Spiritually Literate Films
Movies that are spiritual, mystical, or transcendent. Not necessarily religion.
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- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.This American classic is definitely an experience. What you experience is up to you.
- DirectorKim Ki-dukStarsLee Seung-yunJae HeeHyuk-ho KwonA transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.Thoughtful, unexpected. Not what you might think from the standard description.
- DirectorSam MendesStarsKevin SpaceyAnnette BeningThora BirchA sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.Probably the most commercial movie on the list. A middle-aged man begins to reevaluate what is important. A study of just what beauty is, and what is important about it.
- DirectorAtom EgoyanStarsIan HolmSarah PolleyCaerthan BanksA bus crash in a small town brings a lawyer to defend the families, but he discovers everything isn't what it seems.Brilliant storytelling on a subject that may be difficult for some. A journey into the human nature of anger, guilt, and grief.
- DirectorEdward A. BurgerA journey exploring the practices of Chinese hermits living in the Zhongnan Mountains.People who do their beliefs rather than talk about them. Very insightful.
- DirectorPaola di FlorioLisa LeemanStarsMarc BenioffBrother ChidanandaDeepak ChopraUnique biopic about Yogananda, telling the story of his life and influence on yoga, religion and science, combining re-enactment, interviews, and verité.The life on earth of a highly spiritual presence.
- DirectorRichard FleischerStarsAnthony QuinnSilvana ManganoArthur KennedyGovernor Pontius Pilate gave the populace a choice to spare either Barabbas, a criminal, or Jesus, condemned as a heretic, from crucifixion. The masses chose Barrabas, and he is haunted by the image of Jesus for the rest of his life.Very Christian but an excellent story for anyone on a spiritual search.
- DirectorMarielle HellerStarsMatthew RhysTom HanksChris CooperBased on the true story of a real-life friendship between Fred Rogers and journalist Lloyd Vogel.Not for kids. Help for our inner child to deal with our feelings.
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsPeter SellersShirley MacLaineMelvyn DouglasAfter the death of his employer forces him out of the only home he's ever known, a simpleminded, sheltered gardener becomes an unlikely trusted advisor to a powerful tycoon and an insider in Washington politics.Although it probably wasn't intended, Chauncey Gardner is in many ways a Taoist.
- DirectorJoel CoenEthan CoenStarsJeff BridgesJohn GoodmanJulianne MooreJeff "The Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire of the same name, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.It may seem like a stretch, but this movie is very Taoist.
- DirectorWoody AllenStarsMartin LandauWoody AllenBill BernsteinAn ophthalmologist's mistress threatens to reveal their affair to his wife while a married documentary filmmaker is infatuated with another woman.How the world of dust does not follow your rules.
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.A maze (in the best sense) of images and ideas. Leaves the viewer in a much larger world.
- DirectorKrzysztof KieslowskiStarsIrène JacobWladyslaw KowalskiHalina GryglaszewskaTwo parallel stories about two identical women; one living in Poland, the other in France. They don't know each other, but their lives are nevertheless profoundly connected.The mystery of being human. The beauty of the irrational in all of us. Sometimes things connect, but why?
- DirectorAmy HardieStarsPhyllida Anam-AireClaudia GoncalvesAmy HardieThis is the story of a rational, skeptical woman, a mother and wife, who does not remember her dreams. Except once, when she dreamed her horse was dying. She woke so scared she went outside in the night. She found him dead. The next dream told her she would die herself, when she was 48.A woman begins to awaken to a much larger world than she imagined.
- DirectorCiro GuerraStarsNilbio TorresJan BijvoetAntonio BolívarThe story of the relationship between Karamakate, an Amazonian shaman and last survivor of his people, and two scientists who work together over the course of forty years to search the Amazon for a sacred healing plant.Ancient knowledge. Forgotten Wisdom. Modern insanity. Deeply spiritual and mystical.
- DirectorDoris DörrieStarsUwe OchsenknechtGustav-Peter WöhlerPetra ZieserTwo very different brothers get together for a temporary stay in a Japanese Zen monastery. The trip from Germany to Japan brings up some unexpected quests they need to manage. Soon both really must leave their ordinary lives behind to embark on a voyage to themselves.Smart, funny, clever, and so true.
- DirectorMichael AlmereydaStarsPeter SarsgaardWinona RyderJim GaffiganIn 1961, famed social psychologist Stanley Milgram conducted a series of radical behavior experiments that tested ordinary humans' willingness to obey authority.Fascinating, enlightening, and depressing. What are human beings REALLY like?
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJeff BridgesIsabella RosselliniRosie PerezA man's personality is dramatically changed after surviving a major airline crash.Unexpected, transcendent, and beautiful. Another gem by Peter Weir. Superb work by Jeff Bridges and Rosie Perez.
- DirectorKay PollakStarsMichael NyqvistFrida HallgrenHelen SjöholmA famous international conductor returns to his small childhood town in Sweden for early retirement. He's asked to help with the church choir. He affects the lives of all in the choir.A very successful man seeks something more, or perhaps something less.
- DirectorJim LoachStarsEmily WatsonAisling LoftusStuart WolfendenSet in 1980s Nottingham, social worker Margaret Humphreys holds the British government accountable for child migration schemes and reunites the children involved -- now adults living mostly in Australia -- with their parents in Britain.A woman who sacrifices herself to do the right thing.
- DirectorJim JarmuschStarsAdam DriverGolshifteh FarahaniNellieA quiet observation of the triumphs and defeats of daily life, along with the poetry evident in its smallest details.The poetry and transcendence of the everyday.
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithRosario DawsonWoody HarrelsonA man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.Could be hard to watch for some viewers. A searing portrait of the totality of guilt.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsHugh JackmanRachel WeiszSean Patrick ThomasAs a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.The nature of life and death beyond time and space.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsJim CarreyEd HarrisLaura LinneyAn insurance salesman is oblivious of the fact that his entire life is a TV show and his family members are mere actors. As he starts noticing things and uncovers the truth, he decides to escape.Not a Jim Carrey fan, but this is an exception. Its about how everything, EVERYTHING, in western culture keeps a stranglehold on our lives and keeps us serving our corporate masters.
- DirectorNeten ChoklingStarsOrgyen TobgyalKelsang Chukie TethtongJamyang LodroMilarepa is a tale of greed and vengeance - demons, magic, murder and redemption. It is the story of the man who became Tibet's greatest mystic.Is it better to defeat your enemies or to have no enemies?