The best spiritual movies on Next Level Soul TV are Awake: The Life of Yogananda for a classic starting point, Marketing the Messiah for the real story behind early Christianity, and The Healer for an uplifting story of faith and healing.
Below are 14 films and documentaries worth your evening, grouped by what you are looking for: teachers and awakening, sacred history and ancient mysteries, and healing and heart-led stories. Each one comes with who it is for, a link to our full review and a button to watch on Next Level Soul TV.
Key Takeaways
- Start with Awake: The Life of Yogananda. It tells a yogi’s life as a spiritual experience and is the easiest way in.
- For hidden history and ancient mysteries, try Marketing the Messiah, The Atlantis Puzzle or Dwarka: Atlantis of the East.
- For heart and healing, watch The Healer, Jacob the Baker or HEAL.
- Every film here is on Next Level Soul TV. Each card links to the watch page and to our full review.
- Hold every film with discernment. Documentaries share a point of view, and we say where a film asks questions history cannot yet answer.
What Are Spiritual Movies?
A spiritual movie is a film or documentary that explores awakening, consciousness, faith, healing or the nature of reality, and invites you to look inward as well as be entertained. Some are biographies of teachers, some investigate ancient history, and some are simple human stories with a spiritual heart.
If you want the bigger picture first, start with our guide to spiritual awakening or our explainer on consciousness. Several films here also connect to yoga, meditation and Atlantis.
Best Spiritual Movies at a Glance
| Film | Best for | Type | Theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awake: The Life of Yogananda | First read | Documentary | Yoga and awakening |
| Hare Krishna! | Devotion and mantra | Documentary | Bhakti yoga |
| First Contact: Channeling Bashar | Consciousness and contact | Documentary | Channeling |
| How the Beatles Changed the World | Culture and spirit | Documentary | Music and awakening |
| The Soul of Success | Purpose and service | Documentary | Personal growth |
| Marketing the Messiah | The real story | Documentary | Early Christianity |
| Crucifixion Quake | Faith and science | Documentary | Sacred history |
| The Atlantis Puzzle | Detective-style mystery | Documentary | Ancient mysteries |
| Dwarka: Atlantis of the East | Lost civilizations | Documentary | Ancient India |
| The Lady of Heaven | Faith and resilience | Film | Islamic sacred history |
| The Healer | A gentle uplift | Film | Healing and doubt |
| Jacob the Baker | Hope and encouragement | Film | Story as service |
| HEAL | Mind and body | Documentary | Healing |
| The Natural Law | Ayurveda | Documentary | Healing |
How Do I Choose the Right Spiritual Movie?
Start with the question you are carrying. If it is “who taught this?”, pick Awake or Hare Krishna!. If it is “what really happened?”, pick Marketing the Messiah or The Atlantis Puzzle. If it is “how do I feel better?”, pick The Healer or HEAL.
A few simple guides help:
- Short on time? Choose a documentary under an hour and a half, such as Awake or The Atlantis Puzzle.
- Want a story, not a lecture? Watch The Healer or Jacob the Baker.
- Curious about near-death research? See our guide to near-death experiences.
Teachers, Mystics and Awakening
These five films follow people and movements that changed how the West thinks about spirit, from a yogi to a channel to a band that opened a generation to the East.
1. Awake: The Life of Yogananda
Documentary | 1 hr 26 min | Directed by Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman
An intimate portrait of Paramahansa Yogananda, the yogi who brought meditation and yoga to the West in the 1920s and wrote Autobiography of a Yogi. The film opens with consciousness itself, not biography, as Yogananda describes being aware inside his mother’s womb.
It follows his path from childhood in India to teaching in America, and traces how his book has rippled through culture long after his death. It treats his passing as a fulfillment of the yogic teaching of knowing when you will leave your body.
Best for: Seekers who want a yogi’s life told as a spiritual experience, not just a timeline.
2. Hare Krishna! The Mantra, the Movement and the Swami Who Started It
Documentary | 1 hr 31 min
The story of A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the 70-year-old monk who crossed the ocean in 1965 to bring Krishna consciousness to the West. It is built from archival footage, his own recorded words and interviews with his early followers.
The film moves from New York’s Bowery to Haight-Ashbury and Beatlemania London, and explains bhakti yoga, the path of loving devotion, and the chanting of the mantra. It calls its subject a controversial revolutionary, so watch it with an open mind.
Best for: Anyone curious about devotion, mantra and how the East reached the counterculture.
