Best movies like Scenes from an Empty Church

From the director of KOYAANISQATSI, an astonishing film that documents the drama of how we both live and witness what we experience. Shot in rich black and white Godfrey Reggio's latest film finds the full spectrum of emotion in human faces, gorgeous landscapes and even the behavior of an especially expressive gorilla.

Father Jonathan Keene - a cold, impatient Catholic priest arrives in a tiny fishing village the week before Christmas to do what he does best: shut down a dying parish...

A heart-stirring meditation on time, memory and mortality, “Of Time and the City” is Terence Davies’ poetic, conflicted ode to his birthplace of Liverpool, England. The visual content of the film consists largely of archival clips of the city from the 1940s to the 1960s, their nostalgic charm darkened by accompanying music and the counterpoint of Davies’ dry, at times dyspeptic, voice-over narration. His voice thickens with emotion as he recalls the delights of juvenile movie-going or the ritual of a holiday trip to New Brighton, across the River Mersey, and hardens with contempt when he turns his gaze on the hoopla surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953. The film is a powerful evocation of the director's youth in post-war Britain and a reflection on how his home city has changed over the years.

A faithful recounting of the ministry, trial and martyrdom of the fifteenth century Bohemian priest John Hus, who built on the reforms of John Wycliffe, taught the Bible in the vernacular and who influenced Martin Luther a century later.

Best friends since they were kids, Rabbi Jacob Schram and Father Brian Finn are dynamic and popular young men living and working on New York's Upper West Side. When Anna Reilly, once their childhood friend and now grown into a beautiful corporate executive, suddenly returns to the city, she reenters Jake and Brian's lives and hearts with a vengeance. Sparks fly and an unusual and complicated love triangle ensues.

A young Catholic priest from Boston confronts bigotry, Nazism, and his own personal conflicts as he rises to the office of cardinal.

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.

A dramatized biography of William Tyndale, the 16th Century reformer determined to translate the Bible into English, which illegal act set him at odds with the Catholic Church, Sir Thomas More and King Henry VIII.

A beautiful singer and a battling priest try to reform a Barbary Coast saloon owner in the days before the great earthquake and subsequent fires in 1906.

An inside look at a West Hollywood cult formed by a charismatic teacher in the 1980s that eventually imploded.

An unemployed construction worker heading out west stops at a remote farm in the desert to get water when his car overheats. The farm is being worked by a group of East European Catholic nuns, headed by the strict mother superior, who believes the man has been sent by God to build a much needed church in the desert.

Father Greg Pilkington is torn between his call as a conservative Catholic priest and his secret life as a homosexual with a gay lover, frowned upon by the Church. Upon hearing the confession of a young girl of her incestuous father, Greg enters an intensely emotional spiritual struggle deciding between choosing morals over religion and one life over another.

Elizabeth Bayley Seton, America's first native-born saint and founder of the Sisters of Charity, is the subject of this inspiring biopic. After the tragic death of her husband, Seton converts to Catholicism. Once again, she suffers terrible loss when two of her children die, but goes on to found the American Sisters of Charity and the first American Catholic schools. Seton died in 1826 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI in 1975.

When Joshua moves to the outskirts of Auburn, he awakens the curiosity of the sleepy town. They don’t know who he is or where he came from, but no one can shake the feeling they’ve known him for years. Despite his benevolence and selfless work in the community, some remain suspicious. Just what exactly is Joshua up to?

When a family emergency forces a troubled teen to do the wrong thing for the right reason, a community discovers the meaning of forgiveness.

In the Bible, Saul persecuted Christ's church and its followers. Overcome parallels this story. Set in modern day, a young man in high school mistreats anyone good around him, until he has a fateful accident which changes his life. Now he must make amends to all those around him, and try to become the person he knew he should have been the whole time.

A man confronts the trauma of past sexual abuse as a boy by a Catholic priest only to find his decision shatters his relationships with his family, community and faith.

The Vatican sends a priest to verify some miracles, performed by a woman who has been nominated for sainthood...

When Father Joseph Hennessey visits the home of one of his parishioners to offer last rights,he becomes embroiled in a plot which ultimately shakes his faith to its very foundation. Intrigued by the dying man's mention of "Nim," and fascinated by the man's saintly demeanor, Father Joseph's curiosity is redoubled when a beautiful young woman enters his church to question the young priest about the deceased man. Father Joseph and the woman, whom he discovers to be the "Nim" in question, embark upon an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the man's death.

