Films with Religious Themes

There are so many films and tv series that engage with religious and theological themes. Explore some of these titles. They are organized by religious figures represented, so some will appear on more than one list. I have included access information where possible.

If you are interested in other pop culture and religion connections, visit Religion & Pop Culture Resources.

movies religion

Jump to a specific section: Eastern & Indigenous Religions | God & Gods & God's Family | Messianic Figures, "The Jesus" | Priests, Monks, Nuns, Pastors, & Rabbis | The Devil, Evil, & Horror | Angels & Demons | Afterlife & Immortality

Eastern & Indigenous Religions

Coco (2017)
Bernal, Gael G, Anthony Gonzalez, and Benjamin Bratt. Coco. United States: Disney, 2017. ACCESS: Swank Digital Campus

Frozen II (2020)
Buck, Chris, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, and Josh Gad. Frozen Ii, 2020. ACCESS: Disney+

Goddess Devi (1961)
Biswas, Chhabi, Soumitra Chatterjee, Satyajit Ray, Sachindranath Biswas, Saumitra Caṭṭopādhyāẏa, and Sharmila Tagore. Devi, 1961. ACCESS: YouTube [w/ English subtitles]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeopbSnT66Q

Little Buddha (2015) 
Bertolucci, Bernardo, Jeremy Thomas, Rudolph Wurlitzer, Ruocheng Ying, Mark Peploe, Keanu Reeves, Chris Isaak, Alex Wiesendanger, and Bridget Fonda. Little Buddha. Canada: Lions Gate Films, 2015. ACCESS: Daily Motion: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3o1fq7

Moana (2016)
Bush, Jared, Ron Clements, John Musker, Don Hall, Chris Williams, Jaedyn Randall, and Piripi Taylor. Moana, 2016. ACCESS: Disney+

Princess Mononoke (1997)
Crudup, Billy, Billy B. Thornton, Minnie Driver, John Dimaggio, Claire Danes, John Demita, Smith J. Pinkett, Gillian Anderson, and Keith David. Princess Mononoke. United States: Disney, 1997. ACCESS: HBO Max

Ten Canoes (2007)
De, Heer R, Julie Ryan, Peter Djilgirr, Crusoe Kurddal, Jamie Gulpilil, and Richard Birrinbirrin. Ten Canoes. Australia: Madman Entertainment, 2007. ACCESS: DVD

The Cup (1999)
Norbu, Khyentse, Orgyen Tobgyal, and Neten Chokling. Phörpa: The Cup. S.l., 1999. ACCESS: DVD

Whale Rider (2002) 
Barnett, John, Frank Hübner, Niki Caro, Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Cliff Curtis, and Witi Ihimaera. Whale Rider. New Zealand: South Pacific Pictures, 2002. ACCESS: Kanopy

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God & God & God's Family

American Gods (2017-) 
Chase, Dauri, Bryan Fuller, Michael Green, Ricky Whittle, Ian McShane, Emily Browning, Crispin Glover, Bruce Langley, Yetide Badaki, Pablo Schreiber, Peter Stormare, Gillian Anderson, and Neil Gaiman. American Gods: Season One, 2017. ACCESS: Starz

Bruce Almighty (2003)
Shadyac, Tom, Jim Carrey, and Morgan Freeman. Bruce Almighty. Universal City, CA: Universal, 2003. ACCESS: Swank Digital Campus

Clash of the Titans (2010) 
Leterrier, Louis, Basil Iwanyk, La N. K. De, Travis Beacham, Phil Hay, Matt Manfredi, Sam Worthington, Gemma Arterton, and Mads Mikkelsen. Clash of the Titans. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010. ACCESS: HBO Max; Swank Digital Campus

Deus É Brasileiro: God Is Brazilian (2004)
Diegues, Carlos, João U. Ribeiro, Renata A. Magalhães, Antônio Fagundes, Wagner Moura, Paloma Duarte, and João U. Ribeiro. Deus É Brasileiro: God Is Brazilian. New York: Wellspring Media, 2004. ACCESS: [Summit loan only]

DOGMA (1999)
Smith, Kevin, Scott Mosier, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, and George Carlin. Dogma, 1999. ACCESS: DVD

Evan Almighty (2007)
Barber, Gary, Roger Birnbaum, Michael Bostick, Steve Carell, Neal H. Moritz, Tom Shadyac, Steve Oedekerk, Joel Cohen, Alec Sokolow, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Wanda Sykes, John M. Higgins, Jonah Hill, Molly Shannon, Steven W. Koren, and Mark O'Keefe. Evan Almighty. Universal City, Calif: Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2007. ACCESS: Prime Video; Swank Digital Campus

