15 Movies About Redemption That Everyone Needs To Watch

Redemption is hardest to attain when you think yourself unworthy of it, as Lee Chandler (Casey Affleck), the protagonist of "Manchester by the Sea," does. A traumatic incident in his past has left him so full of grief and guilt, there couldn't possibly be room for any other strain of emotion left. He's now an early-onset curmudgeon who funnels his angst into bar brawls and squabbles with the tenants of the building he works in. But Lee is jolted out of this bitter reverie by the news of his brother Joe's (Kyle Chandler) death, and his newfound role as guardian to Joe's son Patrick (Lucas Hedges).

From the start, "Manchester by the Sea" makes it apparent that Lee is beyond conventional redemption. His grief will not shrink in size with each passing day. Since he can't outgrow his despair, the movie gives him a fighting chance of growing around it through his relationship with Patrick. What results is a movie that challenges the very meaning of redemption and stands as a sterling example of the cinema of self-transformation.

Imagination is a powerful tool, especially in the hands of a child. In "Atonement," young Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) has an imagination so fertile that it produces beautiful fiction — and also ruins an innocent man's life.

Briony harbors a crush on the groundskeeper's older son Robert "Robbie" Turner (James McAvoy). He, on the other hand, is far too busy developing his own love story with Briony's sister Cecilia (Keira Knightley), who wholly reciprocates his feelings. Briony spies Robbie and Cecilia growing close to each other, and her childish naivete interprets what she sees as Robbie attacking her sister. When an actual sexual offense occurs, Briony has no trouble (mis)identifying the culprit as Robbie, who is quickly arrested and sent to prison.

Now, Briony's case of mistaken identity can be called a lie only insofar as the person she's lying to is herself. But her self-deception doesn't last long, and soon, she's pondering ways to atone for her mistake and make things right for Robbie and Cecilia. What should Briony's atonement for telling such a lie be? How does one even atone for such a brutal act of self-deception? "Atonement" masterfully wrings a thought experiment about guilt and forgiveness out of this question.

Redemption movies needn't be all thought and no heart. George Bailey (James Stewart), the protagonist of "It's a Wonderful Life," is proof: He's an idealist who believes that the individual is just one small part of the much bigger whole that is their community. This belief leaves him with a pathological condition, however — he can't stop doing good unto his family and friends. When an unfortunate turn of events causes George's reserves of charity to become exhausted, things come to a grievous head. He's hardly in need of moral or religious absolution, though. What he needs is relief from an acute case of disillusionment and world-weariness.

The citizens of Bedford Falls, many of whom are indebted to George for his kindness, move Heaven and Earth (almost literally) to help him. Their prayers work: Divine intervention arrives and gives George a glimpse into a universe where he doesn't exist. This allows him to appreciate his existence and the value it continues to add to his beloved town. In "It's a Wonderful Life," redemption comes from seeing the good in yourself reflected in the world around you. As George's father Peter Bailey (Samuel S. Hinds) would say, "All you can take with you is that which you've given away." Thus, "It's a Wonderful Life" conclusively proves its title.

"The Hunter" is centered around Martin David, an assassin with a most unique and elusive target: The Tasmanian tiger, thought by many to be extinct. A biotech corporation knows differently, however, and will stop at nothing to get its hands on samples of the creature. So, Martin is dispatched to Tasmania, where he lives with a local family and disguises himself as a biologist as he tracks the evasive beast.

We know next to nothing about Martin's past, relying instead on the present to gain insight into his nature. As he settles into his role as a "biologist," we start to see a different side to him that's quite unlike the cold, unfeeling mercenary. He's not immune to empathizing with the hardships of a family and community torn apart by money-hungry corporations looking to exploit their natural resources. Eventually, Martin struggles to reconcile his mission with this newfound sense of justice. At first glance, you may think "The Hunter" pits man against nature. In reality, it pits man against human nature and his own conscience.

Sports drama "Chak De! India" is a crucial part of the Bollywood canon. All that comes between star hockey player Kabir Khan (Shah Rukh Khan) and the World Cup title is a few inches of field — as in, he misses a decisive penalty shot by precisely that much. To his unforgiving countrymen, that gap may as well have been measured in lightyears. But the world of sport is uniquely generous, insomuch as it allows its players redemption: There's always the next match or game. And so, some years later, Kabir Khan returns to the hockey field — but this time, in the capacity of a coach to the national women's hockey team. This team, which is nothing if not ragtag, has a reputation for being as fallible as Kabir. Its players hail from various pockets of India, but they don't see diversity in each other, just differences. The only common thread binding them together is their shared plight: They're all on the sinking ship that is their hockey team.

But Kabir is no defeatist. Slowly but surely, he attempts to perform a makeover of this team, transforming them into a cohesive group of genuine winners. All of this serves to demonstrate that redemption is not a solitary act. Often, it's the result of an enthusiastic and allied effort.

Language and communication — or a lack thereof — connects the myriad characters of "Drive My Car." This stirring movie centers around an international theatrical production that doesn't just break language barriers, it thinks beyond them completely. It's ironic then, that communication is such a travesty for its actors, and, most importantly, its grieving director, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima).

The sudden death of Yusuke's wife has left him feeling aloof and guilt-ridden. The only person he manages to connect with is his young chauffeur Misaki Watari (Tōko Miura), who is haunted by her mother's death, years after the fact. Over the course of "Drive My Car," the duo covers the distance between remorse and deliverance by confiding and finding comfort in each other. In the end, Yusuke's car becomes a vehicle (pun intended) for the connection, confessions, and confrontations that elude so many other characters — and so many people all over the world.

Widely considered one of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time, "Children of Men" depicts a spiritual redemption with uncommon intensity. After the death of his son, ex-activist Theo Faron (Clive Owen) becomes a frail, tired husk of his former self. The rest of the world is in a similar state of melancholy: A mysterious defect has cost humanity its ability to reproduce. Without a new generation to move it forward, society stagnates and is stripped of everything that is new and hopeful. In the midst of this chaos and breakdown, a woman named Kee (Clare-Hope Ashitey) becomes pregnant. It falls to Theo to transport her to safety.

Several outlets, including The Take, have found allegories to Christian mysticism within "Children of Men." Indeed, Biblical motifs of apocalyptic times and salvation through hope and faith ring loud and clear. In a world bereft of hope, Kee's miracle pregnancy becomes humanity's absolution. "Children of Men" succeeds in finding redemption where there seems to be none to spare.

There would be no redeeming this list if it failed to mention a film as important as "The Shawshank Redemption." This prison drama has been sitting comfortably atop the IMDb charts forever, and is a favorite of people all over the world. Our redemption tale unfolds at the titular Shawshank State Prison, where accountant Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is the newest inmate on the block. With two life sentences to his name, he has no choice but to reluctantly embrace his new existence. He becomes fast friends with inmate Red (Morgan Freeman) and an accomplice to a money-laundering scheme perpetrated by Warden Samuel Norton (Bob Gunton).

But Andy's contributions to Shawshank don't stop there. To his fellow inmates, he preaches a message of hopefulness for life after prison, even succeeding in turning cynical Red into something of a believer. Without hope, there can be no absolution for either of them. Said absolution has a place and name: Zihuatanejo. Andy claims that memory doesn't exist in this Mexican town — it cleanses its inhabitants of their sins. The hope it represents is potent enough to carry him through his darkest years, into a future cradled by the Pacific Ocean.