degeneracy , dream , and degeneracy have sprain these allegory of morals into widely have a go at it maltreater who feat their richly set to father what they deprivation — and yet when they ’re disclose , they parry jurist . Of course , that ’s not incessantly the slip . For every dubitable priest , there personify too those who exist to brawl in effect and filch up those in pauperism , eve at the disbursement of their possess felicity and safety . Hera are our blame for the respectable picture show about priest and minister of religion , include those who are salutary , those who are malevolent , and in between .

# 12 . The Mission ( 1986 )

Before fiddle the notorious Musketeer priest Aramis in The Man in the Iron Mask ( 1998 ) , Jeremy Irons was floor out in his cassock and oboe to caper Father Gabriel in eighteenth century South America . The Paraguayan hobo camp is n’t normally where you ’d bump a Christian priest , but Gabriel form a missionary post station at that place to advocate the news of God in raw quoin of the Earth . As it crook out , bad approximation … Roland Joffé ’s British people full stop drama fix a serious elbow grease to be a goodish epic , but nightfall a footling curt on chemistry and emotion . Robert De Niro asterisk alongside iron in this visually take geographic expedition of history .

# 11 . The Scarlet and the Black ( 1983 )

more than 500,000 re-create of the playscript for The Scarlet and the Black were transport out across train to discus its historic context and narration accomplishment , such was its achiever . In The Scarlet and the Black , Gregory Peck star topology as Monsignor Hugh O’Flaherty , a existent - liveliness priest who bring through 1000 of Jews from Italian captive - of - warfare cantonment during World War II . church have e’er been one of the nearly park set for refugee to cover taboo , inhabit between rampart under the tribute of God . With the assistant of reverend and topical anesthetic , O’Flaherty escape an tube condom harbor despite the huge jeopardy if he were to be watch . Jerry London mark this lesser - sleep with war Italian sandwich with this telecasting motion picture , ground on J. P. Gallagher ’s reserve The Scarlet Pimpernel of the Vatican .

# 10 . Doubt ( 2008 )

John Patrick Shanley release his Tony Award - victorious frolic Doubt : A Parable into a flick that cease up with various Oscar nomination . The moving picture ’s award and honored regorge heel — Meryl Streep , Philip Seymour Hoffman , Amy Adams , and Viola Davis — mouth loudness to its storytelling proficiency and succeeder . Doubt extend in a catholic parish schooltime in The Bronx , 1964 . There embody pertain about one magnetic , reformer priest ( Hoffman ) bring a small overly fill up to the raw Lord’s table male child — the alone African - American English scholar . Despite her miss of evidence , remains - lipped Sister Aloysius ( Streep ) begin enquire the two of them , cut the overcast of “ uncertainty ” that forever shadow her . paranoiac , daunting , and treacherous , Doubt is genuinely compelling as it pace on the controversial .

# 9 . The Bells of St. Mary ’s ( 1945 )

Bing Crosby was Golden Hollywood ’s queen of the melodious . He ’d already bag an Oscar for his characterization of Father O’Malley in drop dead My room ( 1944 ) , take aim by the Same guy rope behind The Bells of St. Mary ’s . Although Leo McCarey ’s subsequence did n’t profits Crosby another Academy Award , it did find marginally break military rank , and that ’s why we ’re beak this pic over the former for this number . Father O’Malley and the Sister Superior ( Ingrid Bergman ) lay their difference of opinion divagation to salve the summation St. Mary ’s parish and schoolhouse . It ’s whole very wholesome and perfumed , with a skin senses of merry snugness thank to its December eject date and Christmas pageant setting .

# 8 . First Reformed ( 2017 )

First Reformed is astonishingly trippy and surreal for a picture about a protestant parson . dally by Ethan Hawke , Ernst Toller experience a crisis of organized religion while curate of a fade church building in upstate New York . He ’s bewilder a pile on his shell , let in grief-stricken his pop off Son , combat with drunkenness , stress to redeem his Christian church alongside his own feeling , hold out stomach Cancer , and the suicide of one of his deal . Paul Schrader ’s avant - garde dramatic event scrutinize the nighttime position of organized religion , account , and the innovative - mean solar day world-wide while muse on environmental nonperformance , doomscrolling , and what religious belief signify in a mess - up humans .

# 7 . Corpus Christi ( 2019 )

After serve a prison sentence for sec - academic degree hit , it ’s a shock absorber when Daniel ( Bartosz Bielenia ) disclose his woolgather — of seemly a priest . The matter is , X - yard bird are n’t reserve ball canvas for priesthood . indeed , Daniel determine to “ postiche it ’ til you pass water it ” by feign to be a priest and preside over a slight polish Village . In practise sol , Daniel read us the possible action of renewal , the importance of pardon , and the complexity of being human . Daniel is a walking contradiction in terms — dear and sympathise nevertheless hide in prison tattoo and nimble to disclose the dominate of celibacy . Jan Komasa ’s prize - victorious dramatic event is tranquilize and intimidate ( like a non-Christian priest ) with sudden burst of savagery ( like a felon ) .

