Best movies like Francesco
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
The life of St. Francis of Assisi (1181-1226) as related by followers who gather after his death to tell stories so that Leone can record them: a privileged and virile youth, a prisoner of war, an heir who turns away from his father and gives all to the poor, a beggar for others, and an inspiration to friends who accept the Gospels' life of poverty. He seeks the Pope's blessing, and he endures persecution at the hands of the family of Chiara Offreduccio (1194-1253), who becomes St. Clare. Many join the order he has established and then rebel at his expectations. In near despair - and ill - he writes a Rule to take to the Pope; then, the Lord sends him a message. He dies smiling.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, West Germany
Duration: 157 min
Plot tags: emotional, bleak, serious, factual, cult classic, christian film, sincere, captivating, realistic, gloomy
Best tv shows and movies like Francesco (1989):
Similar in 79%
Anthony, Warrior of God (2006)
Plot Summary:
The life of Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) from his arrival on Sicily's shores via shipwreck in 1221 to his death. He's a Portuguese monk who, once in Italy, seeks out St. Francis. Anthony's gift as a great preacher is discovered by happenstance. He spends much of his life in and near Padua, a city run by usurers. Anthony offers protection and friendship to Folco, at one time a petty criminal and acolyte to the usurers, later falsely accused of murder. Anthony's teaching and his spiritual strength lead to changes in the character of Padua and an end to usury. He became its patron Saint soon after his death, and 32 years later, his casket is opened and his tongue remains intact.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 200
Genere: Biography
Country: Italy
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: serious, captivating, stylized, suspense, suspenseful, disturbing, realistic
Similar in 88%
Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (2005)
Plot Summary:
The life of the pope John-Paul II, from his youth as a writer, actor, and athlete in war-torn occupied Poland to his election as Pope at the age of 58.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Poland, Italy
Duration: 186 min
Plot tags: realistic, serious, factual, psychological, touching, crying, christian film
Similar in 87%
Father Damien (1999)
Plot Summary:
The true story of the 19th century Belgian priest, Father Damien, who volunteered to go to the island of Molokai, to console and care for the lepers.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Belgium, Netherlands, Australia
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: christian film, sincere, uplifting, touching, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 76%
Mother Teresa (2003)
Plot Summary:
The inspirational portrayal of Mother Teresa, a simple nun who became one of the most significant personalities of the 20th Century. Armed with a faith that could move mountains, Mother Teresa followed her calling to help the poor, the lepers, the dying and the abandoned children in the slums of Calcutta, challenging many authorities - including the church - along the way.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 756
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Spain, UK, Italy
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, inspirational, touching, sincere, captivating, biblical, spiritual, entertaining
Similar in 80%
My Name Is Bernadette (2011)
Plot Summary:
Between February and July 1858, in the Massabielle cave, the Virgin appeared eighteen times to Bernadette Soubirous, a miserable little girl from Lourdes. A true revolution in the heart of the Second Empire that shakes the established order by his universal message of love and prayer.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 218
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: France
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, emotional, biblical, serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
Padre Pio: Miracle Man (2000)
Plot Summary:
The poor Italian peasant boy Francesco already has visions of Jesus and Mary as a child, but the Devil visits him too. He, Francesco, is quite certain that he will become a priest. After entering the Capuchin Order it becomes clear that Padre Pio (his new name) has powers which can not be explained rationally: he heals the sick, knows the names, problems and future of complete strangers.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 967
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Italy
Duration: 202 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, captivating, suspense, disturbing, spiritual, saga
Similar in 84%
Faustina (1994)
Plot Summary:
The Life of saint Maria Faustyna Kowalska, a Polish Nun.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 243
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Poland
Duration: 73 min
Plot tags: sincere, uplifting, thought provoking, touching, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative, gloomy
Similar in 83%
The Friends of Jesus: Thomas (2001)
Plot Summary:
When Jesus is taken off the cross at Golgotha, THOMAS arrives there. Like most of the other disciples, he had worriedly taken refuge with friends in Jerusalem after Jesus's arrest. After Jesus's burial, the disciples decide to leave Jerusalem quickly, but Thomas refuses to leave Jesus' body behind, as he fears that the tomb may be desecrated.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 209
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: biblical, captivating, serious, emotional, realistic
Similar in 77%
Augustine: The Decline of the Roman Empire (2010)
Plot Summary:
