Capernaum

Capernaum isn't marketed as a Christian film, and it doesn't fit neatly into the genre. But it's named after the biblical city where Jesus performed miracles, and its themes — the dignity of children, the injustice of poverty, the moral responsibility of bringing life into a broken world — are deeply Christian in the broadest sense. Zain Al Rafeea, a real Syrian refugee with no acting experience, gives one of the most astonishing child performances in film history. His Zain is angry, resourceful, tender with a baby he's protecting, and heartbreakingly wise beyond his years. Director Nadine Labaki shot with non-professional actors in real Beirut slums, and the result feels like documentary crossed with neorealism. The courtroom framing device (Zain literally suing his parents) provides structure without sentimentality. This is not an easy watch — it's rated R for a reason — and it offers no tidy resolution. But as a film that forces viewers to confront what it means to protect 'the least of these,' it's more theologically challenging than most films wearing the Christian label explicitly. Won the Jury Prize at Cannes.