Lucifer, the Complete Series (2016-2021)
Ellis, Tom, Lauren German, and D B. Woodside. Lucifer, the Complete Series, 2016. ACCESS: Netflix

Miracle Workers (2019-2020) 
Rich, Simon, Steve Buscemi, Dan Mirk, Lorne Michaels, Paul Garnes, Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, Jon Bass, Sasha Compere, Lolly Adefope, and Simon Rich. Miracle Workers: Season 1, 2019. 
ACCESS: HBO Max

Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) 
Gilliam, Terry, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. United States: Python Pictures, 1975. ACCESS: Netflix

Mother! (2017)
Lawrence, Jennifer, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Domhnall Gleeson, and Michelle Pfeiffer. Mother! (DVD). United States: Paramount, 2017. ACCESS: Swank Digital Campus

Oh God! (1977)
Burns, George, John Denver, Teri Garr, Donald Pleasence, Carl Reiner, and Larry Gelbart. "oh, God!". Burbank, Calif: Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc, 1977. ACCESS: Prime Video; Swank Digital Campus

OMGOh My God! (2012) 
Modi, B K, Umesh Shukla, Bhavesh Mandalia, Ashvini Yardi, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal, Mithun Chakraborty, Poonam Jhawer, Mahesh Manjrekar, and Govind Namdeo. Omg, Oh My God!, 2012. ACCESS: Netflix

The Brand New Testament (2015)
Dormael, Jaco , Thomas Gunzig, Olivier Rausin, Daniel Marquet, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens, Yolande Moreau, Pili Groyne, and An Pierlé. The Brand New Testament, 2015. ACCESS: Prime Video; Kanopy

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Messianic Figures, "The Jesus"

Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1959)
Wallace, Lew, Miklós Rózsa, Hugh Griffith, Jack Hawkins, Charlton Heston, Karl Tunberg, and William Wyler. Ben Hur: A Tale of the Christ. Burbank, CA: Turner, 1959. ACCESS: Prime Video; Swank Digital Campus

Black Jesus (2014-)
Johnson, Gerald, Charlie Murphy, and John Witherspoon. Black Jesus. , 2014. ACCESS: Hulu

Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
Jewison, Norman, Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson, Yvonne Elliman, and Barry Dennen. Jesus Christ, Superstar. U.K.: Universal Pictures UK, 1973. ACCESS: Swank Digital Campus

Jesus of Montreal (1989)
Arcand, Denys, Guy Dufaux, Yves Laferriere, Lothaire Bluteau, Catherine Wilkening, Johanne-Marie Tremblay, Remy Girard, and Robert Lepage. Jesus of Montreal (1989). Place of publication not identified: Max films Productions/Union Generale Cinematography, 1989. ACCESS: Kanopy

Life of Brian (1979) 
Gilliam, Terry, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, Terry Gilliam, Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Monty Python Life of Brian. Chatsworth, CA: Image Ent Criterion, 1979.  ACCESS: Netflix

Mary Magdelene (2018)
Davis, Garth, Philippa Goslett, Helen Edmundson, Iain Canning, Emile Sherman, Liz Watts, Rooney Mara, Joaquin Phoenix, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Tahar Rahim. Mary Magdalene. , 2018. ACCESS: Netflix; Swank Digital Campus

The Passion of the Christ  (2004)
Gibson, Mel, James Caviezel, and Monica Bellucci. The Passion of the Christ. Beverly Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2004. ACCESS: Kanopy, Swank Digital Campus

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Priests, Monks, Nuns, Pastors, & Rabbis

Babette's Feast (1987)
Axel, Gabriel, Stéphane Audran, Birgitte Federspiel, and Bodil Kjer. Babette's Feast, 2017. ACCESS: Kanopy

BBC’s Dracula (2020)
Bang, Claes, Dolly Wells, and Morfydd Clark. Dracula. United States: Bbc Us / Canada, 2020. ACCESS: Netflix

Fleabag: Season 2 (2020)
Waller-Bridge, Phoebe, Sian Clifford, Olivia Colman, Bill Paterson, Brett Gelman, Hugh Skinner, Hugh Dennis, Ben Aldridge, Jo Martin, Jenny Rainsford, Andrew Scott, Fiona Shaw, Kristin Scott-Thomas, and Ray Fearon. Fleabag: Season 2, 2020. ACCESS: Prime Video