Augustine is a two-part, Italian-made mini-series about the influential theologian and church father Augustine of Hippo. The piece tells the story of his life from a teenager to his death at the age of 69.Much of the content for the scenes of him as a young and middle-aged man come from his Confessions, which is probably the earliest extant autobiography.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 422
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, Germany, Poland
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: psychological, sincere, captivating, biblical, christian film
Similar in 79%
Jeremiah (1998)
Plot Summary:
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 to him that he has been selected to announce God's message to the people of Jerusalem.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, Germany, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, sincere, epic, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 79%
Barabbas (2012)
Plot Summary:
Barabbas or Jesus Barabbas (literally "son of the father" or "Jesus, son of the father" respectively) is a figure in the account of the Passion of Christ, in which he is the insurrectionary whom Pontius Pilate freed at the Passover feast in Jerusalem, instead of Jesus Christ.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 503
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 200 min
Plot tags: biblical, serious, epic, captivating, stylized, mysterious, christian film, realistic
Similar in 88%
Vision – From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (2009)
Plot Summary:
Hildegard von Bingen was truly a woman ahead of her time. A visionary in every sense of the word, this famed 12th-century Benedictine nun was a Christian mystic, composer, philosopher, playwright, poet, naturalist, scientist, physician, herbalist and ecological activist.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Germany, France
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: sincere, atmospheric, serious, captivating, emotional, contemplative, spiritual, christian film, crying, mystic
Similar in 77%
John Hus (1977)
Plot Summary:
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.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 88
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: thought provoking, serious, realistic, contemplative, christian film, independent film
Similar in 76%
The Gospel of John (2003)
Plot Summary:
A word for word depiction of the life of Jesus Christ from the Good News Translation Bible as recorded in the Gospel of John.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Canada, UK
Duration: 180 min
Plot tags: biblical, atmospheric, serious, christian film, mysterious, epic
Similar in 85%
Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972)
Plot Summary:
This is a dramatization of events in the life of St. Francis of Assisi from before his conversion experience through his audience with the pope, including his friendship with St. Clare.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 5000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: UK, Italy
Duration: 135 min
Plot tags: scenic, philosophical, touching, biblical, thought provoking, psychedelic, epic, existential, esoteric, profound
Similar in 77%
Pope Joan (1972)
Plot Summary:
Based on the medieval legend of Pope Joan, who was made Pope for a brief period around 855 A.D. The movie presents her existence as fact, though it is questionable that Pope Joan really did exist, and portrays her relationships with other notables of the time.
IMDB Rating: 5.5
IMDB Votes: 391
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: atmospheric, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, period drama, cult film
Similar in 84%
Have No Fear: The Life of Pope John Paul II (2005)
Plot Summary:
The eventful life of a humble Polish priest who once decried the pomp of the Catholic Church "a circus" and labeled the Pope a "prisoner of the Vatican" before ascending to the papal throne is explored as actor Thomas Kretschmann takes on the role of Pope John Paul II to the man who would usher Catholicism into the 21st century. Born in Poland and forced to carry on following the untimely death of his family, Karol Wojtyla endured both personal hardships and the rape of his homeland by the Third Reich to spread the word of God through the Catholic Church. Later, as Pope John Paul II, Wojtyla was beloved by millions of Catholics worldwide. From the sexual-abuse scandal that shook the American Catholic Church in the later-20th century to the murder of Salvatorian Archbishop Oscar Romero and the near-fatal assassination attempt made on his own life, Pope John Paul II endured to bridge the gap between various faiths until his death resulting from Parkinson's disease in April of 2005.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 250
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: Lithuania, USA
Duration: 90 min
Plot tags: serious, realistic, captivating
Similar in 82%
Peter and Paul (1981)
Plot Summary:
Peter and Paul assume leadership of the Church as they struggle against violent opposition to the teachings of Christ and their own personal conflicts.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 654
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 198 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, atmospheric, epic, serious, captivating, realistic, contemplative, spiritual, sexy
Similar in 84%
The Radicals (1989)
Plot Summary:
The story of the Anabaptist movement and two of its first leaders, Michael and Margaretha Sattler.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 104
Genere: Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: biblical, independent film, bleak, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, contemplative
Similar in 83%
Francis of Assisi (1961)
Plot Summary:
