Our family doesn’t own a TV, but we love movies, including and especially indie and foreign films. If you also prefer to live off the beaten path, you may want to check out this running list of some of my favorites (which does include mainstream movies). I’ll keep it updated. Some I comment on, but most I don’t, because it’s been so long since I’ve seen them, I don’t remember why I liked them. I just know that I liked them enough to include them in this list, which is very much off the top of my head. There are hundreds more I like, especially documentaries, that I’m not thinking of.
I’ve broken this list down into two categories: drama and documentaries. Please make use of the comment section to add your own recommendations, or to comment about any of the movies on my list.
Two Disclaimers:
1. Check parent guides! And don’t judge others based on movie content; I’d rather watch a well-made (well-acted, well-written with beautiful cinematography) movie than a squeaky-clean, low-budget, poorly written/acted film that presents an unrealistic picture of life.
2. I started this list years ago. My taste has since developed/changed/(matured(?). There may be titles on here that I once liked but now may find cringe-worthy because of the poor artistic quality. Hopefully that is not the case with most of them.
Drama
127 Hours (Based on a true story. Would you be able to do what he did?)
A Brand New Life (true story of an orphan in Korea)
A Christmas Story (for the terrific screen-writing)
A Hero (A foreign film made in Iran. Incredibly thought-provoking, about one's true character can be hidden beneath an altruistic façade.)
The Aeronauts (Titanic meets Cliffhanger. A fun date-night movie that inspires.)
Akeelah and the Bee
Amal
A Quiet Place (More thriller than horror, or it wouldn’t be on this list)
Argentina 1985
Arrival (What if you knew the future, including every tragic thing that would happen to you? Would you altar your happiest events in order to avoid pain?)
A Taxi Driver
August Rush
Babette's Feast (A foreign film with English subtitles. It spoke volumes to me as a pastor, and is one of my all-time favorites.)
Beasts of the Southern Wild (hauntingly painful and beautiful picture of the power of maternal love)
Bella
The Best of Men (The doctor in this movie is like a pastor trying to heal broken people; there will always be nurses and colleagues (lifelong pew warmers) who resist his efforts, who worship “sacred cows” and insist on doing things “the way we’ve always done it.”)
Beauty and the Beast (the new one, with Emma Watson)
Big Eyes
Blue Like Jazz (If you don’t like the book by the same title, you will hate this movie.)
The Book and the Rose (If you only have about twenty minutes to watch a good movie.)
The Book Thief
The Boy in the Striped Pajamas
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
The Brooke Ellison Story
Captain Phillips (I got to hear the real Captain Phillips when he came to our home town, and this is pretty true to his story. Tom Hanks got the New England accent down pat.)
The Case for Christ (Finally! A Christian film that didn’t make me cringe. Well-written, acted, excellent! A thoughtful invitation to skeptics.)
Chef (light, fun, funny, hilarious actually. Watch it if you like a feel-good story, good food and excellent writing)
THE CHOSEN (I put this in all caps like a Grandma because it is seriously the only non-cheesy Jesus series ever made. It's not a movie, but I like it enough to include it on this list.)
Collateral Beauty (I would love to have a philosophical discussion with someone about this movie, in particular, someone with a non-Christian worldview. Is love the most powerful force in the universe? And how would you define love? Is it objective?)
Colonia (One of the best edge-of-your-seat movies ever! Starring Emma Watson AND it’s based on a true story. I absolutely loved this movie. (parental guidance suggested!)
Coraline (A creepy movie worth watching for anyone wanting to ponder this line, spoken about the villain: "She just wants somebody to love.")
Dangal (required watching for my teen girls. They can do life God’s way, or the world’s way)
Darkest Hour (about Winston Churchill)
Defiance
Delicious
The Devil Wears Prada (Submission to authority is a concept that is lost on Gen Z, but it pays off in this mainstream movie.)
The Diary of Anne Frank
The Dog Lover
Emma (the one with Gwyneth Paltrow; Mr. Nightly's scathing rebuke over the way Emma treats Ms. Bates is my favorite moment. "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." --Proverbs)
The End of the Spear (based on a true account of missionary martyrdom; the ending is a shocking display of forgiveness)
Experimenter
Evelyn (with Pierce Brosnan)
Faith Like Potatoes (slow-moving, Christian-made film that I haven’t seen for years. I just remember it made my husband cry so…)
Father Stu (Since it's based on a true story, it's full of swearing--lots of F-bombs. That is, until his conversion takes place. It's a wonderful treatment of the purpose of suffering, and hilarious to boot!)
Field of Lost Shoes
Finding Forrester
Fireproof (Stilted acting and bad screen-writing with forced Christian message. It's insufferably" bad art," but if porn addiction could be taken this seriously and treated this severely, perhaps more marriages could be saved.)
Fisherman's Friends
Forever Strong
Freedom Writers
Frozen (The movie’s punchline, “Only an act of true love can thaw a frozen heart” says it all.)
