Criticism of religion movies and TV shows

The list contains the best, new and most relevant criticism of religion movies ordered by relevance. The recommendation service has sorted out realistic, psychological, serious, crying, philosophical and weird films and TV shows about / with criticism of religion, religion, religious, society, christianity, religions or cults, church, christian, bible and prayer plots mostly in Drama, Comedy and Thriller genres shot in USA, UK, France and other countries.
criticism of religion
 76
criticism of religion movies
TOP 10 movies tagged as criticism of religion: The Wicker Man (1973), Life of Brian (1979), The Name of the Rose (1986), Leap of Faith (1992), Dogma (1999), Saved! (2004), There Will Be Blood (2007), Doubt (2008), The Invention of Lying (2009), Salvation Boulevard (2011).

List of criticism of religion movies

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 7.5
 91K
The Wicker Man (1973)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Country: UK
Duration: 88 min.
Story: Police sergeant Neil Howie is called to an island village in search of a missing girl whom the locals claim never existed. Stranger still, however, are the rituals that take place there.
Style: twist ending, creepy, controversial, psychotronic, suspenseful ...
Audience: adult
Plot: folk horror, religion, paganism, ritual, occult, disappearance, investigation, island, female nudity, human sacrifice, secret society, nudity ...
Time: 70s, 20th century, year 1973
Place: scotland, fictional island, europe, united kingdom, scottish highlands
Is relevant ?
 8.0
 420K
Life of Brian (1979)
Genre: Comedy
Country: UK
Duration: 94 min.
Story: Brian Cohen is an average young Jewish man, but through a series of ridiculous events, he gains a reputation as the Messiah. When he's not dodging his followers or being scolded by his shrill mother, the hapless Brian has to contend with the ...
Style: parody, funny, humorous, spoof, satirical ...
Audience: teens, kids
Plot: monty python, religion, satire, ancient rome, mistaken identity, roman empire, ancient, dark humor, medieval, christmas, religious, absurdism ...
Time: 1st century, 20th century, ancient times, year 1979, biblical epic ...
Place: ancient greece, greece, jerusalem, palestine, middle east ...
Is relevant ?
The Name of the Rose (1986)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: West Germany, Italy, France
Duration: 130 min.
Story: 14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church's ...
Style: intellectual, psychological, suspenseful, gloomy, clever ...
Plot: investigation, clergy, medieval, monastery, monk, murder mystery, murder, religion, whodunit, riddles and clues, uncover truth, abbey ...
Time: middle ages, 14th century, medieval times, year 1986, ancient times
Place: europe, south of france, france, italy
Is relevant ?
 6.1
 14K
Leap of Faith (1992)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 108 min.
Story: Jonas Nightengale is a fraudulent Christian faith healer who makes a living travelling around America holding revival meetings and conducting 'miracles' with the help of his friend and manager, Jane, and their entourage. One of their ...
Style: melancholic, light, semi serious, realistic, touching ...
Plot: religion, redemption, character study, preacher, loneliness, dishonesty, cons and scams, small town life, con men, small town, faith, con artists ...
Time: 90s, year 1992
Place: kansas, usa
Is relevant ?
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 7.3
 228K
Dogma (1999)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: USA
Duration: 130 min.
Story: The latest battle in the eternal war between Good and Evil has come to New Jersey in the late, late 20th Century. Angels, demons, apostles and prophets (of a sort) walk among the cynics and innocents of America and duke it out for the fate of ...
Style: humorous, satirical, clever, witty, funny ...
Audience: date night
Plot: religion, angel, satire, god, dark humor, god or devil, religions or cults, heaven and hell, atheism, good versus evil, jay and silent bob, save the world ...
Time: 90s, year 1999, 20th century
Place: pittsburgh, illinois, new jersey, usa, wisconsin
Is relevant ?
 6.7
 49K
Saved! (2004)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA, Canada
Duration: 92 min.
Story: Teenage Mary Cummings, who has "been Born Again her whole life," is about to enter her senior year at American Eagle Christian High School near Baltimore with her Fundamentalist Christian friends Hilary Faye and Veronica, the three of whom ...
Style: touching, independent film, witty, humorous, funny ...
Audience: teens, chick flick, girls' night, date night, teen drama ...
Plot: high school, pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, teenage girl, coming of age, gay, youth, friendship, pregnant girl, satire, teenager, atheism ...
Time: year 2004, 2000s, 21st century
Place: maryland, xian, baltimore, california
Is relevant ?
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Genre: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 158 min.
Story: Ruthless silver miner, turned oil prospector, Daniel Plainview moves to oil-rich California. Using his adopted son to project a trustworthy, family-man image, Plainview cons local landowners into selling him their valuable properties for a pittance. ...
