This was inspired by a YouTuber I like, Ready to Harvest, who frequently creates polls. I like him because he’s informational more than apologetic in nature. He describes Christian denominations and sects in a neutral tone. He rarely passes judgment. He’s an information and data collector, who then passes on what he’s collected for the benefit of his audience. I’m sure he has his own beliefs, but they aren’t the purpose of his channel. In a poll that just scrolled through my feed, he asked his audience if they had seen a Christian film in the last year, and there were various answering options.
The question gave me pause. Had I? Yes. And I had seen more than a few if it was a year from last May. For example, I watched Fr. Stu in the theater last spring. I also watched For Greater Glory at home. Those are movies with a clear intent of being Christian. Another that was Christian by default rather than intent was The Perfect Game. All were Catholic. All were based off of true stories. All left an impression on me, with The Perfect Game being my favorite. I’m pretty sure I wrote a blog post about that last one, as that kind of film is my personal crack. True. Inspirational. A story of the underdog prevailing. A sports theme. A dedicated priest, and kids with relentless faith in God. Yep. Make a film like that, and I will be there, and I will probably be wiping away the tears sliding down my cheeks.
I also watched some films that had a darker edge (For Greater Glory was heartbreaking and dark, but in a different way), such as Deliver Us From Evil, which is a horror movie based off the true story of a New York cop who becomes an exorcist. It didn’t get great reviews from horror fans because it was truly redemptive in its conclusion, the power of God overcoming evil. I’m not much for horror; I don’t like being terrified. I can’t stand jump scares, but this is a film worth seeing if you want to reinvigorate your belief in the spirit world. Of course, you have to believe that it’s a true story for that to happen. Belief is the sticky wicket, isn’t it?
Overall, I haven’t watched many movies this past year. I don’t have time for movies and shows, though I do admit sometimes I just want to recline on the couch on Saturday and do nothing but watch video entertainment. The problem is good films are difficult to find. There aren’t many stories like The Perfect Game out there. Most of the films I watched last year were Christian or inspirational in nature — true stories, though. There’s something about inspirational fiction that’s a bit too thick for me.
My original question stands: have you seen any Christian films recently? If yes, did you like them?
Jill Domschot 