Movies with a twist or surprise ending are very satisfying. They make a space and place for the spiritual practices of reverence, x-the mystery, attention, and wonder. Here is a collection of films that surprise us.
The Adjustment Bureau — A satisfying spiritual love story about a charismatic New York politician, the preciousness of free will, and the lengths he will go to be with his soul mate, whom he met by coincidence.
Arlington Road — A gripping political thriller about the dangers of domestic terrorism and the paranoia of those who see danger everywhere. The shadow still falls across the country — even in sunny suburbs.
A Beautiful Mind — An incredible story of a brilliant Nobel-Prize winning mathematician whose wife helps him hatch his heart during a protracted struggle with schizophrenia.
The Crying Game — A corker from start to finish with its exploration of the choices which define the soul. The surprises and epiphanies add up to make this a remarkable film experience.
Donnie Darko — An exploration of mystery in the life of a troubled teenager who is both enchanted and frightened by sexuality, the dream world, ideas, adults, and imagination.
Finding Graceland — A quirky road drama about a man who is locked in deep grief and receives the healing balm of grace.
The Game — A claustrophobic thriller that invites every viewer to ask: what whack on the head would it take to wake me up and open my heart?
Henry Poole Is Here — A deeply spiritual movie about miracles, coincidences, hope, love, and learning to live in the present.
Holes — A dramatically inventive and emotionally satisfying children's film filled with coincidences and surprises in three different stories from eighteenth-century Latvia, the Old West, and contemporary Camp Green Lake.
Memento — A puzzle thriller about a man with amnesia which turns out to also be an intriguing probe of identity, loss, mental instability, mystery, and trust.
A Most Violent Year — An immersive drama about a businessman who stays calm in the midst of a dreadful series of setbacks.
The Sixth Sense — A psychological thriller about a boy who sees dead people and the therapist who helps him.
Unbreakable — An extraordinary movie which compels us to consider the mystery of our own goodness.
The Village — A thriller about the dangers of a fear-based culture and the soul-stirring powers of self-sacrificing love.