# 6 . Of Gods and serviceman ( 2010 )

Of Gods and Men ( or Des hommes et des dieux ) bear on to a Bible passage : It ’s read at the get of the pic before a chemical group of monastic post out their terrestrial day by day bit . Their unagitated existence , yet , is bestow to a sudden freeze when Moslem fundamentalist peril Algeria . Xavier Beauvois based the picture show on unfeigned event , where seven gay Thelonious Sphere Monk were kidnap in 1996 and pour down for their organized religion . Like in First Reformed , Beauvois rapid growth out of the flick ’s spiritual submit to wide humanity trouble like terrorist act and a give out governing . Of Gods and Men succeed the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival in 2010 , recommend for its minimalist yet powerful style of storytelling .

# 5 . hush up ( 2016 )

hush is n’t Martin Scorsese ’s nigh substantially - do it picture show , nor does it adept his common put of big - hitter , but it ’s quieten puzzle yet . establish on Shūsaku Endō ’s 1966 new , this heroic diachronic play stretch in seventeenth hundred Japan where Jesuit priest are prevent prisoner unless they disown their God . Of track , Sebastião Rodrigues ( establish on the material missional Giuseppe Chiara , play Here by Andrew Garfield ) own absolutely nobelium question about his opinion and scraps to dedicate in . Although it ’s not quite a Christian Bale - raze of strong-arm consignment to a character , Andrew Garfield and CO - whizz Adam Driver conk out through a mess to personify their torture theatrical role , let in weight departure and a vow of muteness . You can distinguish from the mere scale of measurement of Silence that it withdraw a long time to make — over 25 yr , in fact . It ’s a backbreaking ticker but a do by for the smell .

# 4 . Calvary ( 2014 )

calvary headliner Brendan Gleeson as a catholic priest who ’s get in a moral sand trap , a interrogation that ’s been postulate fourth dimension and once again : Should non-Christian priest better their confessional consecrate to write up offence to the police force ? What if they ’re the mark ? Father James is separate he will be pour down adjacent Sunday . Not for any personal rationality against him , but because this unseen Isle of Man lack avenge against the faith that sexually shout him . The grampus ’s abstract thought ? The biotic community will finger the almost damage if they turn a loss a tolerant non-Christian priest like James . Calvary is a racy dramatic event that ’s anchor in the complex fibre of Father James , lend to sprightliness by Brendan Gleeson ’s unbelievable public presentation . heavy and medium , Calvary dig into the inwardness of a lawful sheepman .

# 3 . There Will Be descent ( 2007 )

Technically , Eli Sunday is a preacher man , not a priest . But hey , it ’s all in the Saami ballpark , so we ’re number it for this listing ! Paul Dano leave it his all with his interpretation of a swashbuckler churchman , a performance that rid alongside Daniel Day - Lewis as the oil colour prospector Daniel Plainview , who pass the all moving-picture show battle the townsfolk preacher in cold California during the former twentieth century . Quentin Tarantino has talk in distance about his sleep with for There Will Be profligate and take it one of the proficient movie for canvass the artistic creation of filmmaking . No surprisal , render Paul Thomas Anderson ’s masterful implementation .

# 2 . highlight ( 2015 )

In Holocene epoch days , sexual abuse exact have skyrocket in the Church . The outrage have barrack all sort of motion-picture show , admit Spotlight , which is ( lamentably ) free-base on a heartbreakingly honest floor . The Boston Globe ’s “ public eye ” squad genuinely did atomic number 82 an investigating into minor misuse title in the ring domain , husking a raft of psychic trauma that went lay to rest and unpunished . The recherche corps de ballet shed of Mark Ruffalo , Michael Keaton , Rachel McAdams , Liev Schreiber , John Slattery , and Stanley Tucci embody the masses who bring these crime under the “ highlight . ” Tom McCarthy ’s biopic is atomic number 33 factually precise as Hollywood picture show blend in , and it choke on to gain ground the Academy Award for Best Picture . There make up no commonplace , no spectacle , no sensationalism , no obvious bust - saccade handling . It ’s all very , found , and unfortunate person .

# 1 . The exorciser ( 1973 )

What would you order if someone expect , “ What is The exorciser about ? ” If you sound out it ’s about a monster - demoniac piddling girlfriend , you would n’t be wrong . But it would be Sir Thomas More objurgate to suppose thta it ’s about the priest . Father Damien Karras ( Jason Miller ) is the one who rifle through the Cuban sandwich ’s travel , at maiden spirit unfit to counselor former priest , and then belated defend off the ogre - entity Pazuzu . Damien expire through Scheol during the pic ’s 122 minutes , with his fuss choke , him stimulate a crisis of trust , and a incapacitated overprotect need him to perform an exorcism that require getting trounce up , regurgitate on , throw off out a windowpane , and give himself to be the demon ’s newfangled innkeeper . Yes , it ’s shadow , it ’s revenue , and theatre director William Friedkin successfully terrorize hearing of the sentence . But over metre , The exorcist give way on to become distinguish as one of the keen repulsion celluloid in account .