The story of a lusty, fighting young adventurer who exchanged his sword for a cross.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: christian film, biblical, serious, captivating, realistic, crying, vintage
Similar in 80%
Thérèse (2004)
Plot Summary:
The mesmerizing story of a young girl's romance with God. Her faith, trials, and sacrifices reveal a way of life based on love and simplicity. A contemplative film based on the true story of Saint Therese of Lisieux, the most popular saint of modern times.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 539
Genere: Biography, Drama, Family, History
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: uplifting, emotional, realistic, contemplative, spiritual, serious, captivating, stylized
Similar in 80%
Barabbas (1961)
Plot Summary:
Epic account of the thief Barabbas, who was spared crucifixion when Pilate manipulated the crowd into pardoning him, rather than Jesus. Struggling with his spirituality, Barabbas goes through many ordeals leading him to the gladiatorial arena, where he tries to win his freedom and confront his inner demons, ultimately becoming a follower of the man who was crucified in his place.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, USA
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: biblical, epic, intense, exciting, serious, captivating, christian film, retro, technicolor, realistic
Similar in 89%
Billy: The Early Years (2008)
Plot Summary:
Most of us know Billy Graham as the self-assured and charismatic preacher who became one of the most important figures of 20th Century Christianity. Now, with the release of Billy: The Early Years, we meet Billy as the earnest and promising young man at the crossroads of faith and doubt, ultimately facing the moment of decision that launched one of history’s most powerful evangelistic careers.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 816
Genere: Biography, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags: christian film, serious, captivating, realistic
Similar in 88%
Jeanne la Pucelle I - Les batailles (1994)
Plot Summary:
A part of Joan of Arc's life. At the beginning, Jeanne (Joan) has already left Domremy, she is trying to convince a captain to escort her to the Dauphin. It ends during Jeanne's first battle, at Orleans. Meanwhile, Jeanne is depicted more as a warrior than a saint (all cliches are avoided), with only her faith for strength.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 810
Genere: Biography, Drama, History, War
Country: France
Duration: 160 min
Plot tags: epic, serious, captivating, emotional, realistic, gloomy
Similar in 78%
Son of God (2014)
Plot Summary:
The life story of Jesus is told from his humble birth through his teachings, crucifixion and ultimate resurrection.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 19000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: uplifting, christian film, biblical, captivating, inspirational, historical drama, spiritual, disgusting, serious, contemplative
Similar in 83%
The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964)
Plot Summary:
The life of Jesus Christ according to the Gospel of Matthew. Pasolini shows Christ as a marxist avant-la-lettre and therefore uses half of the text of Matthew.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 13000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Italy, France
Duration: 137 min
Plot tags: biblical, christian film, spiritual, art house, bleak, stylized, black and white, fairy tale, philosophical, mysterious
Similar in 87%
A Man for All Seasons (1966)
Plot Summary:
A Man for All Seasons is the filmed version of the life of Thomas More. An English man comes to Sir Thomas More to ask if he can divorce his wife since King Henry VIII has made it illegal. Sir Thomas More stands up in opposition to the King even though he knows he’s risking his own life. An award winning film from 1966.
IMDB Rating: 7.7
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: period piece, political, inspirational, costume drama, christian film, spiritual, talky, historical drama, retro, thought provoking
Similar in 83%
Luther (2003)
Plot Summary:
During the early 16th Century idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: Germany, USA, Czech Republic, Italy
Duration: 123 min
Plot tags: uplifting, political, biblical, christian film, sincere, touching, intellectual, inspirational, costume drama, intense
Similar in 83%
Becket (1964)
Plot Summary:
King Henry II of England has trouble with the Church. When the Archbishop of Canterbury dies, he has a brilliant idea. Rather than appoint another pious cleric loyal to Rome and the Church, he will appoint his old drinking and wenching buddy, Thomas Becket, technically a deacon of the church, to the post. Unfortunately, Becket takes the job seriously and provides abler opposition to Henry.
IMDB Rating: 7.8
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: UK, USA
Duration: 148 min
Plot tags: epic, period piece, tense, clever, realistic, talky, retro, breathtaking, spiritual, political
Similar in 86%
The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)
Plot Summary:
Charlton Heston stars as Renaissance artist Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6 March 1475 – 18 February 1564), who begrudgingly paints the Sistine Chapel for imperious Pope Julius II in this epic adaptation of Irvine Stone's novel directed by Carol Reed. While the novel covers Michelangelo's life from birth to death, the film focuses on the battle of wills between the perfectionist artist and the impatient Pope who commissions (and eventually commands) him to paint the famed chapel.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Biography, Drama, History
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: epic, inspirational, uplifting, serious, biblical, christian film, psychedelic, art film, technicolor, sincere