The Ghost and the Darkness (for the sheer fun of it, and because it's a true story)
Gifted Hands
Gimme Shelter (2013 movie, not to be confused with the one about the Rolling Stones by the same title)
The Giver (Read the book first! Or better yet, skip the movie and read the book.)
The Glass Castle
The Good Catholic
The Good Lie (similar to the documentary, “God Grew Tired of Us”, which I also recommend)
Greater (Inspiration without the "cheese")
Hacksaw Ridge
The Hammer
Harriet (2019)
Haute Cuisine
The Help
Her Majesty Mrs. Brown
Hidden Figures
The Hobbit
The Hundred Foot Journey
Hugo
Hunt for the Wilderpeople (Hilarious, adorable, heart-warming, gorgeous, endearing gem of an indie flick!)
I Know My First Name is Steven (A heart-wrenching true story that shows the importance of the parent-child relationship during the teen years. The account of a kidnapping involving sexual abuse; it is not explicit or graphic.)
I am David
If I had Wings
I’m Not Scared
The Imitation Game (Parental discretion advised; check parent guides.)
Imperial Dreams
The Impossible
The Innocents (the one about nuns in Warsaw)
The Insanity of God
Interstellar
The Invisible Guest (A suspenseful murder mystery that’s well-made)
The Mercy (This line said it all: "I haven't done anything (in life)." The ending of this true story resulted from an identity grounded in achievements.)
Jane Eyre (2011 version)
Joni (the true story of Joni Eareckson Tada; about the value and purpose of suffering)
Joy (starring Jennifer Lawrence)
Julie and Julia
Keep on Keepin’ On
King’s Faith
The King’s Speech
Kite Runner
Knives Out (Sheer fun! A who-done-it unpredictable murder-mystery. Parental discretion.)
Life is Beautiful
Life of a King
Like Sunday, Like Rain
The Lion King (I can’t decide if I like the original or the new one best)
Little Boy
Little Women (2019 as well as the older version with Susan Sarandon)
Lord of the Rings (obviously!)
The Lost Honor of Christopher Jefferies
Loving Miss Hatto (similar to The Mercy, a true story about someone's desperate need to find approval through achievement. What struck me about the main character is how insecurity that manifests as social anxiety can later on manifest as outright criminal behavior.)
Luther
Machine Gun Preacher [Skip the first fifteen minutes if you don’t want to hear the F-bomb going off like a machine gun, or have to watch a rather explicit sex scene. (I’d checked pluggedin.com and knew it was coming.) It’s not important to the rest of the story–it simply shows his pre-conversion lifestyle. After that the swearing is all but eliminated. But the rest of this movie is graphically violent and at times hard to watch. Why am I recommending it? Because it’s a true story that left me pondering about things like the issue of gun control, fighting the enemy “in the flesh” versus “in the spirit” (Ephesians 6:12, the main character’s biggest downfall, with or without guns), and the fact that much of my time is being wasted on trivial pursuits while children in Africa are brutally murdered by the thousands, and I am doing nothing to help stop it.]
The Magic of Belle Isle
The Man Who Invented Christmas
Marie’s Story (one of the most beautiful stories I’ve ever seen on the power of patience and unconditional love to transform a person)
Max (The one about the military service dog.)
The Matrix (Yep, I once preached a sermon dressed as Trinity.)
The Mighty (One of my favorite family movies, a touching story about friendship and the underdog. The adorable wit of the character played by young Kieran Culkin alone makes it worth the watch.)
The Mighty Macs
Million Dollar Arm
Monsieur Lazhar
The Most Reluctant Convert (If you're a fan of C.S. Lewis, you must watch this when/if it becomes available on dvd or streaming.)
Mostly Martha
The Music Never Stopped (If you’ve had a strained relationship with your teenager or adult child, please watch this!)
Mustang (the one about five sisters growing up in Turkey)
Mr. Bean’s Holiday (for plain old family fun and belly ache laughter, if you like slapstick)
Mr. Church
My Left Foot
Mr. Pip (Do not watch this movie if you only like “feel good” movies. It is based on a true story and is at times gruesome and hard to watch. But it is artistically and philosophically rich.)
The Nativity
October Baby (I tend to shy away from a lot of Christian-made films because they often mean “low budget”, i.e. bad acting and insufferable screen writing. But this was a pleasant surprise. I think. It's been years...)
One Night with the King
Paper Moon
Paradise Recovered
The Passion of the Christ (Put this one at the top of your bucket list. Don't be on your death bed saying, "I never watched that Mel Gibson Jesus movie.")
Paul the Apostle (starring Jim Caviezel)
The Peaceful Warrior (Shameless plug: I wrote about this movie in my first book.)
