S&P Awards
The Most Spiritually Literate Films of 2000
A Time for Drunken Horses
An Iranian film about poverty-stricken children who demonstrate self-sacrificial love as they assume adult responsibilities on their small shoulders.
International
Billy Elliot
The whimsical and inspiring tale about a boy growing up in an English mining town who yearns to become a ballet dancer.
Feature
Cast Away
The spiritual tale of a man stranded on a desert island forced to cope with his own place in the world.
Feature
Chicken Run
A spunky, hilarious animated film about the yearning for freedom in the heart of a very determined hen on a farm in the English countryside.
Animated
Chocolat
A charming and edifying comic fable about hospitality set in a small French town whose repressive mayor squares off against a free-spirited woman who dispenses more than sweetness in her chocolate sho…
Feature
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
A high flying, totally engaging, Chinese language drama containing the most amazing martial arts scenes ever put on film and a spiritual hero to boot!
International
Dekalog
Modern stories, inspired by the Ten Commandments, that explore some of the deepest and most difficult complications of the human condition.
Feature
Dekalog: Eight
A drama exploring the impact our words and deeds have upon others.
International
Dekalog: Five
A sober drama that reveals all life must be respected and that no one deserves to be killed.
International
Dekalog: Four
A powerful drama about the boundaries that must be respected in the family circle.
International
Dekalog: Nine
A drama about marriage as an optimum laboratory for the training of the heart.
International
Dekalog: One
A treatment of the First Commandment similar in spirit and intention to the parables of Jesus.
International
Dekalog: Seven
An exploration of stealing expanded into the various ways we take from others their freedom, dignity, love, or understanding.
International
Dekalog: Six
A radical critique of those who refuse to respect the mysterious, wondrous, and life-enhancing enchantments of sexuality.
International
Dekalog: Ten
The finale of Kieslowski's epic treatment of the Ten Commandments.
International
Dekalog: Three
A drama about the challenge and responsibility of making the Sabbath holy.
International
Dekalog: Two
An ethically charged treatment of the danger of taking the Lord's name in vain.
International
Erin Brockovich
A rounded and rich portrait of a deeply flawed woman who hits high stride by trying to make a difference in the world.
Feature
Finding Forrester
The story of an unlikely friendship between a reclusive author and an academically gifted African American teenager, who turn out to be spiritual teachers for each other.
Feature
George Washington
An extraordinary film about a band of poor African-American kids who struggle to keep their souls alive in a terrible and toxic environment.
Feature
Girl on the Bridge
A beguiling French romantic drama that explores love, luck, and telepathy through a tale about a knife thrower and his beautiful assistant.
International
Gladiator
A spectacular action drama that brings us face to face with our blood lust and other powerful emotions that draw out the best and the worst in us.
Feature
Human Resources
A stunning French film about the varied ways in which soul is savaged and then brought to life again in the workplace.
International
It All Starts Today
An engaging and soulful masterpiece about a French kindergarten teacher who learns that when you love your work, the only way to get out of trouble is to go deeper.
International
Keeping the Faith
A sprightly spiritual comedy which explores and celebrates our religious differences.
Feature
Not One Less
An inspiring tale of a thirteen year old teacher that shows the link between courage and compassion.
International
Nurse Betty
This engaging film centers on the surprising transformation of a young woman via a trauma and a soap opera.
Feature
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
A zany and hilarious bluegrass version of Homer's Odyssey set in the South during the Depression where three escaped convicts go in search of one treasure and find another they didn't expect.
Feature
Spring Forward
A marvelous movie about an unlikely friendship that slowly unspools between two parks department employees.
Feature
State and Main
An acerbic comedy by David Mamet set in a small New England town where some ethically challenged filmmakers are shooting a movie about the search for purity.
Feature
The Color of Paradise
A convincing spiritual parable about the bounties of grace and the emptiness of life not filled with gratitude to God.
International
The Legend of Bagger Vance
A mythological story about a depressed World War I veteran who finds his authentic self during a golf tournament, thanks to the help of the spiritual guide acting as his caddy.
Feature
The Tao of Steve
A fresh romantic comedy about a Lothario whose Taoist philosophy enables him to change his chauvinist ways once he meets the right woman.
Feature
The Wind Will Carry Us
A lyrical film that reminds us that the mysteries of life and death cannot be controlled or manipulated.
International
Titanic Town
A fact-based story of a courageous and flinty housewife who tries to become a peacemaker in Northern Ireland.
International
Traffic
A hard-hitting work of social conscience that uses three interweaving stories to show how mood altering drugs have invaded every aspect of American life.
Feature
Two Family House
An inspiring drama that celebrates the efforts of an ordinary working-class man to follow his bliss on Staten Island.
Feature
Unbreakable
An extraordinary movie which compels us to consider the mystery of our own goodness.
Feature
Yi Yi (A One and a Two)
A Taiwanese film about a multi-generation family that helps us see how love and work are the bearers of meaning and transformation.
International
You Can Count on Me
A complicated story of siblings attempt to connect with each other despite their differences.
Feature
