, Richard Wagner and Montgomery Clift. She was on her way to becoming a major name in the movie industry, but she stunned everyone when she left that life to become a cloistered nun.
- A Man for All Seasons (1966)
In this movie, Sir Thomas More stands up to King Henry VIII when Henry wanted to divorce Catherine of Aragon. More refused to sign the Oath of Supremacy, declaring Henry as the head of the church. It’s a great movie about conscience, power and remaining true to your principles, no matter what. If you can’t find the 1966 version of the film, look for the 1988 television movie version or try to catch the play of the same name.