Pelé (saw on Netflix, the true story about the soccer player)
Philomena
Photograph (An Indian drama, sweet romance with superb acting; Amazon Prime)
Pig (Don't let the fact that it stars Nicolas Cage dissuade you; this is not your typical NC movie! It's a "delicacy" for foodies and more importantly, anyone wanting to ponder the vastly varying ways self-absorption can manifest in humans. I love this film!)
Pride and Prejudice
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio
Race (The true story of Jesse Owens, who faced the decision of whether or not to participate in the Berlin Olympics in 1936 as a black man. Lots to think about.)
Ragamuffin (I think this is my favorite movie ever. I’ve probably said that about other movies.)
The Railway Man (Truly the most powerful true story of forgiveness I’ve ever seen. Probably one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, for that matter.)
Regarding Henry (The spilled orange juice scene gave me a jolt. This movie makes me want to be a better parent, and get a grip on my priorities before it’s too late.)
The Ride (halfway decently done film based on a true story. Inspiring for anyone trying to make a difference in someone's life.)
The River Runner
The Rose Maker (Inspiration for anyone who mentors, or believes that healing can come through healing others.) I loved this story with one exception; maybe you can guess which part of the plot was ridiculous and unnecessary. But the rest of the story was still worth it.)
Run Boy Run
Saints and Soldiers
The Salesman
Sand Storm
Saving Mr. Banks
The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
Secrets of War
Searching for Bobby Fischer
Sense and Sensibility (I like the one with Emma Thompson. Favorite quote by the little girl at the dinner table: "I like them! They talk about things." Yes, I, too, like people who talk about things.)
Silas Marner (or skip the movie and read the book! The most profound monologue comes from the inarticulate woman admonishing Silas.)
Slumdog Millionaire
Sometimes Always Never (A modern re-telling of "The Prodigal Son," with an emphasis on "the elder brother").
Soul Surfer
Stand by Me
(Star Wars is not on this list. I tried to like it but failed.)
Taare Zameen Par (every teacher and parent should watch this. It is truly a "masterpiece," pun intended.)
Temple Grandin
Today’s Special (I love this movie! If you like culture and GOOD FOOD, you might enjoy this as much as Dave and I did. Caution: crude and vulgar language at times. Parental discretion advised. I liked this movie for the remarkable way the son treated his father. Great moral lesson on honoring parents in their old age.)
Tracks
Trash (If you liked Slumdog Millionaire, you will like this)
The Tree of Life (If you’re used to nonstop action and mainstream movies, you won’t like this. But if you want to see what narcissistic fathering does to boys, please watch. Skip past the long, wordless parts. The story will pick back up.)
Unconditional
Unbroken (Excellent, but the book is even better!)
Unbroken: Path to Redemption (faith-based sequel to the first “Unbroken” movie; it’s pretty good! Billy Graham is played by his grandson. This movie deals with whether or not PTSD can be healed supernaturally, without therapy).
The Unforgiveable (A thought-provoking story on many levels. Sandra Bullock)
Victor
The Visitor
Waffle Street
Waking Ned Divine (If you like foreign and/or indie films and appreciate off-beat humor, and need something light with which to unwind, this is your flick.)
Walt Before Mickey
The Way Back
The Way Home
Whale Rider
What Maisie Knew
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Within the Whirlwind
Woman in Gold
4-Minute Mile
42
Documentaries
A Walk to Beautiful
Accidental Courtesy
American Murder: The Family Next Door (Based on the thought-provoking true story.)
An Unconventional War (Is there a supernatural realm in which demons—or prayer—can change the course of entire nations? You be the judge after watching this.)
Camp 14: Total Control Zone (His words at the last three minutes astonished me and left me thinking for a long time. I hope they change me. BTW I wrote to the star of this film and he wrote back! He is a Christian convert. 🙂 )
Conscientious Objector
The Dark Tourist
The Dawn Wall (this left me in tears, soul-searching. Tommy is an incredible example of brotherly love, at huge personal cost)
First Contact: Lost Tribe of the Amazon
Forks Over Knives (This film turned me into a vegan. For two whole days.)
The Green Prince
Happy People
The Imposter
I Shouldn’t Be Alive
Inside North Korea
ISIS: Women Unveiled
Journey to Greenland
Keep On Keepin’ On
Kumare
Last Train Home
Letters from Masanjia (this tragic story should make us think twice about buying things made in China!)
Living Hope (Amazon Prime)
Living on One Dollar
Living Proof (watch if you have an autoimmune disease, especially MS)
My Octopus Teacher (the scene with the octopus on the shark’s back gave me a new approach to confronting egotists)
My 600 Pound Life (Because I want to understand, and have compassion)
Omo Child (Amazon Prime; in my top 5! Spectacular)
Particle Fever
Pururambo
Sons of Perdition (I am fascinated by people who join cults. One of my dream jobs would be a counselor in a cult exile rescue mission. That is what was missing from this heart-wrenching film about how fundamentalism/extremism can ruin a person.)
The Most Dangerous Ways to School (series on Amazon Prime)
Undivided (the one about an inner city school in Portland)
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