Grantchester (2015)
Bradbeer, Harry, Robson Green, and James Norton. Grantchester: Series 1, 2015ACCESS: Prime Video

Sister Act 1 & 2 (1992, 1993)
Goldberg, Whoopi, James Coburn, Maggie Smith, James Orr, Jim Cruickshank, Dawn Steel, and Scott Rudin. Sister Act 1 & 2. Buena Vista, 1992, 1993. ACCESS: Disney+

Sound of Music (1965)
Andrews, Julie, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood, Anna Lee, Portia Nelson, Ben Wright, Daniel Truhitte, Norma Varden, Marni Nixon, Gil Stuart, Evadne Baker, Doris Lloyd, Eleanor Parker, Ernest Lehman, Robert Wise, William Reynolds, Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein, Howard Lindsay, and Russel Crouse. The Sound of Music. Beverly Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 1965. ACCESS: Disney+

The African Queen (1951)
Bogart, Humphrey, Katharine Hepburn, Robert Morley, Theodore Bikel, and Peter Bull. The African Queen (DVD). United States: Paramount Home Entertainment, 1951. ACCESS: IMDb TV

The Apostle (1997)
Carliner, Rob, Robert Duvall, Farrah Fawcett, Todd Allen, John Beasley, June C. Cash, Walton Goggins, Billy J. Shaver, Billy B. Thornton, Miranda Richardson, Barry Markowitz, David Mansfield, and Charles Kiselyak. The Apostle. Universal City, CA: Universal Home Video, 1997. ACCESS: Prime Video; Swank Digital Campus

The Mission (1986)
De, Niro R, Jeremy Irons, Roland Joffé, and Ray McAnally. The Mission. Leipzig: Arthaus, 1986. ACCESS: Prime Video, Swank Digital Campus

The Preacher (2016-)
Cooper, Dominic, Tom Brooke, W E. Brown, and Ian Colletti. Preacher. , 2016. ACCESS: Hulu

The Thorn Birds (1983)
Duke, Daryl, Carmen Culver, Stan Margulies, and Colleen McCullough. The Thorn Birds. Pyrmont, N.S.W: Warner Bros. Entertainment, 1983.  ACCESS: Summit loan only

The Two Popes (2019)
McCarten, Anthony. The Two Popes: Francis, Benedict and the Decision That Shook the World, Netflix, 2019. ACCESS: Netflix

Jump to a specific section: Eastern & Indigenous Religions | God & Gods & God's Family | Messianic Figures, "The Jesus" | Priests, Monks, Nuns, Pastors, & Rabbis | The Devil, Evil, & Horror | Angels & Demons | Afterlife & Immortality

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The Devil, Evil, & Horror

BBC’s Dracula (2020)
Bang, Claes, Dolly Wells, and Morfydd Clark. Dracula. United States: Bbc Us / Canada, 2020.  ACCESS: Netflix

Lucifer, the Complete Series (2016-2021)
Ellis, Tom, Lauren German, and D B. Woodside. Lucifer, the Complete Series, 2016. ACCESS: Netflix

The Exorcist (1973)
Friedkin, William, and William P. Blatty. The Exorcist. Place of publication not identified: Five, 1973. ACCESS: DVD

The Witch (2015)
Bekerman, Daniel, Lars Knudsen, Robert Eggers, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, and Kate Dickie. The Witch, 2015. ACCESS: Kanopy

Jump to a specific section: Eastern & Indigenous Religions | God & Gods & God's Family | Messianic Figures, "The Jesus" | Priests, Monks, Nuns, Pastors, & Rabbis | The Devil, Evil, & Horror | Angels & Demons | Afterlife & Immortality

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Angels & Demons

DOGMA (1999)
Smith, Kevin, Scott Mosier, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Salma Hayek, Jason Lee, Jason Mewes, Alan Rickman, Chris Rock, and George Carlin. Dogma. , 1999. ACCESS: DVD

Good Omens (2019)
Gaiman, Neil, Douglas MacKinnon, Tim Bradley, Phil Collinson, Josh Dynevor, Paul Frift, Mike Treen, Rob Wilkins, Chris Sussman, Simon Winstone, David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Adria Arjona, Frances McDormand, Michael McKean, Jack Whitehall, Nick Offerman, Mireille Enos, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sam T. Buck, Jon Hamm, Daniel Mays, Sian Brooke, Terry Pratchett, and Neil Gaiman. Good Omens. , 2019. ACCESS: Prime Video