Style: serious, suspense, disturbing, cerebral, epic ...
Audience: adult
Plot: oil, greed, character study, ambition, capitalism, money, rise to the top, rivalry, visceral, psychopath, religion, business ...
Time: 20th century, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, 19th century ...
Place: california, texas, los angeles, america, persia ...
Is relevant ?
 7.5
 136K
Doubt (2008)
Genre: Drama, Mystery
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min.
Story: In 1964, a Catholic school nun questions a priest's ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student, suspecting him of abuse. He denies the charges, and much of the film's quick-fire dialogue tackles themes of religion, morality, and ...
Style: period piece, sincere, psychological, clever, enigmatic ...
Plot: priest, religion, pedophilia, clergy, nun, sexual abuse, life is a bitch, teacher, catholic, pedophile, catholic church, boy ...
Time: 60s, year 2008, victorian era, 90s, year 1964 ...
Place: new york, usa, bronx new york city
Is relevant ?
The Invention of Lying (2009)
Genre: Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min.
Story: Set in a world where the concept of lying doesn't exist, a loser changes his lot when he invents lying and uses it to get ahead.
Style: philosophical, funny, humorous, romantic, satirical ...
Audience: chick flick, teens, teen drama
Plot: atheism, society, alternate reality, rags to riches, love and romance, misfit, truth, love triangle, satire, life after death, life philosophy, existentialism ...
Time: year 2009, 2000s, 13th century, 21st century
Is relevant ?
Salvation Boulevard (2011)
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story: Set in the world of mega-churches in which a former Deadhead-turned-born again-Christian finds himself on the run from fundamentalist members of his mega-church who will do anything to protect their larger-than-life pastor.
Style: cynical, humorous, semi serious, suspenseful, funny ...
Plot: pastor, religion, atheist, false accusation, life turned upside down, on the run, frame up, dark humor, danger, society, investigation, farce ...
Place: usa, mexico
Is relevant ?
The Amazing Grace of Σ (2021)
Genre: Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Country: Taiwan, Hong Kong
TV show
Story: Muqi, a young pop star becomes more and more arrogant, especially with his manager Nagatsuki, a long-time friend who suddenly commits suicide. Muqi finds himself crushed by sadness and guilt. At the funeral, he meets Master Bensheng, guru of a cult ...
Style: spiritual, thrilling, realistic, captivating, psychological ...
Plot: investigation, entity, faith, religious faith, criticism of religion, secret, undercover, religious education, religious sect, abuse, true crime, corruption
Is relevant ?
 8.1
 200K
PK (2014)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: India
Duration: 153 min.
Story: This experimental satire is a comedy of ideas about an alien in the city, who asks questions that no one has asked before. They are innocent, child-like questions, but they bring about catastrophic answers. People who are set in their ways for ...
Style: funny, sentimental, touching, inspirational, humorous ...
Plot: religion, benign alien, meaning of life, islam, guru, society, supernatural, alien on earth, disorder, justice, heartwarming, fish out of water ...
Time: 2010s, year 2014, future, 21st century
Place: india, new delhi, belgium
Is relevant ?
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 7.2
 201K
Chocolat (2000)
Genre: Drama, Romance
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 121 min.
Story: A fable of emotional liberation and chocolate. A mother and daughter move to a small French town where they open a chocolate shop. The town, religious and morally strict, is against them as they represent free-thinking and indulgence. When a group ...
Style: romantic, feel good, sentimental, sweet, fairy tale ...
Audience: girls' night, date night, chick flick
Plot: small town, chocolate, love story, prejudice, women, cooking and food, single mother, love and romance, culture clash, food, mother daughter relationship, life philosophy ...
Time: 50s, year 2000, 1950s, year 2001, y2k ...
Place: france, europe, america, central america
Is relevant ?
The Man from Earth (2007)
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 87 min.
Story: An impromptu goodbye party for Professor John Oldman becomes a mysterious interrogation after the retiring scholar reveals to his colleagues he never ages and has walked the earth for 14,000 years.
Style: philosophical, psychological, sincere, serious, cerebral ...
Plot: philosophy, immortality, religion, atheism, society, professor, storytelling, hidden identity, christianity, existentialism, atheist, conversation ...
Time: future, 2000s, prehistory, medieval times, prehistoric times ...
Is relevant ?
 8.0
 100K
Persepolis (2007)
Genre: Animation, Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France, USA
Duration: 96 min.
Story: In 1970s Iran, Marjane 'Marji' Statrapi watches events through her young eyes and her idealistic family of a long dream being fulfilled of the hated Shah's defeat in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. However as Marji grows up, she ...