3. First Contact: Channeling Bashar
Documentary | 1 hr 35 min | Narrated by James Woods
The true story of Darryl Anka, a Hollywood visual effects artist who began exploring metaphysics after a series of UFO sightings in the early 1980s and found he could channel Bashar, a being he describes as part of an advanced civilization in a parallel dimension.
The film grounds the story in Darryl’s own skepticism and shows what the Bashar teachings have meant to thousands of people seeking purpose and self-empowerment. Alex Ferrari, founder of Next Level Soul, was post-production supervisor, colorist and online editor on this film.
Best for: Open-minded viewers curious about channeling, consciousness and contact.
4. How the Beatles Changed the World
Documentary
This film explores the cultural, social, spiritual and musical revolution sparked by the rise of The Beatles. It is built from revealing interviews and rarely seen archival footage that bring the band’s rapid rise and its effect on a generation back to life.
It is organized around four kinds of change and follows the band’s influence into fashion, art and spirituality. It asks how a pop phenomenon became a turning point in modern life, and why its music and questions still speak to seekers today.
Best for: Music lovers and anyone drawn to how culture shapes consciousness.
5. The Soul of Success: The Jack Canfield Story
Documentary
A portrait of Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, from childhood poverty in West Virginia to Harvard, from teaching inner-city students to sharing stages with Oprah and U.S. presidents. It follows the full arc of his life.
The film frames success as alignment with your soul’s calling and as contribution rather than accumulation. It shows a man who turned early pain into wisdom and service, and asks what a successful life looks like when it is measured from the inside.
Best for: Viewers who want a grounded, encouraging story about purpose and service.
Sacred History and Ancient Mysteries
These five films ask big questions about where our stories come from, and they take the questions seriously without pretending every answer is settled.
6. Marketing the Messiah
Documentary | 1 hr 43 min
A playful yet well-researched look at the surprising, messy and often misunderstood origins of early Christianity. It separates historical fact from long-held tradition and shows how a small movement grew into one of the world’s largest faiths.
Smart, funny and unexpectedly eye-opening, it is a reminder that the real story is more fascinating than the version most of us were taught. Our review guide adds what historians can say about Jesus and what he taught, so you can go deeper after the film.
Best for: Questioners of any background who want the real story behind the tradition.
7. Crucifixion Quake
Documentary
A geologist embarks on a 20-year journey to investigate whether the physical events described on the day of the Crucifixion occurred as narrated. Scientific exploration and analysis test the accounts against the evidence in the earth itself.
The film takes a quiet, almost meditative approach, with seismologists, biblical scholars, historians and mystics. It walks the line between faith and evidence with humility instead of sensationalism, which makes it easy to watch whatever you believe.
Best for: Viewers who like faith and science in the same conversation.
8. The Atlantis Puzzle
Documentary | 1 hr 25 min
The film re-examines the legend of Atlantis with new translations and current research, starting from Plato’s final and most enigmatic work. It treats the legend as a puzzle worth solving rather than a story to dismiss or accept on faith.
It travels across continents and follows centuries of hidden knowledge, taking the legend seriously without presenting it as settled fact. It plays like a detective story about an ancient text, and it leaves you free to draw your own conclusions.
Best for: Ancient-mystery fans who like to piece the evidence together.
9. Dwarka: Atlantis of the East
Documentary
The film dives into the mysteries beneath the Arabian Sea, with findings from a 2012 expedition to Dwarka, the legendary city said to have been ruled by Krishna. It asks what lies under the waves and what the legend may be remembering.
Our review reads it as less about ruins than about awakening, a film that treats mythology as ancestral memory and asks whether Dwarka could change what we think we know about time, civilization and divinity, and invites you to hold the question openly.
Best for: Viewers drawn to ancient India, Krishna and lost civilizations.
10. The Lady of Heaven
Film | 2 hr 21 min | Directed by Eli King
A historical drama that tells the story of Lady Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, through two timelines. In the present, a young Iraqi boy learns about her life from a wise elder, and the story moves between his world and hers.
The child’s-eye frame gives viewers an emotional doorway, and the film highlights her message of compassion in the face of violence. Our review also covers the facts, faith and controversy around it, so you can approach it with respect.
Best for: Viewers who want a story of faith and resilience, watched with an open and respectful mind.
Healing and Heart-Led Stories
These four films meet illness, doubt and hope with warmth, from a gentle drama to two documentaries on the mind-body connection.
11. The Healer
Film | 1 hr 48 min | Written and directed by Paco Arango (2018)
Alec Bailey, an electrician whose life is unraveling, ends up in a small Canadian town where people begin to seek him out for healing. Skeptical and resistant, he has to decide what the possibility of a gift would ask of him.
