Movies about faith and religion generally have a reputation for being subpar, often laughable exercises in message over substance. It's lamentable that faith-based audiences haven't had more selection historically. Especially considering the size of the demographic, it's a pity this has long been the case.

One of the surprise breakout hits of 2023, Jesus Revolution scored well with audiences and exceeded expectations at the box office. Critics generally endorsed the faith-based drama, with the film hovering just above a "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes. Movies dealing with faith can be challenging to evaluate, especially from a critical angle. But as films that deal with themes of Christianity have become more popular in recent years, many have scored well on Rotten Tomatoes with both audiences and critics.

9 'Breakthrough' (2019)

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8 'Ben-Hur' (1959)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%

One of the most spectacular period movies on record, The Best Years of Our Lives helmer William Wyler's astounding epic is based on the most popular Christian novel of the 19th century: Lew Wallace's Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The story follows a wrongly convicted and enslaved Jewish noble whose adventures parallel, and even intertwine, with the story of Jesus.

Featuring Charlton Heston's best performance, Ben-Hur won a record 11 Oscars (only matched by Titanic and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King). The climactic chariot race is still among the most rousing action set pieces ever committed to film. It's definitely worth mentioning the 1925 silent MGM feature here as well, a landmark in its own right that every film fan should experience. A laughably under-cooked 2016 remake came and went.

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7 'The Tree of Life' (2011)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

Director Terrence Malick's Tree of Life is arguably one of the first and biggest mainstream films to deal with the concept of faith, pulling explicitly from the Bible, especially the Book of Job. The movie follows the adult Jack O'Brien, played by Sean Penn as he reflects on his childhood, his parents being played by Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain.

One of the most theologically profound aspects of this movie is the attention it gives to two opposing forces of humanity: the way of grace and the way of nature. The adult Jack O'Brien feels both of these forces within himself as he remembers his childhood. His mother who is kind, nurturing, and patient, embodies the way of grace. His father who is short-tempered, restless, and at times cruel, exemplifies the way of nature. The adult Jack tries to work out who he is as these dual forces battle within him like they do for all of us. Though it's somewhat divisive, Tree of Life was an overall triumph, garnering three Oscar nods including Best Picture.

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6 ​​​'The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind' (2019)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Based on the true story of William Kamkwamba, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind follows William (Maxwell Simba) as he is forced to drop out of school due to a famine that devastates his village. Despite having no formal education, William is motivated to find a solution to the issues affecting his community, especially the starvation and drought that endanger their way of life. He becomes passionate about using wind energy to power a water pump and irrigate the fields, giving a lifeline for his village's survival after being inspired by a book he finds in the neighborhood library.

The movie's themes of resiliency, ingenuity, and the strength of the human spirit are set against this backdrop as it emphasizes how faith can bring comfort, motivation, and a sense of purpose during trying times. Although it's frequently tough to watch due to its honest depiction of human suffering, this only helps its high points pay off and makes the movie one of the most inspirational stories about human resilience and faith.

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5 'Calvary' (2014)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

Calvary follows the story of a sincere, yet imperfect priest seeking to minister to a town that is burdened by sin and doubt. After an anonymous source warns Father James will pay for the sins of other priests with his life, the weight of the problems of the town seems to grow, and it seems there is a limit to the reconciliation Father James is able to usher in. Brendan Gleeson plays the priest Father James perfectly.

The film provides an interesting premise: rather than telling a story of a bad priest in a good world, this is the story of a good priest in a bad world. The values of forgiveness and restoration are strong, though they are always contrasted with despair and melancholy. Nearly a decade before his Oscar-nominated turn in The Banshees of Inisherin, Gleeson displayed his distinct gift for grounding dark comedy in layers of humanity.

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4 'Women Talking' (2023)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Women Talking is just what it sounds like. The film centers around a conversation between female representatives of a Mennonite community in Bolivia who must decide together how to respond to a crisis in their community. Over a period of four years, the women have been attacked in the night by certain unknown men in their community. They have a small window of time when the men are away from the colony and the women must decide -- should they run, fight, or do nothing?

This movie grapples with the question so many Christians deal with: What happens when I'm suffering and God is silent? Working out the answer to this question is exquisitely achieved in this film, which calls itself "a work of female imagination." The cast and crew were made up of nearly all females, with particularly excellent performances by Claire Foy and Rooney Mara. In the end, the women make their decision communally. They share their stories, their anger, and their hurts. In the end, they do come to a decision, and while they know it's right, it doesn't mean it's easy.

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3 'First Reformed' (2018)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

First Reformed deals with crises of faith. Ethan Hawke plays Father Toller, pastor of a historic church in upstate New York with a dying congregation. Amanda Seyfried plays Mary, a pregnant woman worried about her husband, a man consumed by the thoughts that the earth will become uninhabitable for their child due to climate change. These characters come together, dealing with the weightiness of their personal lives, local politics, and a worldwide existential threat.

The most marvelous thing about this film is the relationship between its two main characters, played by Hawke and Seyfried. They're calm and understated, yet carrying the weight of the world within themselves. Yet this resonates as a human experience. Humans carry on in the face of death, loss, failure, uncertainty, and fear. These two characters look to Christianity for answers, but the answers don't come easily.

2 'Mass' (2021)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

Mass is the story of one conversation that takes place entirely in a church basement. Two sets of parents who are connected by tragedy meet in an attempt to heal from the deaths of both of their sons. And while the setting is simple, the movie deals with the incredibly heavy issues of blame, guilt, and reconciliation. The movie is the directorial debut of Fran Kranz (he played the pothead in Cabin in the Woods), who also wrote and directed.

Reed Birney, Ann Dowd, Jason Isaacs, and Martha Plimpton all give moving performances of parents dealing with grief and hurt. The four of them create a lasting tension in the room together that makes trudging through their feelings difficult and volatile. Despite overwhelmingly positive response from critics as well as audiences (the audience score on Rotten Tomatoes is 91%), Mass more or less went under the radar upon release. It's one of the most powerful drama movies so far this decade, a gut punch about grace and redemption.

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1 'The Passion of Joan of Arc' (1928)

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 98%

A breathtaking triumph of the silent era, Carl Theodor Dreyer's masterpiece depicts the trial and execution of the eponymous defender of France who claimed to hear the voice of God. The film was released eight years after the Roman Catholic Church made Joan of Arc a patron saint.

Stylistically, The Passion of Joan of Arc is the place where French Impressionism, German Expressionism and Soviet Montage meet. The director was famously meticulous in research surrounding the life and death of the subject, the production exquisitely framing Renée Jeanne Falconetti's performance that's long been regarded as among the best in film. Few films if any have relied so heavily on close-ups to such remarkable effect.

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