There’s a new energy pulsing through faith-fueled cinema. For years, “Christian movie” was shorthand for low-budget, heavy-handed storytelling—something you watched out of obligation, not excitement. But lately, the genre has been quietly leveling up. Filmmakers are telling bolder, more nuanced stories about belief, doubt and the messy realities of living out faith in a complicated world. Some of these films were early outliers, lighting up a landscape that desperately needed it; others are riding the current wave, proving that spiritual stories can be as artful, provocative and relevant as anything else on the marquee.
If you’re looking for biopics that don’t just check the “faith” box but actually wrestle with what it means to believe, these 10 films are essential viewing. They’re not just for the converted—they’re for anyone who wants to see conviction, courage and humanity in action.
1. A Hidden Life (2019)
Terrence Malick’s meditative drama tells the true story of Franz Jägerstätter, an Austrian farmer who refused to swear allegiance to Hitler. August Diehl’s quietly devastating performance anchors a film that’s as much about the cost of conviction as it is about the beauty of the everyday. Malick’s signature visual style turns Jägerstätter’s rural world into a cathedral of conscience.
2. Just Mercy (2019)
Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Foxx headline this powerful adaptation of Bryan Stevenson’s memoir. Stevenson, a Harvard-educated lawyer, takes on the case of Walter McMillian, a Black man wrongly convicted of murder in Alabama. The film is a reminder that faith in justice—and in each other—can move mountains, even in the Deep South.
3. Harriet (2019)
Cynthia Erivo is a force of nature as Harriet Tubman, the Underground Railroad conductor whose faith was as unbreakable as her will. Director Kasi Lemmons gives Tubman’s story the epic treatment it deserves, blending action, spirituality and a dash of the supernatural to show how faith can fuel revolution.
4. Cabrini (2024)
Cristiana Dell’Anna commands the screen as Francesca Cabrini, the Italian nun who lands in gritty 19th-century New York and immediately starts rewriting the rules. Armed with little more than relentless faith and a stubborn refusal to take “no” for an answer, Cabrini takes on city hall, the church hierarchy and a society that would rather keep women—and immigrants—in their place. Director Alejandro Monteverde turns her story into a kinetic, visually lush rallying cry for justice and compassion.
5. The Most Reluctant Convert (2021)
C.S. Lewis fans, rejoice. This British import stars Max McLean as the famed atheist-turned-Christian apologist, tracing his journey from skepticism to belief. It’s a cerebral, dialogue-driven film, but Lewis’ wit and intellectual wrestling make for surprisingly lively cinema.
6. Selma (2014)
Ava DuVernay’s Oscar-nominated chronicle of the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches is a masterclass in righteous indignation. David Oyelowo’s Martin Luther King Jr. is both prophet and pragmatist, a man whose faith is inseparable from his activism. The film’s spiritual backbone is as strong as its political one.
7. The Eyes of Tammy Faye (2021)
Jessica Chastain disappears into the role of Tammy Faye Bakker, the mascara-drenched televangelist who became a pop culture punchline—and, eventually, a bit of an icon. The film is a wild, campy ride through the excesses of 1980s Christian broadcasting, but it never loses sight of Tammy Faye’s genuine compassion and complicated faith.
8. Hacksaw Ridge (2016)
Mel Gibson’s return to the director’s chair is a blood-soaked hymn to nonviolence. Andrew Garfield stars as Desmond Doss, a Seventh-day Adventist who refused to carry a weapon in World War II but saved 75 men during the Battle of Okinawa. It’s a war movie that’s as much about conviction as carnage.
9. Bonhoeffer (2024)
Theologian, spy, martyr—Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life is the stuff of legend, and this recent biopic finally gives him the cinematic treatment he deserves. Jonas Dassler brings gravitas to the German pastor who plotted against Hitler, wrestling with the moral cost of resistance. It’s a timely reminder that faith sometimes means standing alone.
10. Unsung Hero (2024)
For the final pick, we’re going with this surprising hit that tells the true story behind the Smallbone family, whose journey from Australia to Nashville gave the world Christian music stars For King & Country and Rebecca St. James. Joel Smallbone stars as his own father, and the film is a love letter to the messy, miraculous business of family and faith.
