With themes of harvest, thanksgiving, and the changing of the seasons, here are some films to add to your family traditions this autumn.
When you feel that first chill in the air, it’s usually time to break out the Fall Family traditions. Some families enjoy pumpkin patches and hayrack rides. Others enjoy a country drive to see the turning of the tree leaves. Many of us enjoy family snuggles with hot cocoa and a good movie.
Does your family have a favorite movie to see when autumn rolls around each year?
Here are a few great Catholic-themed movies that fit perfectly with the changing of the seasons. You can enjoy these on your own or with your family and make some new traditions around this time of year.
While feasting with family, enjoy Babette’s Feast (1987)
This movie, one of Pope Francis’ favorites, set in the late 19th-century rural Denmark, gives that cozy autumn vibe due to the focus on food, harvest, and especially Thanksgiving. The movie is based upon a short story of the same name by Isak Dinesen’s (pen name of Karen Blixen). The author is most know for her memoir Out of Africa (1937). Dinesen wrote the story about a woman and the power of generosity. In the tale, a French Catholic political refugee, Babette, works for an austere Protestant family, cooking and cleaning their home as a maid for 14 years. Babette prepares very basic, bland foods daily, and when she wins a lottery, her only desire is to prepare a lavish feast for the town. The Protestants, fearing such delicacies and frivolous morsels as temptations, resist until they agreed on certain terms of the meal. No one could have foreseen the outcome for the town after such a beautiful, generous gift of a meal to the people from a French Catholic, who could have used the money to return back to her home in France.
Spiritual themes in this movie include not only the reference to the Eucharistic celebration at Mass and God’s generosity. It also touches on the nature of happiness and reconciliation, with oneself, with others (as we see flashbacks of events of the Protestant sisters) and with God.
The Vatican lists Babette’s Feast in its official 1995 list of “Some Important Films,” within the religion category. Let us know what you think of it.
Witness simple family life in The Tree of Wooden Clogs (1978)
This story, a slower and more meditative film, won the Palme d’Or award, the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival, one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world. The Vatican has also added this film to the official list of “Some Important Films” under the category of “Values.”
Ermanno Olmi’s movie follows several Catholic families over a year on a late 19th-century Lombard farm in Italy for a wealthy landlord. The film includes harvest work, the seasons, prayer and family life amid quiet faith and hardship. The movie might appeal more to teenagers rather than young children since its pace is slower; however, the message of family resilience inspires all.
For a more modern movie, try Cabrini (2024)
If your family prefers more modern films, consider Cabrini, the biopic of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, the first U.S. citizen saint. This movie focuses on her missionary work with immigrants and the poor and would be a great moment to share with your teens. The powerful story of perseverance, charity and radical trust in God should make a wonderful impression.
Prefer the classics? What about these?
If you love the golden oldies, you could enjoy an autumn viewing of A Man for All Seasons or The Song of Bernadette, two wonderful classics about St. Thomas More and St. Bernadette. These movies can be enjoyed with the whole family and nourish your feelings of thanksgiving for God, his Church and his saints. Nothing could be greater than sharing that under a cozy blanket on the couch with your family.
Share with us some Catholic movies you enjoy watching during the fall. We’d love to hear from you.
