At Benilde-St. Margaret’s, many students enjoy learning new theological content by watching movies. These films cover a variety of topics such as Catholic Social Teachings, communication, morality, and more. This style of teaching leaves students enthusiastic and genuinely interested in the content discussed in class.

Most theology classes at BSM have watched at least one movie throughout the school year. Some of the films include Invictus, Inside Out, Alive, Amazing Grace, The Biggest Little Farm, and Gattaca. At first glance, some of these movies don’t necessarily relate to theological content. But many of the movies, surprisingly, connect directly to religious ideas. For example, The Biggest Little Farm follows a young couple striving to maintain the stability of their sustainable farm just outside of Los Angeles. They faced many challenges but fought back with powerful resilience. “[The Biggest Little Farm] helped us appreciate the Catholic Social Teachings, Care for God’s creation, which was a big portion of theology in my ninth-grade year,” sophomore Arwen Patell said.

Usually, students have a summative assessment upon completion of the movie. These assessments range from cumulative quizzes or tests to discussions about the movie’s themes and overall messages. “The test was more about the message and how that related to what we had previously been working on in class…then being able to talk about the concepts that we saw, as opposed to just the plot, was helpful for my understanding of theology,” Patell said.

To be able to prepare for a film, there is a particular process that theology classes must undergo. Firstly, students learn about theological concepts for a few months, and then they will begin to watch the movie. It might not be apparent at first, but as the film continues, students understand and notice connections between the movie and in-class religious ideas. “It would usually take a couple of block-scheduled classes to finish it [the film],” Patell said.

Even though BSM is a Catholic institution, it has a diverse range of practiced religions throughout its community. No matter what faith or pathway students are on in their spiritual journey, theology classes aim to teach students important values and morals to help them become better individuals. Nevertheless, the lectures on these complex concepts are sometimes difficult to learn. But when students listen to a story related to God in film format, they have an easier time understanding religious ideology. “[Movies] are fun and easy to learn from,” sophomore John Blomer said.