Style: adult animation, political, black and white, serious, realistic ...
Audience: teens, kids, teen drama, adult
Plot: revolution, coming of age, feminist, iraq iran war, female protagonist, politics, freedom, biopic, self discovery, childhood, social problems, adolescence ...
Time: 80s, year 2007, 70s, 20th century, near future ...
Place: iran, middle east, france, tehran iran, asia ...
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 149K
A Serious Man (2009)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Country: UK, France, USA
Duration: 106 min.
Story: A Serious Man is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and F-Troop is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been ...
Style: dark comedy, black comedy, philosophical, ironic, cynical ...
Plot: midlife crisis, dysfunctional family, professor, rabbi, teacher, suburban life, divorce, marijuana, religion, mysticism, life, neighbor ...
Time: year 2009, 60s, 2000s, 90s, 20th century ...
Place: minnesota, usa, poland, bolivia, israel ...
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 3K
Worlds Apart (2008)
Genre: Drama
Country: Denmark
Duration: 116 min.
Story: The daughter of a Jehovah's Witness is forced to choose between religion and love when she falls for someone outside her faith.
Style: realistic, serious, sincere, psychological, contemplative ...
Audience: teens
Plot: jehovah's witness, separation from family, forbidden love, religions or cults, coming of age, introspection, self discovery, teenage life, love and romance, moral dilemma, religion, male female relationship ...
Time: 21st century
Place: denmark, europe, scandinavia
Is relevant ?
Prayers for Bobby (2009)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story: True story of Mary Griffith, gay rights crusader, whose teenage son committed suicide due to her religious intolerance. Based on the book of the same title by Leroy Aarons.
Style: touching, sentimental, sad, emotional, depressing ...
Audience: teens, chick flick, teen drama
Plot: lgbt, gay, gay teenager, homosexuality, suicide, life is a bitch, homosexual, gay relationship, gay love, male homosexuality, gay slur, gay rights ...
Time: 2000s, year 1984, year 1979, 21st century
Place: usa, ethiopia, san francisco, california, portland oregon
Is relevant ?
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 7.0
 415K
Easy A (2010)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance
Country: USA
Duration: 92 min.
Story: Olive, an average high school student, sees her below-the-radar existence turn around overnight once she decides to use the school's gossip grapevine to advance her social standing. Now her classmates are turning against her and the school ...
Style: feel good, romantic, teen sex comedy, entertaining, sex comedy ...
Audience: teens, girls' night, chick flick, date night, teen drama
Plot: high school, coming of age, teenager, adolescence, youth, teenage girl, high school life, teenage life, notoriety, love and romance, classmate, popularity ...
Time: year 2010, 2010s, 21st century
Place: california, xian, usa, florida
Is relevant ?
 7.1
 62K
First Reformed (2017)
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Country: USA, UK, Australia
Duration: 113 min.
Story: A pastor of a small church in upstate New York starts to spiral out of control after a soul-shaking encounter with an unstable environmental activist and his pregnant wife.
Style: suspense, tense, social, suspenseful, exciting ...
Audience: date night, adult
Plot: priest, religion, church, christianity, suicide, depression, journal, faith, reverend, minister, environment, politics ...
Time: year 2017
Place: new york, new york state
Is relevant ?
 6.7
 25K
Benedetta (2021)
Genre: Biography, Drama, Romance
Country: France, Belgium, Netherlands
Duration: 131 min.
Story: The story of Sister Benedetta Carlini, a 15th century nun who was hailed as a visionary but later accused of fabricated miracles, homosexuality and other charges, and imprisoned for 35 years.
Style: sexy, sentimental, lgbt cinema, psychological, erotic ...
Plot: lesbian, nun, lgbt, convent, lesbianism, lesbian romance, nunsploitation, catholicism, lesbian relationship, fall in love, crucifix, lesbian sex ...
Time: 17th century, 2020s
Place: italy, europe, florence
Is relevant ?
 6.9
 42K
Boy Erased (2018)
Genre: Biography, Drama
Country: Australia, USA, China
Duration: 115 min.
Story: The son of a Baptist preacher is forced to participate in a church supported gay conversion program.
Style: thought provoking, psychological, sentimental, captivating, teen ...
Audience: teens, teen drama
Plot: lgbt, gay, religion, lgbtq, conversion therapy, gay teenager, gay interest, father son relationship, homosexual, coming of age, church, lgbt teen ...
Time: 90s, 2000s, 2010s
Place: new york, southern usa, arkansas
Is relevant ?
 7.8
 329K
Apocalypto (2006)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Thriller
Country: USA, Mexico
Duration: 139 min.
