The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2009 (So Far)

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

Every December after what seems like two months of nonstop movie screenings to see all the films trying to qualify for Oscar nominations, we announce our choices of the Most Spiritually Literate Films of the Year. In the excitement of the end-of-the-year releases, many critics overlook the films released earlier. Yet the "off-season" yields some surprising and inspiring movies. So we are giving you a preview of our best films lists at mid-year.

Here is a mix of the American films, foreign language films, animated films, and documentaries — in alphabetical order by the spiritual practice they illustrate — that we want to salute. We encourage you to see them in the theaters or watch for their release on DVD.

BEAUTY
Cherry Blossoms (Strand Home Video) is an enchantingly acted and visually stunning German film that vividly conveys the beauty and profundity of impermanence.

BEAUTY
Departures (Regent Releasing) is an exquisite cinematic masterpiece that is funny and sad and all the emotions in between; it touches the heart with its treatment of beauty, music, death, and abandonment.

COMPASSION
Lemon Tree (IFC Films) is a moving and important movie about the healing power of empathy in the continuing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

COMPASSION
The Soloist (DreamWorks Videos) is a deeply spiritual movie about the moral complexities of helping another person, opening one's heart, and letting go of the need to fix that person.

FAITH
Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love (Shadow Distribution) is an inspiring and edifying cinematic exploration of the power of music and the soul of a big-hearted African Sufi singer who has used his exceptional talent and creativity to make a better world .

IMAGINATION
Everlasting Moments (IFC Films.) is a powerful film by Swedish director Jan Troell about a poor working-class mother of seven who keeps her soul alive by nurturing her talent as a photographer.

IMAGINATION
Phoebe in Wonderland (Image Entertainment) is an impressive family drama that salutes the power of the imagination and the challenges faced by unconventional children in a world where conformity is rewarded over creativity.

IMAGINATION
Seraphine (Music Box Films) is an amazing French film about a deeply religious cleaning woman with an untrained eye and a passion for creating luminous paintings.

JUSTICE
Burma VG: Reporting from a Closed Country (Oscilloscope)) is an incredibly moving documentary about the courage of an underground group of video journalists who bring to the world images of the 2007 protests in Burma against a repressive military regime.

JUSTICE
The Garden (Oscilloscope) is a compelling documentary about an urban garden collective and their fight for justice in a nation where poor people are expected to keep quiet and not speak truth to power.

LOVE
Away We Go (Focus Features) is an incredibly original and appealing drama about the quest of two intimate lovers to find the perfect home to raise their child.

NURTURING
Treeless Mountain (Oscilloscope) is a wonder-inducing drama about a six-year-old Korean girl who takes on adult responsibilities when she and her little sister are abandoned by their mother.

PLAY
Afghan Star (Zeitgeist Films) is an extraordinary documentary about an American Idol-like TV show that manages to capture the volatile mix of history, religion, and pop culture in contemporary war-torn Afghanistan.

QUESTING
Unmistaken Child (Oscilloscope) is a compelling, enlightening, and emotionally absorbing documentary about the quest for a reincarnated Tibetan master.

SHADOW
Food, Inc. (Magnolia Pictures) is a bracing and disturbing documentary about the industrialization of farming, the dangers of genetically modified foods, and the growing power of the unregulated food industry.

SHADOW
The Stoning of Soraya M. (Roadside Attractions) graphically depicts the horrors inflicted on an innocent woman in an Iranian village, the result of a fatal combination of a patriarchal society, tribal traditions, and Islamic fundamentalism.

TRANSFORMATION
The Song of Sparrows (Regent Releasing) is another gem about spiritual renewal by the great and sensitive Iranian director Majid Majidi.