7 Best Holy Week Movies For Reflection This 2020
3 min readIt’s going to be a different Lent this year. What used to be a long weekend spent on getaways and pilgrimage is now what it always should have been: stationary and meditative; a time to stay quiet, reflect, and bond with the family—at home.
If you want some inspiration, you may want to skip on your K-drama favorite or Netflix series for a bit and put on some Christian movies. This Lent, we recommend seven of the best holy week movies for reflection.
1. The Passion of the Christ
Year released: 2004
This classic movie written and directed by Mel Gibson is undeniably the most unforgettable film about Jesus because of its raw and unflinching depiction of the sufferings of Christ. From the agony at the Garden of Gethsemane, the trial before Pontius Pilate, the cross-laden walk in Golgotha, to the heart-wrenching crucifixion, the movie portrayed and conveyed how much Christ had to go through for men to get saved.
Where to stream The Passion of the Christ: Amazon Prime Video, YouTube
2. God’s Not Dead
Year released: 2014
Josh Wheaton, a college freshman, finds his faith challenged when the Philosophy teacher demanded the class to deny the existence of God for them not to get a failing grade. Josh instead engaged to a debate with his professor and placed his academic goals at stake.
Where to stream God’s Not Dead: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
3. Risen
Year released: 2016
Risen takes the viewers to a new perspective on the happenings of the Easter or Resurrection Sunday of Christ. The movie moves away from the point of view of Christ and the disciples, focusing instead on the Roman Centurion assigned by Pontius Pilate to investigate the vanishing of the body of Jesus and to pacify the swelling revolt of the Jews. The quest brought him to Jerusalem and the path of the disciples, wherein he discovers the truth to the mystery, and that changed his life.
Where to stream Risen: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
4. The Case for Christ
Year released: 2017
Lee Strobel was promoted as a legal editor at the Chicago Tribune because of his investigative reporting that garnered an award. While his career was blooming, his life at home was not like it. He was a resolute atheist but his wife started to embrace Christ. It forced him to use his journalistic skills and legal expertise to refute Christianity’s beliefs, in hopes to dissuade his wife from her newfound faith.
Where to stream The Case for Christ: Netflix, Amazon Prime Video
5. Paul, Apostle of Christ
Year released: 2018
Despite the perils, Luke journeyed to Rome. He wanted to visit apostle Paul who was imprisoned in the darkest cell in Nero. Paul looked back to his nefarious past and wondered about his existence as his execution is by the door. Before the death of Paul, Luke decided to write a book that gives forth to events that would be known as the Church.
Where to stream Paul, Apostle of Christ: YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video
6. The Least of These
Year released: 2019
In Orissa, India, the journalist Manav Banerjee and his pregnant wife had just recently moved in, hoping to find more opportunities and hopefully, a lucrative career. When news came about that a local missionary from Australia named Graham Staines was illegally converting patients of leprosy, it was deemed by Manav a good chance to take advantage of and set out to secretly investigate for his newspaper.Â
Where to stream The Least of These: YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime Video
7. The Chosen
Year released: 2017
Technically, this isn’t a film but an original TV series that retells the life of Jesus. Unlike “Risen†that used a fictional character to drive the plot, “The Chosen†uses the people who knew Jesus at that period to tell the story. It was not produced in Hollywood studios but crowdfunded for its distribution. So far only the first season has been released, but its future episodes will be crowdfunded, too.
Where to stream The Chosen: Netflix, YouTube, Facebook Watch
There are Easter movies for everyone, even for kids. Parents can watch animated bible films such as “The Prince of Egypt†and “The Pilgrim’s Progress†or heartwarming movies like “A Question of Faith” or “The Star,†which was based on the nativity. Also, look into “Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobeâ€â€”an allegory of Jesus’ life based on the novel by the celebrated Christian author, C. S. Lewis.
Have more to add? Share them in the comments!