The Arts & Faith Ecumenical Jury -- 2023

The Arts & Faith website has sponsored a jury every year since 2014 to recommend films to Christian audiences. The reasons a critic might think a film is particularly suited for a faith audience are varied,, so be sure to check out the juror’s statements by clicking the appropriate link(s) below.

Members of the 2023 Arts & Faith Jury: Aren Bergstrom; Prisca Bird; Peter T. Chattaway; Evan Cogswell; Steven D. Greydanus; Gareth Higgins; Noel T. Manning, II; Thomas Manning; Andrew Johnson; Manning Franks; Andrew J. Eisenman; Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr.; Christian Jessup; Wade Bearden; Lindsey Dunn; Kenneth R. Morefield.

Juror’s Honorable Mentions

A Haunting in Venice — “I would welcome, with open arms, any honest sign of [a] ghost. For if there is a ghost, there is a soul. If there is a soul, there is a God who made it. And if we have God, then we have everything.” At the start of the film, Poirot has lost all sense of meaning in life, his faith in God (and humanity) completely gone. As he confronts the alleged ghosts at the center of the mystery, he also comes to terms with the ghosts of his past, finding a renewed faith and sense of purpose along the way. — Christian Jessup

Knock at the Cabin — Knock at the Cabin is certainly a suspense thriller directed by M. Night Shyamalan, but underlying this genre picture, which is admittedly filled with graphic violence and heart-pounding apocalyptic scenarios, is a well-conceived religious parable about the power of faith, hope, and love. Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge play Andrew and Eric, the adoptive parents of Wen (Kristen Cui), who decide to take a vacation to a cabin in the middle of nowhere. While Wen is picking flowers in front of the cabin, she becomes friendly with a stoic stranger named Leonard, played with unnerving calm by former wrestler now actor, Dave Bautista. He tells Wen and family that he, along with three other prophets, was sent to this particular cabin for one purpose: to save the world. The only caveat: either Andrew, Eric, or Wen has to die for this to happen. In true Shyamalan fashion, the film does have a surprise ending, one that connects what is happening to the family with Biblical teaching; but with Knock at the Cabin,, it works so better than in films like The Village and Old where the messaging is simply not as strong. This is a film about what our sacrifices can mean not just for ourselves or our immediate families/friends but for everyone around us. What moral and ethical choices do we make to ensure the safety of all human beings; or do we just do what is best for us in that moment and not care about morals and ethics? Knock at the Cabin may have an answer for that in the end; however, it is Shyamalan that leaves it up to us to think about the consequences of our actions, no matter how benign or malignant they may be. — Douglas C. MacLeod, Jr.

Freud’s Last Session — Following the theme of examining faith, the film sees Sigmund Freud summon C.S. Lewis to his house for a debate on God’s existence, on the day Hitler invades Poland. Unlike the overly whitewashed depictions of Lewis we’ve seen before, Matthew Goode’s (Stoker, Watchmen) C.S. Lewis is portrayed with all his thorns as well as his petals, just as we should all hope to be seen. — Andrew J. Eisenman

Perfect Days — God is in the simplicity. He’s in the sky above, the drive to work, and even in the cleaning of toilets. Koji Yakusho plays Hirayama — a man finding the joy in life in the simplicity. He walks with humility and, even in the face of new adventures, carries himself with a consistent purpose even when by all standards his job is almost as lowly as one can go. Yet, it doesn’t bother him. He works heartily with unparalleled diligence day after day. The way Wim Wenders portrays the beauty in the monotony is arguably some of the most profound spirituality you can muster. It’s in that simplicity that the divine fulfillment is met. — Manning Franks

Suzume — Makoto Shinkai’s Suzume is part adventure, part romance, part teen melodrama, part environmental fable, and a useful lesson on how to make a compelling, beautiful movie about the challenges of the modern world. The latest anime epic from the director of Your Name, Suzume follows the 17-year-old Suzume as she gets caught up in a mythic quest to close magical doors across Japan in order to prevent a supernatural worm from causing natural disasters. In a way particular to East Asian storytelling, the film links the spiritual and physical worlds in an effort to showcase the metaphysical urgency of environmental degradation. But the film does not discount the emotional minutiae of its characters’ lives, rather delighting in their particularities and their own experiences within the world. The film becomes a powerful paean to environmental stewardship as well as an achingly perceptive story of young adulthood and the challenges of facing a world defined by emotional and environmental uncertainty. — Aren Bergstrom

Godzilla Minus One — Noel T. Manning, II

You Hurt My Feelings — The premise of You Hurt My Feelings is enough to make you laugh—and possibly cringe: Chaos ensues when a writer named Beth (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus) overhears her husband (Tobias Menzies) talking negatively about her new book. If that description feels a little heavy, don’t worry. Writer and director Nicole Holofcener packs her tale of love, emotional honesty, and aging in a basketful of wit, charm, and humor. The result is a hilarious and poignant look at the way marriages must learn to adapt over time. If You Hurt My Feelings teaches us anything, it’s that relationships are a dance, and when we stop moving—growing—we can miss what makes lifelong bonds so great: change. — Wade Bearden

Origin — After the murder of Trayvon Martin, Isabel Wilkerson’s agent approaches her with audio tapes of the 911 call, asking her to find the story. Isabel’s research leads her to connections between the Martin murder, slave trade, the Holocaust, and India’s social hierarchy. Wilkerson wrestles with the personal demons in her life as she seeks to find the reason that systems of hate, prejudice, and violence continue to thrive in a “just” society. Movies can entertain, but few dare to enter into the current cultural conversation the way Origin does. This movie takes bold steps to address things that really matter and could change our world right now, and that kind of boldness must be lauded. — Lindsey Dunn