Cover Habemus Papam: El Psicoanalista del Papa (2011) by Nanni Moretti
Aside from well-loved religious films that you could rewatch this Holy Week, there is also a number of films that could put your faith into test. Some were banned, some received rave reviews—these 10 critical films are sure to deliver theological debates you might have been looking for

1. The Nun's Story (1959) by Fred Zinnemann

Top billed by Audrey Hepburn, The Nun's Story is an adaptation of the 1956 novel of the same name by Kathryn Hulme. It tells the story of Gabrielle Van Der Mal who entered a convent of nursing sisters and received the religious name of Sister Luke. It explores the hidden world of cloistered nuns and tackles their struggles on obeying their solemn vows.

Available on Google Play

2. The Cardinal (1963) by Otto Preminger

Adapted from the 1950 novel of the same name by Henry Morton Robinson, The Cardinal sheds light on the priesthood vocation. The film begins with the protagonist Stephen Fermoyle (Tom Tryon) who is a newly ordained Irish Catholic priest assigned by the archbishop to a faraway parish where he is to learn humility. Set against the backdrop of World War I and the eve of World War II, the film explores the theme of a crisis of faith in various instances when the protagonist struggles to choose between what is right and what is kind.

Available on Google Play

3. Agnes of God (1985) by Norman Jewison

In this neo-noir drama mystery film, Jane Fonda takes in the role of a psychiatrist trying to find out the truth behind the allegations against Sister Agnes. The film gets creepier with the stories of Sister Agnes and the accounts of Mother Miriam, and the unknown presence of a man that Sister Agnes believes as God who sexually abused her.

Available on Google Play

4. The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) by Martin Scorsese

Martin Scorsese's famous epic religious drama film has garnered not only rave reviews but also protests against devout religious groups on the grounds of blasphemy. It is a fictionalised dramatisation of the Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth in a dream-like sequence wherein the Messiah chooses to abandon God's plan and live a married life with Mary Magdalene instead. The film ends with Jesus retracting his choice after seeing the burning city of Jerusalem, and finds himself on the cross yet again. 

Available on Google Play

5. Doubt (2008) by John Patrick Shanley

Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony Award-winning stage play by John Patrick Shanley, Doubt is one of the most critically acclaimed controversial films about the Catholic Church. It takes place in a Roman Catholic elementary school led by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep) who was given information by Sister James (Amy Adams) that Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) might have an intimate relationship with Donald Miller (Joseph Foster). 

Available on Google Play

6. Habemus Papam: El Psicoanalista del Papa (2011) by Nanni Moretti

This French comedy-drama film takes its name from the Latin phrase used upon the announcement of a new pope (Habemus Papam, which means "We have a Pope"). The film revolves around Cardinal Melville (Michel Piccoli) who, against his wishes, is elected pope. Panicked, he fails to appear on the balcony upon election and instead, seeks the help of a psychoanalyst (Nanni Moretti) to get him out of his mental crisis.

Available on Google Play

7. Spotlight (2015) by Tom McCarthy

Tom McCarthy's Academy Award-winning film was based on true events that have happened to The Boston Globe's "Spotlight" team, an investigative journalist unit, that uncovered the mysteries behind the cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests. Spanning from 1976 to 2002, the film shows key events that shook the Boston Archdiocese but only centered on the events leading up to the team's first article from its series.

The official radio service of the Holy See has praised the film for its "honest" and "compelling" storytelling, which helped the US Catholic Church "to accept fully the sin, to admit it publicly, and to pay all the consequences." In February 2016, a Vatican City commission on clerical sex abuse attended a private screening of the film. Generally, the Roman clergy sees the film as not anti-Catholic.

Available on Google Play

8. Silence (2016) by Martin Scorsese

Based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō, Martin Scorsese's religious film delves into the epic story of Portuguese Jesuit missionaries trying to spread Catholic Christianity in Edo-era Japan. It is known for its masterful cinematography and the script's representations of various spiritual themes. The film explores  the idea that "God speaks in silence", namely the silence of hidden Christians during a period when they were martyred for their unwavering faith.

Available on Google Play

9. Grâce à Dieu (2019) by François Ozon

Another foreign film on the list is the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winner of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, François Ozon's Grâce à Dieu (By The Grace of God). The film moves its spotlight from one character to another: the three survivors of a Catholic priest's abuse when they were still young boys. Based on true story, it portrays the struggle of Alexandre Guérin, François Debord, and Emmanuel Thomassin as they try to make Father Bernard Preynat (from the Archdiocese of Lyon) pay for his crimes instead of simply being reassigned to another parish. The film also shows Cardinal Philippe Barbarin who was eventually convicted in 2019 of covering up the abuse committed by Preynat. He resigned from his position last 06 March 2020.

Available on Google Play

10. The Two Popes (2019) by Fernando Meirelles

Perhaps the most talked about film right now in the list is Netflix's Academy Award-nominated biographical drama film by Fernando Meirelles. The Two Popes dramatises the journey to priesthood of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI and fictional conversations between the two before Benedict XVI abdicated the papacy in 2013. The film portrays the dichotomy between the contrasting philosophies of the two popes and humanises them by showing glimpses of their inner conflicts. Also, it opens up the scandalous Vatican leaks in 2012 that exposed alleged corruption in the Church as well as the sexual abuses of Marcial Maciel, a former Catholic priest who was close to Pope John Paul II. It was not mentioned in the film that in 2006, Pope Benedict XVI removed Maciel from active ministry based on the investigations he started when he was still in the Roman Curia. However, Maciel died in 2008 without ever asking for forgiveness.

Available on Netflix

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