Top 20 Must-See Movies About The Catholic Church

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Ignacio Weil

Entertainment - May 11th 2025, 15:56 GMT+2

Cropped Brother Sun Sister Moon — 20. Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)

Franco Zeffirelli’s *Brother Sun, Sister Moon* tells the story of St. Francis of Assisi with the cinematic flair of someone who really believes in beauty—and slow-motion shots of wildflowers. This 1972 biopic doesn’t just recount Francis’s radical turn from privilege to poverty; it floats through it with gauzy visuals and a folk soundtrack by Donovan that screams "spiritual awakening, 70s style." Graham Faulkner plays the saint with wide-eyed serenity, and Alec Guinness (yes, Obi-Wan himself) appears as Pope Innocent III, lending the heavenly tale some royal British gravitas. It’s a film that feels like a visual hymn—equal parts devotional and hippie dreamscape. | © Paramount Pictures

Cropped novitiate — 19. Novitiate (2017)

*Novitiate* dives deep into the cloistered world of young women discerning their place in the Church—just as the Second Vatican Council begins shaking up everything they thought was sacred. Margaret Qualley leads the cast with a quiet intensity, playing a young novitiate who realizes that blind faith isn’t quite the same as spiritual fulfillment. And then there’s Melissa Leo, who absolutely *devours* the role of a hardline Reverend Mother—equal parts terrifying and tragic. The film takes vows of seriousness but isn’t afraid to show the emotional messiness of belief, obedience, and selfhood. You might not expect this much drama behind convent walls, but hey, God works in mysterious (and cinematic) ways. | © Sony Pictures Classics

Cropped benedetta — 18. Benedetta (2021)

Leave it to Paul Verhoeven, director of *Basic Instinct*, to stir up the convent with *Benedetta*—a deliciously scandalous tale of visions, rebellion, and sapphic love in 17th-century Italy. Virginie Efira stars as the titular nun, who might be a mystic... or a master manipulator. Or maybe both? Either way, she sees Jesus *a lot*, and not always in the ways the Vatican would approve. Based on real events (yes, really), this is religious history told with the provocative flair of someone who knows exactly which buttons to push. Charlotte Rampling lends icy poise as the skeptical abbess trying to maintain order as things spiral gloriously out of control. Think *The Exorcist* meets *Showgirls*, in habits. | © Pathé Films

Cropped the holy girl — 17. The Holy Girl (2004)

Argentine director Lucrecia Martel delivers a quietly unsettling gem with *The Holy Girl*, a coming-of-age story set against the stifling backdrop of a Catholic medical conference. Yes, you read that right. The film centers on a teenage girl named Amalia who believes she’s been chosen by God to save a man’s soul—after he, disturbingly, gropes her. What follows is a slow-burning exploration of repression, misguided faith, and the murky overlap between sainthood and adolescent confusion. With its dreamy visuals and off-kilter sound design, the film feels like eavesdropping on something sacred and secret. It's more arthouse than altar call, but if you like your Catholicism nuanced and unsettling, this one’s for you. | © Lita Stantic Producciones

Cropped the two popes — 16. The Two Popes (2019)

What happens when a grumpy conservative and a charming progressive walk into the Vatican? *The Two Popes* happens. Fernando Meirelles’ semi-fictionalized account of the unlikely friendship between Pope Benedict XVI (Anthony Hopkins) and Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio, the future Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), is both surprisingly funny and deeply thoughtful. Pryce gives us a warm, tango-loving Jesuit, while Hopkins offers a Benedict who’s rigid, weary, and way more human than you’d expect. The script dances between theology and soccer, doctrine and pizza—yes, pizza—making the papacy feel, dare we say it, relatable. It’s basically a buddy movie with cassocks. | © Netflix

Cropped spotlight — 15. Spotlight (2015)

