6 Best Monastery and Convent Movies

By Vlad Zakh · June 25, 2026

Behind cloistered walls, faith meets doubt, desire and danger. Ida has a young novice in 1960s Poland discovering a family secret, Of Gods and Men has French monks in Algeria deciding whether to stay, and Doubt has a principal growing suspicious of a beloved priest. The Name of the Rose, The Nun’s Story and Black Narcissus round out the six.

Ida (2013)

IMDb ★ 7.4 RT 95% Metacritic 91

A novice nun learns a family secret just before taking her vows, shot in stark black and white.

Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski · 1h 22m · Rated PG-13

Won 1 Oscar75 wins & 92 nominations

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Philo, MUBI, OVID, Chai Flicks · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Of Gods and Men (2010)

TMDB ★ 7.4

French Trappist monks in Algeria must decide whether to flee or stay as extremist violence closes in.

Directed by Xavier Beauvois · 2h 00m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Doubt (2008)

TMDB ★ 7.2

A strict Catholic school principal grows suspicious that a beloved priest has crossed a serious line with a student.

Directed by John Patrick Shanley · 1h 44m · Rated PG-13

Where to watch

Rent: JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home · Buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Name of the Rose (1986)

TMDB ★ 7.3

A monk investigates a series of mysterious deaths at a medieval Italian abbey.

Directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud · 2h 10m · Rated R

Where to watch

Stream: Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

The Nun's Story (1959)

TMDB ★ 7.5

A devoted young woman's years as a nun test her faith against her own independent conscience.

Directed by Fred Zinnemann · 2h 31m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Black Narcissus (1947)

TMDB ★ 7.5

Nuns establishing a convent in the Himalayas are slowly consumed by isolation and repressed desire.

Directed by Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell · 1h 40m · Rated NR

Where to watch

Stream: fuboTV, HBO Max Amazon Channel, HBO Max, Artiflix · Rent or buy: Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home

▶ Trailer Letterboxd

Streaming availability data from JustWatch, via TMDB. Availability changes often, so check the service before you plan a movie night.

Vlad Zakh

Founder, Movieix

Founder of Movieix. He started the site because most recommendation pages felt like noise. Here, lists are sorted by who's in the film, where it's from and what mood you're in tonight.

6 Best Monastery and Convent Movies

Ida (2013)

Of Gods and Men (2010)

Doubt (2008)

The Name of the Rose (1986)

The Nun's Story (1959)

Black Narcissus (1947)

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