Spirituality is a very broad concept that connects various aspects of life together. To arrange it into simple words, spirituality means connecting ourselves to something bigger than ourselves, which is usually practiced to search for meaning in our lives. If you are a breathing human, you can experience & practice spirituality. No matter from which ethnic background you belong or which higher being you believe in. Sometimes people who experience spiritual connection describe it as a sacred connection or witness a deeper sense of Aliveness.
You can observe that a major part of the society interconnects or link their spiritual life to their belief or faith with a church, temple, mosque, etc. While another part of the society finds comfort in praying in isolation just between them and the higher power they believe in. They do not find it mandatory, or they do not attach their spiritual connection to the temple, mosque, etc. There’s still a tiny amount of people left who incorporate their spiritual connection with nature or art, some into music while others dance, just to name a few. It is not important or not necessary that you stick to the same belief throughout your life. People have new experiences and new incidents throughout their lives, leading to their shift from one belief to another and onto another.
This article has brought together a list of Top 10 Spiritual movies to watch with your partner.
God in Movies
Did you know almost 84% of Earth’s population believe in a High Power? Still, today’s strange films haven’t yet found a way to represent the spiritual experience. The fact that how much technology has advanced today can create and depict things that never existed, in our movies. For example dragons, mermaids, dinosaurs. Still, why haven’t we been able to depict a feeling which has existed with the human civilization ever since the beginning of time? We try, but we haven’t been able to fully incorporate that feeling to its greatest extent. We can find elements of it here and there, but no-one ever has encountered or experienced that feeling. The feeling that after watching a movie, can explain their relation with God. Also, how their religion affects their decisions in their day-to-day lives.
There are tons of movies that have shown religious cultures. Movies based on things that happened in/on religion, on relationships between people & religious authority, on culture expectations, and on contradictions that have existed in religious organizations. God has gotten played by a ton of successful and well-known faces over the years, especially in comedy movies. Very important figures of a few religions have also been portrayed by actors with a variable degree of success. But it’s certainly clear that a human version of God in cinema never leads to an absolutely accurate depiction between God and a person’s relationship with his/her High Power. This makes it clear, as when someone doesn’t know what something looks like or a person doesn’t even understand its true reality is, how can someone depict it accurately?
Being optimistic that someday we will be able to truly depict the concept of higher power or God in our movies. I hereby present you a list of top 10 Spiritual movies based on their popularity ranked in no particular order.
List for Top 10 Spiritual movies,
1) Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds (2012).
This film was made by a Canadian Filmmaker, meditation teacher & musician ‘Daniel Schmidt’. The movie can be described as his own reflection of the external adventures in ‘Meditation’. This movie focuses on the concept that there is one vibrating field that connects all living and non-living things together. It has gotten called Akasha, Logos, OM, the music of spheres, Higgs field, dark energy/matter, & a ton of other names throughout history. Because of the director’s beautiful portrayal and narration throughout the entire movie, it has topped our list of top 10 Spiritual movies.
2) Waking Life (2001).
This movie has to be based on director Richard Linklater’s wildest dreams. The movie shows a hero which keeps on dreaming that he has been awakened. He jumps out of bed, splashes water all over his face, walks outside yet finds himself dreaming again. This movie is unlike any other surrealist fantasy movie, most of the movie is conversational and yes the conversation is absolutely intriguing. It raises a lot of questions of a viewer’s mind whether the dreamer is intelligent, or perhaps not, possibly he has been channeling from the outside. This hero shuffles through his dreams meeting new people & discussing the meanings and purposes of the universe.
3) Samsara (2011).
The definition of the word ‘Samsara’ on Wikipedia roughly translates to “continuous flow” also meaning “the repeating cycle of birth, life, death & rebirth”. This concept is highly accepted in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Sikhism & Buddhism. The movie takes us on a journey through worlds of sacred ground, disastrous zones, industry complexes & the world’s natural wonders. This movie was filmed nearly over five years in twenty-five different countries & on five continents. Also, an interesting fact is that it was shot only on a seventy mm film.
4) Home (2009).
Directed by ‘Yann Arthus Bertrand’, the movie is an eye-opener for the viewer audience. It will definitely change the perception of a human being towards his/her life & nature. Simultaneously making one guilty for being a part of the ongoing mass destruction of our mother nature. The movie has beautifully captured scenes of natural beauty. Still, it will make you feel a bit sad about the creatures, people, trees & everything that comes with our nature that has gotten to the brink of extinction. The movie contains aerial footage of about fifty-four countries; it depicts how Earth’s problems are altogether interlinked.
5) Boyhood (2014).
This movie is about the life of a boy named ‘Mason’, it shows his life from his early childhood to his arrival at college. The movie caused many buzzes amongst media before its release time when director ‘Richard Linklater’ revealed his work on this project over the past 12 years. The movie puts a light on the ‘fleeting nature of existence itself’. It beautifully sends the message to its viewers about how and, I quote ‘Life itself slips through our fingers like a long silk scarf’.
6) The Truman Show (1998).
Directed by ‘Peter Weir’ in 1998. ‘The Truman Show’ is a sci-fi, comedy, drama film. The hero of the movie is a character called ‘Truman Burbank’. He is adopted & raised by a corporation inside a simulated television show/series which revolves around his life. Finally, he discovers and decides to escape. The film’s climax is incredibly tense and will definitely keep you seated through the entire run time of 103 minutes. The movie has gotten analyzed as a thesis on Christianity, met philosophy, simulated reality & real television.
7) Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…. And Spring (2003).
This movie is based on a story of a small Buddhist Monastery which is situated on a small raft that is floating in the middle of a mountain formed pond. An Old Monk named ‘OH Young-soo’ has been showcased trying to pass his wisdom to a child monk named ‘KIM Jong-ho’. The monk’s teachings are related/connected to the four seasons that are spring, summer, fall & winter. Each one who experiences this marvelously created extraordinary film will savor the ‘complex emotions’ which make life such a beautiful spiritual teacher.
8) Cloud Atlas (2012).
This film has been considered one of the most ambitious films that have ever been made. The movie relates six different stories taking place between the years “1849 & 2346”. This movie is an exploration of how the actions of one’s individual life could impact one another in the past, present & future. One character is shaped from being a killer into becoming a hero & how an act of kindness can ripple across a few centuries to inspire a revolution. Directed by ‘Tom Tykwer’ this movie is a must-watch from our top 10 spiritual movies list.
9) Tuning In (2008).
Director ‘Benjamin Stewart’ a visionary director has put together an outstanding piece of artwork in form of this movie. For the first time, this movie is a feature-length documentary exploring the phenomenon of ‘Channelling’ in a very down to earth way. Channeling is an ancient and mysterious practice that enables humans to “tune in” to higher consciousness frequencies. At the same time deliver messages from very intelligent sources that exist outside space & time. The movie focuses on six people/subjects from the United States who practice this ancient technique.
10) Awake: The Life of Yogananda (2014).
A beautiful and meaningful documentary based on the life of ‘Yogananda’. This movie uses a collection of seamless recreations & absolutely fascinating true footage, to take its audience on a journey through a ‘Saint’s Life’. From his first movement in his mother’s womb. To the moment in 1952 while, after completely reciting a poem to a huge crowd at the ‘Biltmore Hotel’ in Los Angeles how he exited his body ‘just like that’. Also, how in between some events occurred which changed the ‘Western World’.
Finally, we have completed our list for the top 10 Spiritual movies of all time, hope you could agree with us and enjoy your time to the fullest watching these movies.