This one doesn’t wear a rosary—it comes swinging with a notepad. *Spotlight* tells the true story of the Boston Globe’s investigative team that exposed the Catholic Church’s widespread cover-up of child abuse. It’s less incense and more subpoenas, but it hits hard where it counts. Michael Keaton leads the ensemble like a grizzled newsroom dad, with Mark Ruffalo and Rachel McAdams delivering performances that are all grit and quiet outrage. It’s a journalistic procedural, sure, but one with real stakes and absolutely no melodrama. The Catholic Church isn’t romanticized here—this is accountability, not absolution. And yes, it won Best Picture, because sometimes truth actually does win. | © Participant Media / Open Road Films

Cropped The devils — 14. The Devils (1971)

Ken Russell’s *The Devils* is what happens when a 17th-century French possession scandal meets 1970s excess and then sets the convent on fire—literally and figuratively. This film is infamous, banned in multiple countries, and soaked in sex, violence, and ecclesiastical hysteria. Vanessa Redgrave plays a hunchbacked nun with some... let’s say intense feelings for a priest, while Oliver Reed simmers as said priest, whose downfall becomes a gruesome spectacle. Based on the real-life Loudun possessions, *The Devils* is part horror, part historical drama, part “did they really put this on film?” And somehow, under all the outrageousness, it still says something serious about power, repression, and religious hypocrisy. Proceed with caution—and maybe holy water. | © Warner Bros.

Cropped a man for all seasons — 13. A Man for All Seasons (1966)

Sir Thomas More gets the royal treatment in *A Man for All Seasons*, and by “royal” we mean “British stage legend speaking truth to kingly power.” Paul Scofield gives an Oscar-winning performance as More, the English statesman who chooses conscience over convenience when Henry VIII demands his support in ditching the Pope. It’s all about the clash of law, faith, and monarchy—heavy stuff, yes, but done with such elegance and sharpness you’ll feel smarter just watching it. Orson Welles strolls in as Cardinal Wolsey (because of course he does), and Robert Shaw hams it up gloriously as Henry. If you like your saints noble and your kings tantrum-prone, this is a must. | © Columbia Pictures

Cropped the name of the rose — 12. The Name of the Rose (1986)

*The Name of the Rose* is basically Sherlock Holmes in a monastery, and we’re not mad about it. Sean Connery plays a sharp-eyed Franciscan friar investigating a series of grisly murders in a 14th-century abbey, and a very young Christian Slater tags along as his wide-eyed apprentice. It’s got heresy, secret libraries, forbidden books, and enough medieval gloom to make you reach for a candle. Based on Umberto Eco’s dense but brilliant novel, the film manages to be both a murder mystery and a meditation on reason versus dogma. And let’s be honest: Sean Connery in a habit is oddly comforting. | © Neue Constantin Film / Twentieth Century Fox

Cropped the exorcist — 11. The Exorcist (1973)

Ah yes, the film that made a whole generation afraid of pea soup. *The Exorcist* isn’t just a horror movie—it’s *the* horror movie, with the Catholic Church playing a starring role in the ultimate showdown between good and unspeakable evil. Linda Blair gives a now-legendary performance as Regan, the possessed tween who really puts her vocal cords through it, while Max von Sydow brings solemn intensity as Father Merrin, the exorcist who’s seen some things. The film’s power lies in its dead-serious treatment of spiritual warfare—no winks, no irony, just pure dread. And with that unforgettable theme and some of the most unsettling imagery ever committed to film, it’s no wonder the Vatican had *thoughts*. | © Warner Bros.