A biopic of Martin Luther, covering his life between 1505 and 1530, and the birth of the Protestant Reformation movement.

We follow the daily activities of Mother Teresa and her nuns, in service to the poor of India and the world. Mother Teresa attends to the basic needs of her nuns and the poor, while at the same time, balances her role as world-recognized leader. Throughout the film, we witness personal and "behind-the-scenes" events, including the blessing ceremony of a nun becoming part of Mother Teresa's "Sisters of the Poor" convent.

Final entry in Adrian Țofei and Duru Yücel's trilogy which includes Be My Cat: A Film for Anne and We Put the World to Sleep.

In the last days of the life of Elvis Presley, he struggles to overcome the effects on his body and soul of prescription drug abuse and personal mistakes in his lifestyle. In flashback sequences similar to Dickens's "A Christmas Carol", Elvis is guided by a "Mysterious Man" to re-examine turning points in the life he has led. These reflections lead to recognition, realization, repentance, and ultimately ... redemption. -- based on true events

Learn how one man reluctantly took on the most powerful institution of his day and won. Martin Luther is credited with expounding a new vision of man's relationship with God and, by extension, a redefinition of man's relationship with authority. Filmed across Europe -- from the rustic rural Germany to the opulence of the Vatican City -- you'll witness the collapse of the medieval world and the birth of the modern age.

A wounded, bloodied man takes a priest hostage, hell-bent on confessing a vengeful truth before it is too late. The seemingly random encounter is soon revealed to be anything but as the two men’s lives are inextricably linked.

In a world where Christianity is now illegal, a young street racer learns of his abusive, alcoholic father’s past and eventual conversion

The movie opens with tension running high as a black woman is stopped by three white police officers. After being shoved to the ground, she dies from head injuries. Micah a black activist in the city is very angry at police officers and is leading the community to retaliate like Malcom X but he is switched with a white police officer just like in freaky Friday. He wakes up as a white police officer and the officer wakes up black. The two of them soon realize what it is like to walk in other peoples shoes and learn to grow empathy for each other. The two characters bond before switching back and now their outlook on the protest is completely different. Now Micah sees that not all police officers are bad and if they want to achieve true justice it will take everyone black and white working together.

An ensemble film with five stories of lonely New Yorkers seeking connection through internet personals.

Mother Teresa, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, is considered one of the greatest humanitarians of modern times. Her selfless commitment changed hearts, lives and inspired millions throughout the world. The Letters, as told through personal letters she wrote over the last 40 years of her life, reveal a troubled and vulnerable women who grew to feel an isolation and an abandonment by God.

A devout Evangelical Christian struggles with his faith and against the insistent pressures from his family and community after a sudden and unexpected tragedy.

At the age of 16 Mary becomes a nun. But she never gets used to the strict rules of her new life and when she falls in love with Father Tim, she wants to withdraw her vow.

The Webster Family enjoyed the good life of weekend shopping sprees, nice cars and a beautiful home. Matt Webster was respected by his peers and envied as the man who had it all. But when hard times came, having it all on the outside did not mean there is anything on the inside. Broken relationships, isolation and pain are the result of their misplaced priorities, selfishness and pride. In their chaos the Webster family will soon discover the American dream and pride of ownership does not build character. It took a financial crisis to show Matt that all things work together for good… to those who Stand Strong in Faith.

While giving a private performance for a visiting monarch, concert pianist Montgomery Royale is deafened when a bomb is detonated in an attempt to assassinate the foreign ruler. With his career over as a result of his injury, Royale returns to New York City with his sister Florence, close friend Mildred Miller, and considerably younger fiancée Grace Blair. After abandoning thoughts of suicide, Montgomery discovers he can lip read, and he spends his days observing people in Central Park from his apartment window. As he learns of people's problems, he tries to help them anonymously. He becomes absorbed in his game of "playing God" but his actions are without sincerity.

Set in the splendor and terror of the Spanish Inquisition, Flame in the Wind tells the story of Carlos, an earnest young nobleman who is faced with a choice: the church system offers safety, protection, and respectability; the Scriptures offer Christ and salvation from sin—and with these torture and death.

With Hitler's army rapidly closing borders in August 1939, 85 American missionaries serve their church inside Germany. As the German military preparations escalated, word came to speedily move those LDS missionaries to safety in adjacent countries. Taken from the personal diaries of those missionaries, this riveting story is a testimony that God truly leads and protects His servants, opens doors, and provides timely inspiration.