My brain and textbooks don’t always get along, especially when the subject is history–and even when it’s about the spread of the church from Galilee to Antioch to the ends of the Earth. For me, textbooks have a way of sucking the humanity right out of a great story. Can you relate?
If I feel as if I know the people, have experience in the setting, or personally relate to the tensions of the plot, the details can stick. Unlike many textbooks, good stories supply that sense of familiarity. They link dates, names, and events to one another and give them meaning, often in an interpersonal way. That family reunion in 1917 during World War I when Uncle Nugget and his second-cousin’s niece’s niece got into a screaming match over the coleslaw because everybody was so tense about the government’s sugar rations and Junior getting called up for the draft? Yep, those details will be etched in my brain forever.
That’s why I love well-researched historical fiction. In books and films that tell a story and accurately depict its historical setting, the plot and characters in the foreground may be real, or they may be completely made up, and yet, either way, they can provide a relatable background for making sense of history’s actual facts. I’ll just let you guess whether my Uncle Nugget story is true, but the context certainly is. Fiction is no substitute for facts, but for me, it supplies a vivid setting where they come together and make sense.
Below are some films that I recommend to my students. As supplements to their textbook readings, they add living color to the history of the spread of the Christian faith around the world. Just brief snapshots capturing a few events in the long arc of history, some of the films are mostly true, and others are fictional composites that represent true situations and themes. All present the overall background of the times well.
Like anyone, when I sit down for entertainment, I don’t want to be bored, so my two criteria for including these films are that a) they must be trustworthy representations of historical context, and b) they must be pleasant to watch. In my opinion, those listed below are both educational and movie-night worthy.
Seven Great Films about Missions History
The following films reflect the realities of success and struggle in missionary endeavors around the world. They show tensions in the relationship between the church and governments, as well as the ever-present temptation to compromise obedience or faithfulness to the Lord in various ways. The first five reflect the holistic nature of Jesuit ministry, and the other two reflect similar themes and undertakings by other groups. (For background material on the Jesuits, see link in the endnotes).
One of these days, I hope to share a list with a broader variety of Christian initiatives, but I am not surprised that all seven in this initial list of favorites are Catholic. I didn’t plan the list that way and only realized the connection after the fact.
Even though I’m a Protestant in affiliation and doctrinal paradigm, and even though I recognize that history under the label of “Christian missions” has known some very ugly moments, especially during sidetracks into conquest, empire, and political alliances, I have to hand it to the Catholic Church. For centuries before Protestants even existed, Catholic missionaries, monks, and nuns were active in sharing the Good News, bringing it to new places and peoples, preserving the scriptures, welcoming the stranger, contextualizing thoughtfully, and ministering holistically around the world. They have served to meet spiritual, educational, material, medical, cultural, and advocacy needs, often at great personal cost. I’m thankful for them and admire their faithfulness. Their noble accomplishments are many, and we stand on their shoulders. These films will highlight their holism and grit.
At last, in search of setting and relatability for making sense of the millions of facts, we now embark.
1. The Mission (1986) is a fictionalized story made up of many true elements on a fairly accurate historical backdrop. It’s set in Brazil and Paraguay sometime between 1610 and 1760. I recommend that you read a little background information to get your bearings ahead of time: https://www.scranton.edu/the-jesuit-center/mission-film-guide.shtml
This excellent film captures important tensions in the relationships between missions efforts on the field and their church headquarters and governments across the world. The Ennio Morricone soundtrack alone could draw you back for a second viewing because it is breathtaking. As a heads up if you’re watching it with others, be aware that in National Geographic style, this film shows a few bare bodies. I found it free on YouTube with ads, but you can also rent it on Amazon for $3-4. https://youtu.be/phHwMnigfBY
2. Romero (1989) is an important true story set in El Salvador in 1980-1989. It’s an intense film that will stick with you. You can find plenty of supplemental information about Oscar Romero online, as well as about resistance to the Catholic “base communities” ministry in Latin America. It’s currently unavailable on Amazon and not listed on Netflix, but I found it free with ads on YouTube: https://youtu.be/EaQWd0uBaHs
3. Luther (2003) is a moving and relatable box-office retelling of the Protestant Reformation. I love this film, and it’s a true and memorable introduction to the Reformation. You can find it for rent or purchase through streaming services, and I also found it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/WIx82PuGfTk?si=x0HsTUMfgIsfI1K0
4. Silence (2016). This is good historical fiction set in Japan in the 1600s. Based on a 1966 novel by Japanese author Shusaku Endo, it was a theater success just a few years ago. The story of Portuguese missionaries who minister in a place of Christian persecution is engaging and unsettling. It will generate great conversation and will stick with you. Is it defeatist and dark, or is it triumphant and optimistic? I definitely have my take, and I’m sure others will debate me on it. I found it for $2.99 to rent on several online services: https://g.co/kgs/fXfEbU4
5. Molokai (1999). This is a true story set in a Hawaii leper colony in 1870-1885. There’s certainly a little less entertainment in this one, but it’s straightforward and good. I found it free on Amazon Prime Video and on YouTube with ads: https://youtu.be/AweoZYsiCu4
6. Of Gods and Men (2010) is a French film about seven Benedictine (Cisterian) monks serving in Algeria within an impoverished Muslim community during a 1990s civil war. This is a tender and touching film. It may be available dubbed in English somewhere, but I have only found it in French with English subtitles. Even with my less-than-ideal eyesight, the reward was worth the effort. You can find it in multiple locations for $3.99 (Google, Amazon Prime, Fandango at Home) or free with ads on YouTube: https://g.co/kgs/ENsrCd3
7. Cabrini (2024) is an Angel Studios production about the true story of an Italian nun whose courage and compassion made a lasting difference for the least accepted people in New York City in the early 1900s. The film reflects the longstanding Catholic activism in establishing hospitals, schools, orphanages, and other compassionate ministries around the world. My husband and I dabbed tears all the way through the credits. Available for $5.99 on Amazon Prime and on Fandango at home: https://g.co/kgs/ne2oPbd
Any films I’ve missed? Any recommendations you’d make? Do you find these to be both educational and movie-night worthy? Want to discuss any of them in a group with others? I’d love to know.
So butter up some popcorn, get cozy on the couch this Friday night, and learn some history. I think you’ll be glad you did.
Enjoy!
Notes
1. I have divided movies, lectures, and other videos into three categories: gold for great, silver for good, and bronze for not bad. These categories reflect my sense of both how enjoyable they are and how accurately they reflect history, even if only in very narrow focus. Those listed here are gold, and I may share the others in the future
2. For nonfiction background on Jesuit ministry, which is featured in several of the recommended films above, you can find an overview here:
“Jesuits on Ignatius of Loyola” https://youtu.be/lehPjhAky6E?si=w2km_0XMBPTJkBmH
3. Looking at you, missiologist and story-teller Tom Steffen. https://g.co/kgs/AtyAQw4
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