Cropped the scarlet and the black — 10. The Scarlet and the Black (1983)

If James Bond had traded in his tuxedo for a cassock, you’d get Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty. In *The Scarlet and the Black*, Gregory Peck plays the real-life Vatican priest who helped thousands of Allied soldiers and Jews escape Nazi-occupied Rome, all while ducking the watchful eye of Nazi SS officer Herbert Kappler, played with icy menace by Christopher Plummer. The stakes are life and death, and the Vatican walls suddenly become a playground for spy-vs.-spy brilliance. Add Sir John Gielgud as Pope Pius XII, radiating saintly stillness, and you’ve got a World War II thriller with some serious heavenly backing. It’s the rare war movie where a priest with a bicycle becomes the ultimate action hero. | © ITC Entertainment / RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Cropped The Magdalene Sisters — 9. The Magdalene Sisters (2002)

Peter Mullan’s *The Magdalene Sisters* does not pull punches—or prayers. This blistering drama shines a brutal light on the Irish Magdalene Laundries, Church-run institutions where so-called “fallen” women were subjected to forced labor and psychological abuse. Anne-Marie Duff, Nora-Jane Noone, and Dorothy Duffy portray three young women trapped inside this living purgatory, their dignity stripped away but their defiance burning quietly but fiercely. Geraldine McEwan delivers a chilling performance as the vindictive Sister Bridget, whose cruelty feels almost operatic in scope. This film is not a comfortable watch (spoiler: that’s the point), but it remains a powerful act of cinematic witness. Brace yourself: this is a searing reminder of the consequences of unchecked religious authority. | © PFP Films Limited / Temple Films

Cropped the nuns story — 8. The Nun's Story (1959)

If Audrey Hepburn ever *had* to choose between an Oscar and sainthood, *The Nun’s Story* shows she could pull off both. Directed by Fred Zinnemann, this gorgeously shot film follows Sister Luke (Hepburn), a Belgian nun whose journey takes her from the strict discipline of convent life to the chaotic hospitals of the Belgian Congo, and finally back home to confront the rise of Nazi Germany. Peter Finch plays the prickly Dr. Fortunati, the atheist surgeon who pushes Sister Luke to rethink her unwavering obedience. What elevates this film is its deep humanity: no miracles, no melodrama, just the raw, real internal struggle between personal ambition and religious devotion. Hepburn’s performance is luminous, capturing a woman whose search for purpose leaves her caught between two worlds. | © Warner Bros.

Cropped the club — 7. The Club (2015)

Pablo Larraín’s *The Club* is what happens when you take four disgraced priests, exile them to a dreary Chilean coastal town, and then drop a psychological grenade into the mix. This dark, unsettling drama pulls no punches as it explores the moral rot beneath the surface of religious institutions. The arrival of a fifth priest—accused of even worse crimes—shatters the fragile peace, forcing long-buried sins into the open. With chilling performances from Chilean heavyweights like Alfredo Castro and Roberto Farías, the film builds a suffocating atmosphere of guilt, denial, and complicity. It’s like *The Exorcist* without the supernatural… because sometimes the real horror comes from within. Bleak, brilliant, and not for the faint of heart. | © Fabula / Funny Balloons

Cropped Conclave — 6. Conclave (2024)

The smoke rises... but the secrets are even thicker. *Conclave* (2024), directed by Edward Berger, drops viewers into the opulent and deeply secretive world of a papal election. Ralph Fiennes leads the ensemble as Cardinal Lawrence, a man tasked with overseeing the voting process but soon discovering scandalous truths that could shake the foundations of the Church. Alongside him, the likes of Stanley Tucci, John Lithgow, and Isabella Rossellini breathe delicious intrigue and gravitas into a drama where backroom deals meet whispered prayers. It’s *House of Cards*, but with cassocks and Latin invocations. Berger’s Vatican feels like the ultimate locked-room mystery—ornate, intimidating, and utterly claustrophobic. Come for the suspense, stay for the robes. | © Indian Paintbrush / FilmNation Entertainment / House Productions

Cropped the nun — 5. The Nun (1966)

Long before nunsploitation became a thing, *The Nun* (1966) gave us the definitive bleak convent drama. Directed by Jacques Rivette and starring Anna Karina—French New Wave royalty—as Suzanne Simonin, this adaptation of Denis Diderot’s controversial novel charts the life of a young woman forced into a convent by her family. Expect no syrupy spirituality here. Suzanne’s world is cold, cruel, and riddled with sadistic Mother Superiors who make Nurse Ratched look like a Disney princess. Karina gives a haunting, dignified performance that turns quiet resistance into something almost saintly. Banned in France at its release (nothing says “watch this” quite like that), *The Nun* remains a razor-sharp critique of religious oppression and patriarchal control disguised as piety. | © Rome Paris Films / Société Nouvelle de Cinématographie

