Recovering From Religion
by tnunnster | created - 26 Oct 2022 | updated - 2 months ago | PublicMovies and TV series that speak to the experience of people dealing with the fall out of religious indoctrination and the journey to escape from it.
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1. God Said, 'Ha!' (1998)
PG-13 | 85 min | Comedy, Drama
Julia Sweeney tells the viewers the monologue about the hard time in her life when her brother fought with cancer and she was also diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.
Director: Julia Sweeney | Stars: Julia Sweeney, Quentin Tarantino
Votes: 1,017 | Gross: $0.06M
2. The Brand New Testament (2015)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy, Fantasy
Did you know that God is alive and lives in Brussels with his daughter?
Director: Jaco Van Dormael | Stars: Pili Groyne, Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, François Damiens
Votes: 35,018 | Gross: $0.09M
3. Dogma (1999)
R | 130 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama
An abortion clinic worker with a special heritage is called upon to save the existence of humanity from being negated by two renegade angels trying to exploit a loop-hole and reenter Heaven.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Linda Fiorentino, Bud Cort
Votes: 228,737 | Gross: $30.65M
4. Red State (2011)
R | 88 min | Action, Crime, Horror
Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.
Director: Kevin Smith | Stars: Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, John Goodman, Michael Angarano
Votes: 67,270 | Gross: $1.10M
5. Big Love (2006–2011)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama
A Utah polygamist who owns home improvement stores in the Salt Lake City area juggles relationships with three wives while trying to keep his complex family life from becoming a public scandal.
Stars: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloë Sevigny, Ginnifer Goodwin
Votes: 23,281
6. The Mist (2007)
R | 126 min | Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A freak storm unleashes a species of bloodthirsty creatures on a small town, where a small band of citizens hole up in a supermarket and fight for their lives.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Thomas Jane, Marcia Gay Harden, Laurie Holden, Andre Braugher
Votes: 340,697 | Gross: $25.59M
7. Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
TV-MA | 67 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A devout detective's faith is tested as he investigates a brutal murder seemingly connected to an esteemed Utah family's spiral into LDS fundamentalism and their distrust in the government.
Stars: Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Denise Gough
Votes: 34,813
8. Spotlight (I) (2015)
R | 129 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.
Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton, Rachel McAdams, Liev Schreiber
Votes: 502,394 | Gross: $45.06M
9. The Man Who Sued God (2001)
97 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An ex lawyer now fisherman sees his fishing boat sunk by a lightning. His insurance company claims "Act of God". Sue the insurance company or God/churches?
Director: Mark Joffe | Stars: Billy Connolly, Judy Davis, Colin Friels, Wendy Hughes
Votes: 5,252
10. OMG: Oh My God! (2012)
Not Rated | 125 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A shopkeeper takes God to court when his shop is destroyed by an earthquake.
Director: Umesh Shukla | Stars: Paresh Rawal, Akshay Kumar, Mithun Chakraborty, Mahesh Manjrekar
Votes: 65,412 | Gross: $0.92M
11. The Invention of Lying (2009)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A comedy set in a world where no one has ever lied, until a writer seizes the opportunity for personal gain.
Directors: Ricky Gervais, Matthew Robinson | Stars: Ricky Gervais, Jennifer Garner, Jonah Hill, Louis C.K.
Votes: 149,016 | Gross: $18.44M
12. Saved! (2004)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Drama
When a girl attending a Christian high school becomes pregnant, all of her former friends turn on her and she is ostracized and demonized.
Director: Brian Dannelly | Stars: Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Macaulay Culkin, Patrick Fugit
Votes: 49,007 | Gross: $8.94M
13. Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple (2006)
86 min | Documentary, History
Featuring never-before-seen footage, this documentary delivers a startling new look at the Peoples Temple, headed by preacher Jim Jones who, in 1978, led more than 900 members to Guyana, where he orchestrated a mass suicide via tainted punch.
Director: Stanley Nelson | Stars: Rebecca Moore, Janet Shular, Tim Carter, Stanley Clayton
Votes: 5,642
14. Jesus Camp (2006)
PG-13 | 87 min | Documentary
A documentary on kids who attend a summer camp hoping to become the next Billy Graham.
Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Mike Papantonio, Lou Engle, Becky Fischer, Ted Haggard
Votes: 28,780 | Gross: $0.90M
15. Agora (2009)
R | 127 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.
Director: Alejandro Amenábar | Stars: Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom
Votes: 73,078 | Gross: $0.62M
16. Doubt (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 104 min | Drama, Mystery
A Catholic school principal questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.
Director: John Patrick Shanley | Stars: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis
Votes: 136,112 | Gross: $33.42M
17. Life of Brian (1979)
R | 94 min | Comedy
Born on the original Christmas in the stable next door to Jesus Christ, Brian of Nazareth spends his life being mistaken for a messiah.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Michael Palin, Terry Gilliam
Votes: 421,956 | Gross: $20.05M
18. Religulous (2008)
R | 101 min | Documentary, Comedy, War
Bill Maher's take on the current state of world religion.
Director: Larry Charles | Stars: Bill Maher, Tal Bachman, Jonathan Boulden, Steven Burg
Votes: 60,251 | Gross: $13.00M
19. There Will Be Blood (2007)
R | 158 min | Drama
A story of family, religion, hatred, oil and madness, focusing on a turn-of-the-century prospector in the early days of the business.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Dano, Ciarán Hinds, Martin Stringer
Votes: 641,535 | Gross: $40.22M
20. The Meaning of Life (1983)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Musical
The comedy team takes a look at life in all of its stages in their own uniquely silly way.
Director: Terry Jones | Stars: John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Eric Idle, Terry Jones
Votes: 125,366 | Gross: $14.93M
21. Elmer Gantry (1960)
Approved | 146 min | Drama
A fast-talking traveling salesman with a charming, loquacious manner convinces a sincere evangelist that he can be an effective preacher for her cause.
Director: Richard Brooks | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Jean Simmons, Arthur Kennedy, Dean Jagger
Votes: 12,825 | Gross: $11.34M
22. Submission: Part I (2004 TV Short)
12 min | Documentary, Short, Drama
Short film on the mistreatment of women in the Islam. It shows abused women, with Koran texts on their bodies that validate their mistreatment.
Director: Theo van Gogh
Votes: 1,633
23. Water (I) (2005)
PG-13 | 117 min | Drama
Set in colonial India against Gandhi's rise to power, it's the story of 8-year-old Chuyia, who is widowed and sent to a home to live in penitence; once there, Chuyia's feisty presence deeply affects the lives of the other residents.
Director: Deepa Mehta | Stars: Lisa Ray, John Abraham, Seema Biswas, Sarala Kariyawasam
Votes: 15,360 | Gross: $3.22M
24. The Gods Must Be Crazy (1980)
PG | 109 min | Adventure, Comedy
A comic allegory about a traveling Bushman who encounters modern civilization and its stranger aspects, including a clumsy scientist and a band of revolutionaries.
Director: Jamie Uys | Stars: N!xau, Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, Louw Verwey
Votes: 59,482 | Gross: $30.03M
25. Preacher (2016–2019)
TV-MA | 60 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
After a supernatural event at his church, a preacher enlists the help of a vampire and his ex to find God.
Stars: Dominic Cooper, Joe Gilgun, Ruth Negga, Ian Colletti
Votes: 80,897
26. Persepolis (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux
Votes: 100,224 | Gross: $4.45M
27. Midnight Mass (2021)
TV-MA | 64 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
An isolated island community experiences miraculous events - and frightening omens - after the arrival of a charismatic, mysterious young priest.
Stars: Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Kristin Lehman, Samantha Sloyan
Votes: 144,757
28. The Master (2012)
R | 138 min | Drama, History
A Naval veteran arrives home from war unsettled and uncertain of his future - until he is tantalized by the Cause and its charismatic leader.
Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Joaquin Phoenix, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Jesse Plemons
Votes: 186,297 | Gross: $16.38M
29. Adam's Apples (2005)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A neo-Nazi sentenced to community service at a church clashes with the blindly devoted minister.
Director: Anders Thomas Jensen | Stars: Ulrich Thomsen, Mads Mikkelsen, Nicolas Bro, Paprika Steen
Votes: 54,654 | Gross: $0.00M
30. Prayers for Bobby (2009 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 90 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
True story of Mary Griffith, gay rights crusader, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance. Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons.
Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Henry Czerny, Ryan Kelley, Austin Nichols
Votes: 17,956
31. Contact (1997)
PG | 150 min | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Dr. Ellie Arroway, after years of searching, finds conclusive radio proof of extraterrestrial intelligence, sending plans for a mysterious machine.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
Votes: 293,249 | Gross: $100.92M
32. Creation (I) (2009)
PG-13 | 108 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Torn between faith and science, and suffering hallucinations, English naturalist Charles Darwin struggles to complete 'On the Origin of Species' and maintain his relationship with his wife.
Director: Jon Amiel | Stars: Paul Bettany, Jennifer Connelly, Ian Kelly, Guy Henry
Votes: 15,133 | Gross: $0.34M
33. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
R | 97 min | Drama, Romance
A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods, Kathleen Turner
Votes: 169,335 | Gross: $4.86M
34. Salvation Boulevard (2011)
R | 96 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
Set in the world of mega-churches in which a former Deadhead-turned-born again-Christian finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega-church who will do anything to protect their larger-than-life pastor.
Director: George Ratliff | Stars: Greg Kinnear, Pierce Brosnan, Marisa Tomei, Jennifer Connelly
Votes: 4,824 | Gross: $0.03M
35. Wise Blood (1979)
PG | 106 min | Comedy, Drama
Fresh out of the army, Hazel Motes attempts to open the first Church Without Christ in the small town of Taulkinham.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Brad Dourif, John Huston, Dan Shor, Harry Dean Stanton
Votes: 6,468
36. Worlds Apart (2008)
116 min | Drama
The daughter of a Jehovah's Witness is forced to choose between religion and love when she falls for someone outside her faith.
Director: Niels Arden Oplev | Stars: Rosalinde Mynster, Pilou Asbæk, Jens Jørn Spottag, Sarah Boberg
Votes: 3,471
37. Stations of the Cross (2014)
Unrated | 110 min | Drama
Fourteen-year-old Maria is a fundamentalist Catholic, living her life in a modern fashion, yet her heart belongs to Jesus. She wants to be a saint and go to heaven. No one, not even a nice boy she meets, can stop her in this goal.
Director: Dietrich Brüggemann | Stars: Lea van Acken, Franziska Weisz, Florian Stetter, Lucie Aron
Votes: 4,630
38. Wild Wild Country (2018)
TV-MA | 67 min | Documentary, Crime
When Osho, the world's most controversial guru, builds an Utopian city deep in the Oregon country, conflict with the locals escalates into a national scandal.
Stars: Ma Anand Sheela, Philip Toelkes, Jane Stork, George Meredith
Votes: 35,123
39. Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022)
TV-MA | 49 min | Documentary, Crime
Examines the rise of Warren Jeffs in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and his shocking criminal case.
Stars: Mike Watkiss, Elissa Wall, Rebecca Musser, Ruby Jessop
Votes: 16,114
40. The Family (2019)
TV-14 | 50 min | Documentary, Mystery
An enigmatic Christian group known as The Family wields enormous influence in Washington, DC, in pursuit of its global ambitions.
Stars: Jeff Sharlet, James Cromwell, Doug Hampton, Lisa Getter
Votes: 4,067
41. One of Us (IV) (2017)
95 min | Documentary
Penetrating the insular world of New York's Hasidic community, focusing on three individuals driven to break away despite threats of retaliation.
Directors: Heidi Ewing, Rachel Grady | Stars: Etty, Chani Getter, Ari Hershkowitz, Luzer Twersky
Votes: 7,131
42. Going Clear: Scientology & the Prison of Belief (2015)
Not Rated | 119 min | Documentary
A documentary looking at the inner-workings of the Church of Scientology.
Director: Alex Gibney | Stars: Paul Haggis, Jason Beghe, Spanky Taylor, David Miscavige
Votes: 40,921
43. Cults and Extreme Belief (2018)
TV-14 | Documentary
A look inside the mysterious world of organized cults.
Stars: Elizabeth Vargas, Teddy Hose, Stephen Kent, Samie Brosseau
Votes: 483
44. God & Country (2024)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary
Looks at the implications of Christian Nationalism and how it distorts not only the constitutional republic, but Christianity itself.
Director: Dan Partland | Stars: Phil Vischer, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Reza Aslan, William J. Barber II
Votes: 689
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