When I told my three sons we were going to the movies one afternoon during Christmas break, I was surprised to realize that two of them had never been to a movie theater. It’s not that they haven’t watched movies—they’ve seen plenty. But we tend to show them old movies from our childhood or ones that depict books they’ve read. That way, we know what we’re getting into.

With the number of movies available on streaming services and new releases at theaters all the time, it’s hard to keep up. Whether I’m looking for a wholesome film for my kids or an interesting documentary to watch with my husband, I’m often overwhelmed by the number of choices and hesitant about what we might see and hear. I’ve turned off enough movies due to crude content or pointless plots to know that trending doesn’t necessarily indicate quality entertainment.

But as my colleague, Brett McCracken explains, “we can find a few diamonds of goodness, truth, and beauty in the rough of contemporary moviemaking.” Some movies, he writes, “celebrate themes Christians can get behind: the goodness of marriage and parenting, the sanctity of life, the beauty of friendship, the valor of sacrificial virtue, and sober realism about sin and temptation.”

Those are the films I want to watch, but it’s not always clear to me which ones qualify. I often borrow Paul’s prayer from Philippians 1:9–10, asking the Lord for “knowledge and all discernment” to “approve what is excellent.” I believe part of how the Lord answers that prayer is through the provision of wise and godly brothers and sisters who have expertise I lack.

So I’m grateful for Brett’s thoughtful film analysis and recommendations. In “Best Movies of 2023,” he shares his 10 favorite films along with five honorable mentions and 10 documentaries. You’ll find a variety of genres and topics, but the films have one thing in common—they aren’t just good for entertainment, they “are all in some way edifying.”