Cropped Calvary — 4. Calvary (2014)

Brendan Gleeson gives one of the best performances of his career in *Calvary*, playing Father James, a small-town Irish priest who is told in confession that he will be murdered in a week. Dark premise? Yep. But director John Michael McDonagh turns it into a darkly comic, deeply human exploration of forgiveness, faith, and personal failure. Gleeson’s priest calmly faces down an ensemble of eccentric (and often profane) villagers, including Chris O’Dowd, Kelly Reilly, and Aidan Gillen, each representing different facets of modern Ireland’s moral confusion. The cinematography captures the haunting beauty of the Irish coast, making it feel both like Eden and exile. *Calvary* walks the fine line between gallows humor and gut-punch drama—and does it in a cassock. | © Reprisal Films / Octagon Films

Cropped of gods and men — 3. Of Gods and Men (2010)

Prepare to be humbled. *Of Gods and Men* is a quietly devastating account of the real-life Trappist monks of Tibhirine, Algeria, caught in the crossfire of civil war in the 1990s. Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale lead a luminous ensemble portraying men of faith facing the ultimate test of nonviolence and sacrifice. Director Xavier Beauvois eschews melodrama for meditative simplicity. The film’s stillness, punctuated by stirring moments like the monks sharing wine and Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, hits harder than any sermon. It’s less about preaching and more about living (and dying) for your convictions. A rare film that earns every tear and leaves you in contemplative silence as the credits roll. | © Why Not Productions

Cropped doubt — 2. Doubt (2008)

In *Doubt*, written and directed by John Patrick Shanley, the only certainty is that there isn’t any. Meryl Streep, as the iron-willed Sister Aloysius, and Philip Seymour Hoffman, as the charismatic Father Flynn, lock horns over an ambiguous allegation of misconduct at a Catholic school in 1960s New York. Amy Adams gives a heart-wrenching turn as the young, naive Sister James caught in the middle. The screenplay crackles with moral complexity and razor-sharp dialogue, leaving audiences to wrestle with their own judgments long after the final frame. Streep's glare could bend steel, while Hoffman’s layered performance makes you question everything you think you know. A true masterclass in acting and ethical ambiguity. | © Miramax Films

Cropped Silence — 1. Silence (2016)

Martin Scorsese’s long-gestating passion project, *Silence*, is the cinematic equivalent of a spiritual gut punch. Based on Shūsaku Endō’s novel, it follows two 17th-century Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) as they journey to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) and confront brutal persecution. This is not your average faith-affirming tale. It’s agonizing, slow-burning, and visually stunning, with Rodrigo Prieto’s cinematography capturing the haunting beauty of fog-drenched landscapes and silent suffering. Garfield gives a career-best performance as Father Rodrigues, whose spiritual crisis becomes the heart of the film. Scorsese offers no easy answers—only the deafening, paradoxical silence of God amid unimaginable human cruelty. | © Paramount Pictures

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The Catholic Church has inspired filmmakers for decades, serving as a powerful backdrop for stories of faith, corruption, redemption, and moral conflict. This list focuses specifically on films about the institution itself—its clergy, convents, politics, and internal struggles—so you won’t find movies centered on the life of Jesus, like Life of Brian or The Last Temptation of Christ.

Whether you're drawn to historical dramas, psychological thrillers, or thought-provoking biopics, these films offer a compelling glimpse into the spiritual, political, and very human dimensions of Catholicism. In this curated list of the top 20 movies about the Catholic Church, you’ll encounter everything from papal intrigue to monastic life, offering deep insight into one of the world’s most influential religious institutions.