100 Spiritual Movies to See Before You Die

Journalist Zukowski (Christmas on the Screen) surveys films that are informed by “the divine” and center a progression from “an individualistic lower self to a holier higher self” in this entertaining outing. Dividing spiritual movies into 12 categories, Zukowski spotlights such “cautionary tales” as Frankenstein (1931), in which a hubristic scientist obsessed with attaining “god-like knowledge” creates a lab-made “human” and lives to regret it; comments on the challenges of living out one’s faith in modern society, such as in Chariots of Fire (1981), which finds two U.S. Olympians who use running to transcend the burdens of religion in a “secular and prejudiced” culture (the Jewish Harold Abrahams wants to win to take a stand against anti-Semitism, while devout Christian Eric Liddell seeks to “honor God”); and highlights “redemption narratives” such as 2003’s Bruce Almighty, in which a high-flying news anchor realizes that “salvation comes from relinquishing control” after he’s given a chance to play God and watches his life unravel. Zukowski employs a flexible definition of the genre that allows for thought-provoking discussions of purpose and meaning, as seen in the author’s inclusion of The Devil Wears Prada (2006), here framed as a “hero’s journey” that critiques “how work can become a type of idol” in American society. Film buffs and the faithful will be enlightened. (Nov.)