There's a prize which every Hollywood star covets above any other. A prize so prestigious it can launch careers and add zeros to contracts. Welcome then, to the biggest weekend of the cinematic year. Yet while shiny statuettes and glamorous award ceremonies are one thing, it's recognition in the really big categories that really drives the movie business. So move over Academy Awards – here are the second annual Christian Today Alternative Oscars!
To qualify for one of our entirely virtual awards (which come complete with a fictitious goodie bag and an imaginary Rolex), films must have in some way either constructively challenged or affirmed the Christian faith. You don't have to have made The Passion of the Christ to win, but you do need to have included themes or characters which recognise faith in some way. It's a pretty broad gate then, but it does keep out the likes of Office Christmas Party. And the winners are...
Best depiction of the Christian faith
There are two main contenders for this category: Martin Scorsese's Silence, which follows two Jesuit priests into the depths of the persecuted church, and Hacksaw Ridge, Mel Gibson's wilderness comeback about war hero Desmond T Doss. Both films are unashamedly faith-based, but like the Academy, I think the latter is the better film. While Silence probably has a two hour masterpiece hiding within its gruelling 161-minute runtime, it's not quite as gripping as it thinks it is, especially to the non-believing viewer. Hacksaw on the other hand is practically an evangelistic film, demonstrating a compelling vision of the Christian life which makes the most sense in humanity's darkest hour.
Most challenging depiction of faith
...All that having been said, Silence is still a remarkable film, which forces us to engage with the still-relevant horrors of Christian persecution, albeit through a historical lens. Andrew Garfield (who also plays the lead in Hacksaw) took on the exercises of St Ignatius to prepare for the role, and perhaps as a result offers a hugely sympathetic and rich portrayal of a priest clinging to his faith when all he can hear around him are the screams of his fellow believers. The scene when the silence of the title is broken is one of the most spine-tingling moments of modern cinema.
Best parable
Jeff Nichols' brilliant, understated Loving is the heartbreakingly true story of Richard and Mildred Loving, the inter-racial couple who found themselves jailed and then driven out of their state for flouting rules around race and marriage. Their nine-year battle to have their relationship legally recognised was a turning point in the history of the US constitution, but the incredible perseverance demonstrated, especially by Mildred (played by Oscar nominee Ruth Negga), is a fine illustration of the importance of perseverance in the face of injustice. Her ultimately successful journey brings to mind Jesus' story of the 'persistent widow' in Luke 18: 1-8, in which another woman faces a long-running battle to petition a similarly 'unjust judge.'
Best explicitly Christian film
2016 saw the release of a number of films which were unashamedly promoting – rather than just positive about – a Christian worldview. Jennifer Garner added some serious gravitas to the heart-warming Miracles from Heaven, which was actually much more nuanced than many might give it credit for, and of course, there was a second God's Not Dead movie... Best of the bunch though was Risen, the relatively star-studded biblical epic in which a Roman tribune witnesses the Resurrection first-hand. It's also Joseph Fiennes' best work since Shakespeare in Love.
Best illustration of a biblical theme
Two very different films explored the concept of unconditional love, illustrating it through the flawed but very relatable form of human parents. The first, Midnight Special, was an exceptional under-the-radar sci-fi about a man who realises his son is destined for greater-than-mortal things, and risks everything to help him fulfil his destiny. But the award here goes to Lionfor Nicole Kidman's moving performance as Sue Brierley, the real-life adoptive mother who encouraged son Saroo to find his real family, putting aside her own feelings in the process. Lion is a tremendous film, and also makes a strong case for the invisible hand of God without ever actually mentioning him.
Best redemption narrative
It's one of the darkest kid-friendly movie you'll ever see and unfortunately no-one rises from the dead, but no film in 2016 did redemption better than Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. The first of the sci-fi series' anthology movies takes a series of characters who've made bad choices and gives them an opportunity to save the universe by giving up their own lives. There's no suggestion that this was a Christian film, but as a thought-provoking illustration of Jesus's words that 'greater love hath no man than this: that he lay down his life for his friends' (John 15:13) it certainly hits the spot.
Best Christian character
In a year with more than its fair share of faith-filled movie characters, one stands head and shoulders above the rest. To end where we began, Andrew Garfield's portrayal of Desmond T Doss in Hacksaw Ridge is an incredibly sympathetic and powerful performance which makes total sense of a man with an extremely unorthodox worldview. The moment where Doss' entire platoon is waiting silently while he prays for them isn't just monumentally affirming to Christians, it also makes total sense in a story where a man is using his beliefs to bring sanity into the chaos of war. It might not do so well at that little Awards' ceremony on Sunday night, but Hacksaw Ridge is Hollywood's biggest gift to the Church in years and Doss is a hero whose story every evangelist should know and talk about.
Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
