It only takes thirty minutes, yet you leave with a profound experience. Today, I recommend two films that are connected not only by their short duration but also by a strong spiritual message.
The first of these is a drama:
Grace for Harlem (Harlem Grace)
which transports us to America in the early 1980s. In the harsh reality of New York's Harlem, marked by crime, unemployment, and drugs, Joe Holland – a Harvard-educated lawyer – arrives. He decides to leave his comfortable career and heed God's call to dedicate his life to serving those on the margins of society. He establishes a life skills program and helps the homeless get back on their feet. Through the story of a man named Harvey, the film draws the viewer into the daily reality of this service and shows that the gospel is not just lived by words but primarily by concrete acts of love (cf. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” James 2:14)
WATCH THE MOVIE Grace for Harlem
Carlo Acutis: Missionary 2.0
The second film, the documentary Carlo Acutis: Missionary 2.0, offers a brief yet poignant insight into the life of a young saint who died at the tender age of fifteen. Carlo lived an apparently ordinary life, but his faith was deep and joyful. He loved the Eucharist, which he called “the highway to heaven,” and pondered how to reach out to his peers. Modern technology was not a threat to him, but rather a tool for evangelization – he was able to spread the beauty of faith among thousands through the internet. His example reminds us that holiness does not just occur in great deeds, but is born in everyday fidelity and small actions.
Recently canonized, Carlo has also become our patron because we at Filmana feel a similar calling. We do not want to sit idle while the internet offers a space where films can reach and encourage not only seekers but also those who already live their faith. Just as Carlo believed that technology could serve good, we strive to harness the power of image and story to spread the joy of faith further.
Although these two films take place in different times and settings – one in the streets of Harlem in the 1980s, the other in the digital world of the twenty-first century – they surprisingly share a lot in common. In both stories, the strength of personal calling is at the center: Joe Holland and Carlo Acutis listen to their inner voice and choose a path of service that transforms their lives and the lives of others. Joe breaks down walls between the middle class and those from the streets, while Carlo gives the online world a spiritual dimension. Saint Carlo is not exceptional because he sat at a computer, but because he connected his short life entirely with Christ and the sharing of joy and faith. He lived completely ordinarily – like a boy who, through daily kindness, willingness, and sincerity, found Jesus, especially during the Holy Mass. His example shows that holiness can be present even without great deeds or miracles – in an ordinary life led by God’s love.
Two short films, two different paths, one common message: God’s call is not bound by time or means. It can resonate in the Harlem neighborhood of the 1980s just as much as on today's internet. And each of us is invited to lead ourselves and our loved ones closer to God, even if only through small steps.
WATCH THE MOVIE Carlo Acutis: Missionary 2.0
The Christian streaming platform Filmana.cz offers films in applications for smart TVs, iOS, and Android.