Lucifer, the Complete Series (2016-2021)
Ellis, Tom, Lauren German, and D B. Woodside. Lucifer, the Complete Series. , 2016. ACCESS: Netflix

Miracle Workers (2019-2020) 
Rich, Simon, Steve Buscemi, Dan Mirk, Lorne Michaels, Paul Garnes, Daniel Radcliffe, Geraldine Viswanathan, Karan Soni, Jon Bass, Sasha Compere, Lolly Adefope, and Simon Rich. Miracle Workers: Season 1, 2019. 
ACCESS: HBO Max

The Preacher’s Wife (1996)
Goldwyn, Samuel, Nat Mauldin, Penny Marshall, Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, Courtney B. Vance, Gregory Hines, Jenifer Lewis, Loretta Devine, Miroslav Ondříček, Hans Zimmer, and Robert Nathan. The Preacher's Wife. Burbank, CA: Touchstone Home Entertainment, 1996. ACCESS: Prime Video; Swank Digital Campus

Jump to a specific section: Eastern & Indigenous Religions | God & Gods & God's Family | Messianic Figures, "The Jesus" | Priests, Monks, Nuns, Pastors, & Rabbis | The Devil, Evil, & Horror | Angels & Demons | Afterlife & Immortality

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Afterlife & Immortality

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds (2017)
Ch'oe, Chi-són, Yong-hwa Kim, Chŏng-u Ha, T'ae-hyŏn Ch'a, Chi-hun Chu, Hyang-gi Kim, and Ho-min Chu. Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds. , 2017. ACCESS: Amazon Video

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (1991)
Reeves, Keanu, Alex Winter, and George Carlin. Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Beverly Hills, CA: Twentieth Century Fox, 1991. ACCESS: HBOMax

Black Mirror S3 E4  San Junipero (2016)
Brooker, Charlie, Annabel Jones, Joe Wright, Dan Trachtenberg, James Watkins, Owen Harris, Jakob Verbruggen, James Hawes, Rashida Jones, Michael Schur, Will Bridges, Bryce D. Howard, Alice Eve, Cherry Jones, James Norton, Wyatt Russell, Hannah John-Kamen, Wunmi Mosaku, Alex Lawther, Jerome Flynn, Susannah Doyle, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Mackenzie Davis, Denise Burse, Malachi Kirby, Madeline Brewer, Ariane Labed, Kelly Macdonald, Faye Marsay, and Benedict Wong. Black Mirrorthe Third Season, 2016. ACCESS: Netflix

Corpse Bride (2017
Burton, Tim, and Mike Johnson. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, 2017. ACCESS: HBOMax

Lucifer, the Complete Series (2016-2021) 
Ellis, Tom, Lauren German, and D B. Woodside. Lucifer, the Complete Series. , 2016. ACCESS: Netflix

The Discovery (2017)
McDowell, Charlie. The Discovery. Rhode Island, 2017. ACCESS: Netflix

The Good Place (2016-2020) 
Schur, Michael, Kristen Bell, William J. Harper, Jameela Jamil, D'Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, and Ted Danson. The Good Place. 2016-2020. ACCESS: Netflix

Transcendence (2014)
Pfister, Wally, Jack Paglen, Andrew A. Kosove, Broderick Johnson, Kate Cohen, Marisa Polvino, Anne Marter, David Valdes, Aaron Ryder, Johnny Depp, Morgan Freeman, Rebecca Hall, Kate Mara, Cillian Murphy, Cole Hauser, and Paul Bettany. Transcendence, 2014. ACCESS: DVD

Upload (2020-)
Anning, Kacie and Daniels, Greg. Upload. Vancouver, BC. Prime Video, 2020. ACCESS: Prime Video

What Dreams May Come (1998)
Bass, Ron, Vincent Ward, Robin Williams, Annabella Sciorra, Cuba Gooding, and Richard Matheson. What Dreams May Come. S.l.: Universal, 1998. ACCESS: Netflix; Swank Digital Campus

Jump to a specific section: Eastern & Indigenous Religions | God & Gods & God's Family | Messianic Figures, "The Jesus" | Priests, Monks, Nuns, Pastors, & Rabbis | The Devil, Evil, & Horror | Angels & Demons | Afterlife & Immortality

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