Christians tend to like their redemption arcs clean and their underdogs easy to root for. But much like This is Martin Bonner, Sound of Metal presents a character who resists help. Ruben (Riz Ahmed) at first does not wish to admit that he is losing Read More …
Kirsten Johnson’s moving tribute to her dying father (Dick Johnson) and cinema itself is easily one of the best documentaries of the year. Kirsten admits she is making time capsules to remember her father, but the film also serves as a sharing of careers as she and Read More …
Akira Kurosawa’s entire body of work—from 1943’s brash debut Sanshiro Sugata to 1993’s valedictory Madadayo—challenges viewers to awaken to their responsibility to use their talents unselfishly in a desperate world. 1965’s Red Beard is no exception. Set in feudal Japan, it opens with callow Doctor Read More …
Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari is a quietly spiritual film that gives voice to the immigrant experience in pursuit of the American Dream. The writer-director channels deeply personal sentiments in a story of vast Biblical undertones. The central metaphor of the minari plant embodies hardy resilience Read More …
In 2017, readers at Arts & Faith voted on the Top 25 films that illustrated the theme of “Waking Up.” It was the seventh Top 25 themed list, and the last done while the website was owned and run by Image. Click on the link Read More …
In 2020, readers of Arts & Faith voted on their Top 25 Films about the topic of Growing Older. This topic included, but was not limited to, mortality, coming-of-age, and maturing. To read an appreciation or explanation from a voter, click on the appropriate title. Read More …
As an NPR-style radio journalist, Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) excels at asking questions that unlock people’s hopes and fears for the future. Living in the present—and for that matter confronting the past—without the mediation of a microphone is a different story. After reconnecting with his semi-estranged Read More …
CODA is one of several films from the last year that show young people struggling to carve out or create a normal existence in the midst of circumstances that can and do overwhelm many of their peers and elders. The acronym stands for Children of Deaf Read More …
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind is the second animated film by famed director Hayao Miyazaki based on his own Manga series. The film’s success was an influential part of the launch of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation film studio that has for the last Read More …
This film’s Anatoly is a priest who lives among a remote monastic community as prophet and provocateur. Director Pavel Lungin’s story about him is of course a film, but it seems to be of a piece with the great Russian literary tradition. Anatoly’s actions toward Read More …