Redemptive Movie Menu

Movies with a Redemption Theme
Films that Encourage the Ebbing Heart
See a related site on Moral Courage.

My definition of a "Redemption Theme " was very delineated:
the films must include protagonists who were faced with ostensible failure,
but then circumstances arose that redeemed their fatalistic faults, failures and foibles,
thereby allowing them to lead productive humanitarian lives or go to their deaths with honor.

Tootsie - 1982 - an unemployed (unemployable?) actor finds a new personal grace via a role as a real-life woman

Shawshank Redemption - 1994 - two convicts leave prison in different manners; both leave as more complete souls

The Rewrite - 2014 - a down-and-out writer finds new joy in a teaching role and new love with a 40 year-old student

Groundhog Day - 1993 - an ego-centric man reawakens his humanity by having to relive the same day over and over

Road to Perdition - 2002 - a man is drawn into crime, but with his last act, keeps his son from following this bad path

Schindler's List - 1993 - a self-serving industrialist finds a deep sense of his own humanity in Nazi Germany's turmoil

It’s a Wonderful Life - 1946 - a man on the brink of suicide is shown his life's value by an angel, so returns to his family

Seven Samurai - 1954 - a group of warriors assemble to protect a poor village, bringing meaning to their lives and deaths

Bridges of Madison County - 1995 - two adult children wrestle with the discovery of their recently deceased mother's tryst

The Green Mile - 1999 - a miracle healer and the loyalty of his men show a prison guard how to make new sense of his faith

The Robe - 1953 - ordered to officiate at Christ's crucifixion, a Roman Tribune finally comes to accept Jesus and forgiveness

Forest Gump - 1994 - an amputee-veteran is bitter and into substance abuse, but a loyal trooper brings him out of his malaise

Guys and Doll - 1955 - a rotund Racetrack Tout sings a light hearted song (Rockin' the Boat) about a dream that converts him

Field of Dreams - 1989 - as an adolescent, a man rejects his father, redeeming it by playing catch with an incarnation of his soul

Note: Tom Hanks appears in two movies (The Road to Perdition and the Green Mile);
Chris Elliott is also in two (Groundhog Day and The Rewrite).