Spiritually Literate Movie Recommendations 2007 & 2008

Here's their list of the Ten Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2007.  If you like what you see, scroll down to see some of their favorite picks for 2008.  

*I've added an asterisk to movies I have personally seen & recommend.

• Justice:  Amazing Grace.  An inspiring drama about a zealous abolitionist in 18th century England.
• Love: *Away from Her.  Subtle, poignant, superbly acted drama about a long marriage tested by Alzheimer's.
• Love:  Feast of Love.  Positively enchanting romantic drama that speaks volumes about love and challenges us all to grow a bigger heart.
• Love:  *Juno.  Bright and funny comedy with a delicious performance of Ellen Page as a precocious and big-hearted teenager on a mission of love.
• Love:  *The Kite Runner.  Memorable & moving drama about the pain of lost friendship, the yearning for forgiveness, and the freedom that comes from making amends.
• Love: *Lars and the Real Girl.  About love, kindness, and hospitality extended to a lonely young man from his church and then from his whole community.
• Shadow: In the Valley of Elah.  Riveting film that evokes compassion for the soldiers who have served & are serving in Iraq at great danger to their minds, bodies, and souls.
• Shadow: *Michael Clayton.  Poignant & powerful thriller about corporate malfeasance that reveals what it is like to face life-shattering moments.
• Teachers: *Freedom Writers.  Inspiring drama about an idealistic teacher who breaks down the walls separating her students from each other.
• You:  *Once.  Charming and endearing Irish film about two-down-and-out individuals who collaborate on a musical project that deeply enriches them both in surprising ways.

The Ten Most Spiritually Literate Foreign Films of 2007.

• Compassion: *After the Wedding. Denmark.  A substantive film about an idealistic Danish aid worker who is forced to direct his love and compassion in new channels that both surprise & challenge him.
• Hospitality: *The Band's Visit.  Israel.  A deeply spiritual comedy about the bridge-making effects of hospitality and the ways music serves as a universal language drawing people together.
• Imagination: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.  France.  Based on a classic in the literature of illness, salutes the  firepower of imagination as life-giver and a life-sustainer.
• Justice:  Persepolis.  Iran.   An animated autobiographical masterpiece about one Iranian woman's  intense  quest for the holy grail of freedom.
• Transformation:  Blame It on Fidel.  France.  An extraordinary French drama about the reactions of a conservative nine-year-old girl to changes brought into her life by her parents' radical politics.
• Transformation: *The Lives of Others.  Germany.  A riveting German film about spying and the fear, distrust, and betrayal that come with it.
• Transformation: The Willow Tree.  Iran.  A spiritual masterpiece on gratitude, transformation and surrender to God by the gifted Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi.
• Yearning:  Avenue Montaigne. France.  A charming French film about the yearnings of an ordinary young woman and the rich and famous celebrities she encounters waitressing at a famous Paris bistro.
• You: La Vie en Rose. France.  An astonishing performance by Marion Cotillard as the legendary French chanteuse Edith Piaf whose life was a roller-coaster ride of exhilarating highs and incredibly depressing lows.
• You: Vitus.  Switzerland.  An enchanting Swiss movie about a musical prodigy and his loving grandfather who nurtures his dream and gives him the space to be himself.

The Ten Most Spiritually Literate Documentaries of 2007. (Remember-you don't have to agree with the message or the politics of a documentary to see it, or learn something from it.)

• Justice:  Darfur Now.  Inspiring documentary about six courageous and creative activists who are doing what they can to help the suffering people of Darfur.
• Justice:  The Price of Sugar.  Portrait of a modern-day saint, courageous Spanish Catholic priest in the Dominican Republic with a ministry of compassion to poor, enslaved Haitian immigrants.
• Justice:  *Sicko.  Blistering documentary designed to spur reform for a new system of universal health care in the United States.
• Openness:  For the Bible Tells Me So.  Important and edifying documentary designed to convince people to open their hearts and minds to support gay and lesbian equality.
• Peace:  Jimmy Carter Man from Plains.  Follows former President Jimmy Carter on his book tour as he displays his political wisdom, Christian-faith-based service, and emotional literacy.
• Reverence:  Arctic Tale.  Extraordinary documentary that heightens our connection with the lives and destinies of the Arctic polar bear and a walrus.
• Shadow:  The Devil Came on Horseback.  One of the most searing and emotionally shattering documentaries ever make about the indifference of the world to genocide.
• Silence:  Into Great Silence.  An exquisite meditative journal inside a Carthusian monastery where silence is practiced as a way on honoring the mystery and the majesty of God.
• Transformation:  *God Grew Tired of Us.  Inspiring documentary about three immigrants from the Sudan and their strong connection to their African roots and values.
• Transformation: The 11th Hour.  Offers a map to a sustainable future, challenging us to change our consciousness and transform our lives by living lightly on the Earth in harmony with nature.

The Thirteen Most Spiritually Literate Movies for 2008--Movies with a Rating of 5 out of 5

• *The Visitor.  Depicts the way a professor's closed-off heart is opened by music, friendship, and love; one of the most touching and impressive films of the year!
• Tokyo Sonata.  A startling and creative contemporary fable about some of the drastic changes that are rocking the traditional understanding of work and family life in Japan.
• Happy-Go-Lucky.  One of the best portraits of an enthusiastic person ever put on the screen.
• The Class.  A rounded and revealing portrait of a French teacher in a multiracial Parisian school and the challenges he faces in the classroom.
• August Evening.  A shooting star of a movie with awesome beauty in its characters, in the natural world, and in the cycles of creation and destruction depicted in the emotionally affecting drama.
• Henry Poole Is Here.  A deeply spiritual movie about miracles, hope, love, and living in the present--one of the best films of the year.
• A Man Named Pearl.  An extraordinary documentary about a talented African-American, a garden of exquisite beauty and love, and a community that has been brought to life by his artistry, enthusiasm, and generosity.
• When Did You Last See Your Father?  A sensitive and compelling exploration of a troubled father-son relationship whose universal themes will connect with many adults.
• The Dhamma Brothers.  A remarkable documentary about inmates at an Alabama prison who do a 10-day silent meditation retreat which opens them to the experience of inner peace and compassion.
• Young@Heart.  An extraordinary documentary about a senior citizen chorus that reveals singing as a spiritual practice that opens our hearts, provides fresh energy, and connects us with others.
• Megane.  A thoroughly enchanting drama about an up-tight and driven woman who is softened and opened up by the slow sensuous rhythms of island time and living in the present moment.

• Bab'Aziz - The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul.  An enchanting and parabolic film by Tunisian director Nacer Khemir about the beauty, grace, humility, and love of the Sufi path of the heart.
• Praying with Lior.  An emotionally rich documentary about the extraordinary Bar Mitzvah of a spiritually vibrant 13 year-old boy with Down Syndrome.