Story: Set in the Mayan civilization, when a man's idyllic presence is brutally disrupted by a violent invading force, he is taken on a perilous journey to a world ruled by fear and oppression where a harrowing end awaits him. Through a twist of fate ...
Style: exciting, suspense, brutal, harsh, visually stunning ...
Audience: adult
Plot: survival, ancient history, slavery, manhunt, tribe, jungle, chase, native, solar eclipse, warrior, ancient civilization, violent ...
Time: 16th century, middle ages, year 2006, 2000s, medieval times
Place: persia, mexico, central america
Is relevant ?
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 6.1
 67K
Red State (2011)
Genre: Action, Crime, Horror, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 88 min.
Story: Set in Middle America, a group of teens receive an online invitation for sex, though they soon encounter Christian fundamentalists with a much more sinister agenda.
Style: disturbing, tense, controversial, independent film, psychological ...
Audience: teens
Plot: kidnapping, torture, religious fanaticism, gay slur, protest, satire, religion, church, religious fundamentalist, society, terrorism, gay ...
Time: year 2000, year 2011, 2010s, 21st century
Place: usa, xian
Is relevant ?
 7.1
 338K
The Mist (2007)
Genre: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Country: USA
Duration: 126 min.
Story: After a violent storm, a dense cloud of mist envelops a small Maine town, trapping artist David Drayton and his five-year-old son in a local grocery store with other people. They soon discover that the mist conceals deadly horrors that threaten ...
Style: twist ending, atmospheric, psychological, bad ending, scary ...
Audience: boys' night, adult
Plot: survival, monster, apocalypse, stephen king, creature, fear, trapped, survival horror, religious fanatic, giant monster, chaos and mayhem, small town ...
Time: year 2007, distant future, year 2000, 2000s, 21st century
Place: usa, maine
Is relevant ?
 7.0
 105K
Martyrs (2008)
Genre: Horror
Country: France, Canada
Duration: 99 min.
Story: A young woman's quest for revenge against the people who kidnapped and tormented her as a child leads her and a friend, who is also a victim of child abuse, on a terrifying journey into a living hell of depravity.
Style: disturbing, bloody, scary, brutal, splatter ...
Plot: torture, child abuse, violence, gory, kidnapping, brutality, revenge, afterlife, torment, fear, torture chamber, home invasion ...
Time: year 2008, year 2000, 2000s, year 1971, 21st century
Is relevant ?
 4.9
 103K
Year One (2009)
Genre: Comedy
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min.
Story: When a couple of lazy hunter-gatherers are banished from their primitive village, they set off on an epic journey through the ancient world.
Style: parody, funny, biblical, humorous, satirical ...
Audience: teens, adult
Plot: caveman, satire, buddy, road trip, farce, slavery, buddies, religion, stupidity, stoner, friendship between men, circumcision ...
Time: prehistoric times, prehistory, stone age, year 2009
Is relevant ?
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008)
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi
Country: USA
Duration: 90 min.
Story: Fresh off ripping space-time a new one at the end of "Bender's Big Score," the Planet Express crew is back to mend the tear in reality, or (hopefully) at least not make it worse. Beyond the tear, though, lurks a being of ...
Style: humorous, melancholic, stylized, talky, not serious ...
Audience: teens, kids
Plot: space and aliens, alien, beast, save the world, scientist, parallel universe, robot, monster, cyclops, danger, dating, technology ...
Time: future, 20th century
Place: new york
Is relevant ?
 7.1
 73K
Agora (2009)
Genre: Adventure, Biography, Drama, History, Romance
Country: Spain, Malta, Bulgaria, USA
Duration: 127 min.
Story: A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria and her relationship with her slave Davus, who is torn between his love for her and the possibility of gaining his freedom by joining the rising tide of Christianity.
Style: sincere, philosophical, stylized, epic, political ...
Plot: roman empire, ancient history, mathematics, atheism, medieval, impossible love, political unrest, antiquity, ancient world, historical character, religions or cults, unrequited love ...
Time: 5th century, middle ages, ancient times, medieval times
Place: ancient greece, egypt, alexandria egypt, greece, iberian peninsula ...
Is relevant ?
OMG: Oh My God! (2012)
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
Country: India
Duration: 125 min.
Story: A shopkeeper takes God to court when his shop is destroyed by an earthquake.
Style: semi serious, humorous, realistic, funny, sentimental ...
Audience: family outing
Plot: lawyer, satire, supernatural, hopes, religions or cults, against the odds, down on your luck, atheist, legal action, social relations, righting the wronged, earthquake ...
Time: y2k, year 2012, 21st century
Place: india, middle east
Is relevant ?
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