The Catholic Jean-Louis runs into an old friend, the Marxist Vidal, in Clermont-Ferrand around Christmas. Vidal introduces Jean-Louis to the modestly libertine, recently divorced Maud and the three engage in conversation on religion, atheism, love, morality and Blaise Pascal's life and writings on philosophy, faith and mathematics. Jean-Louis ends up spending a night at Maud's. Jean-Louis' Catholic views on marriage, fidelity and obligation make his situation a dilemma, as he has already, at the very beginning of the film, proclaimed his love for a young woman whom, however, he has never yet spoken to.
When Iva was a little girl, she was a believer. As an adult, she added the D to her name to become D-Iva, a pure product of the star system. Offered to and adored by her trance-like audience as a modern golden calf, D-Iva realizes that her childhood dream has turned into a nightmare.
Recently estranged from her husband, and mother of seven sons, Mag Singer stands poised to pursue a whole new way of life. But when one of her children is involved in an explosion while on duty in the Middle East, Mag must rexamine everything she cherishes.
The young Jeremiah grows up in a priest's family in the village of Anathoth, near Jerusalem. God appears to Jeremiah in different human guises on several occasions, and makes it clear that he has been selected to announce God's message to the people of Jerusalem.
In County Durham, England, 1984, a talented young dancer, Billy Elliot, stumbles out of the boxing ring and onto the ballet floor. He faces many trials and triumphs as he strives to conquer his family’s set ways, inner conflict, and standing on his toes in a musical that questions masculinity, gender norms and conformity.
A young Sicilian is swindled twice, but ends up rich; a man poses as a deaf-mute in a convent of curious nuns; a woman must hide her lover when her husband comes home early; a scoundrel fools a priest on his deathbed; three brothers take revenge on their sister's lover; a young girl sleeps on the roof to meet her boyfriend at night; a group of painters wait for inspiration; a crafty priest attempts to seduce his friend's wife; and two friends make a pact to find out what happens after death.
An eccentric vicar comes up with an unusual solution for a wedding facing disaster. But the bridesmaid has a plan to save the day - if she can get him to the church on time ...
Two short stories set in Edo during the Shogun era. The first, during a time when Christians are persecuted vehemently, Iori falls in love with a young Christian girl. When she and her family are captured during a raid, his sadistic master takes her as his personal slave to torment Iori. The second follows Sutezo who, forced to serve the barbarous master of a brothel in order to repay his debts, befriends a young girl. Together, they both escape and struggle to get by on scams and petty theft.
Who is Jesus, and why does he impact all he meets? He is respected and reviled, emulated and accused, beloved, betrayed, and finally crucified. Yet that terrible fate would not be the end of the story.
A small New Testament passes through the hands of fourteen strangers. For seven of the individuals, their lives will never be the same.
A mother tells her daughter a fable about the prince of the brumbies, brumby being a term for the feral horses of Australia, who must find its place among its kind, while one man makes it his mission to capture it and tame it. Australian adaptation of Elyne Mitchell's "The silver Brumby".
Fischer can't remember the last time he woke up without a hangover. He lives in a church: a real one. Where people baptize, marry, pray and die. It's an ideal situation for a young guy with no aspirations: if he locks up the church, he can sleep in the back. Free of charge. 6:00am. Tuesday morning. Fischer's old friend from high school shows up unannounced. Even though they haven't seen each other in years, Peter just drove 10 hours straight because his girlfriend of five years just cheated on him. He's looking for a place to hide. To think. To drink. What better place than Fischer's church? After leaving 50 unanswered voice-mails, Rudy shows up four days later. That's Peter's girlfriend. She didn't cheat on him. She did something much worse.
A diligent mother who runs a side-dish store keeps calling her son, a part time teacher, incompetent. The son resents his mother’s prickliness, but he isn’t very sweet to her either. One day, all of a sudden, his mother gets dementia.
Towards the end of the eleventh century, Pope Urban II announces a crusade against the Saracens, who have occupied the holy city of Jerusalem. Three young friends Richard, Peter and Andrew set off to join the crusading army.
Gabriel and Xavier spend their afternoons playing, wandering the countryside, and exploring abandoned places. All seems peaceful, but a feeling is tormenting Gabriel. Is it love or religion ?
During a man’s funeral, his mother, his wife, and his daughter gather to pay tribute to his memory. When they realize that none of them actually wrote the speech, a discussion arises, marked by old tensions and words that say more than they intend.
Valerie, a Czechoslovakian teenager living with her grandmother, is blossoming into womanhood, but that transformation proves secondary to the effects she experiences when she puts on a pair of magic earrings. Now seeing the world around her in a different light, Valerie must endure her sexual awakening while attempting to discern reality from fantasy as she encounters lecherous priest Gracian, a vampire-like stranger and otherworldly carnival folk.
A young Polish deserter and gifted organist finds shelter from the fascists in a Slovak Franciscan monastery. He find himself in conflict with the local organist and choir leader, a man limited in his world views and spiritual values.
A group of Trappist monks reside in the monastery of Tibhirine in Algeria, where they live in harmony with the largely muslim population. When a bloody conflict between Algeria's army and Muslim Jihadi insurgents disrupts the peace, they are forced to consider fleeing the monastery and deserting the villagers they have ministered to. In the face of deadly violence the monks wrestle with their faith and their convictions, eventually deciding to stay and help their neighbours keep the army and the insurgents at bay.
Madeinusa is a girl who lives in an isolated village in the mountains of Peru. This strange place is characterized by its religious fervor, and seemingly odd custom: from Good Friday at three o’clock in the afternoon to Easter Sunday, the whole village can do whatever it feels like.