Our review calls it a gentle modern fable with a good heart, wise about doubt and warm without being preachy. It touches on gambling, lying and family conflict with a light touch, and Jonathan Pryce adds gravity and charm.
Best for: Anyone who wants an uplifting story about faith, doubt and the responsibility of a gift.
12. Jacob the Baker: Come Home to Hope
Film
Based on the international bestselling book series by Noah benShea, the film follows a skeptical young reporter sent to interview the author and discovers how he and his fictional character, Jacob, bring help and hope to people around the world.
As the interview unfolds, the reporter’s own secret struggle comes to light. It is a gentle, hopeful film about the quiet moments when a person realizes they are not alone, and simpler and more intimate than high-concept spiritual cinema.
Best for: Viewers who want warmth, encouragement and a story about story as service.
13. Heal: The Most Powerful Healer is Within
Documentary | 1 hr 46 min
A journey that blends science and spirituality to show how our thoughts, beliefs and emotions shape our health and healing, through personal stories of fibromyalgia, lupus, Lyme disease, migraines and cancer.
Healers and experts across traditions, including Bruce Lipton, Dr. Joe Dispenza and Marianne Williamson, appear. It does not promise miracles. It asks whether you believe in your body’s ability to heal. Nothing in it replaces medical care.
Best for: Viewers exploring the mind-body connection and the idea of wholeness.
14. The Natural Law: Ayurveda Heals
Documentary
The film follows Amish Shah’s decade-long quest to heal life-threatening illnesses after conventional medicine fell short, turning to Ayurveda, the ancient science of living in alignment with nature. His personal story anchors the whole film.
Doctors, scientists, herbalists and mystics weigh in, and the film frames illness as an initiation back to balance. It is one person’s story and a reminder to listen to the body, not medical advice. Please speak with a doctor about any health concern.
Best for: Viewers curious about Ayurveda, nature and healing at the root.
An Honest View of Spiritual Movies
A film is a story, and a story is not proof. Documentaries share a point of view, legends such as Atlantis and Dwarka remain open questions, and channeling is a belief you can weigh for yourself.
Use these films as doorways, not authorities. If something does not feel true to you, set it down. Nothing here replaces medical or mental health care; if you are struggling, please reach out to a doctor or call or text 988 in the US.
Watch More on Next Level Soul TV
Next Level Soul TV is our own home for films, series and teachings on these questions. Here are six series and related titles to start with.
More Best-Of Guides From Next Level Soul
If these films pulled you in, keep going with our other guides: the best spiritual audiobooks to listen to on Next Level Soul TV, the best near-death experience books, the best books about the afterlife, spiritual books to read and the best books on consciousness.
For the stories behind the screen, read our guides to near-death experience stories, Jesus of Nazareth, Lord Krishna and Darryl Anka and Bashar.
Go Deeper with NLS Mastery: The True Teachings of Jesus
Reconnect with the true teachings of Jesus and awaken to love, presence and inner freedom. John Davis teaches it in The True Teachings of Jesus, part of NLS Mastery. Watch the course preview below.
Sources and Further Reading
Spirituality for the Rest of Us™
Movies, teachings and community on Next Level Soul TV.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best spiritual movies to watch?
Start with Awake: The Life of Yogananda for a spiritual biography, Marketing the Messiah for early Christian history and The Healer for an uplifting drama. All 14 films on this list are on Next Level Soul TV.
Where can I watch these spiritual movies?
Every film on this list is on Next Level Soul TV at watch.nextlevelsoul.com. Each card has a Watch on Next Level Soul TV button, and the service also has apps for Apple iOS, Apple TV, Android, Android TV, LG and Roku.
What is the best spiritual movie for beginners?
Awake: The Life of Yogananda is a clear first documentary on yoga and meditation. If you prefer a story, The Healer is a gentle, accessible drama about faith and doubt.
Are these spiritual documentaries or dramas?
Both. Most picks are documentaries, including Awake, Hare Krishna!, HEAL and The Atlantis Puzzle. The Healer, Jacob the Baker and The Lady of Heaven are dramas.
Which spiritual movie is best for healing?
HEAL and The Natural Law look at the mind-body connection and Ayurveda, and The Healer is a gentle story about the gift of healing. They are for inspiration, not medical advice, so speak with a doctor about any health concern.
Which films explore ancient mysteries and hidden history?
The Atlantis Puzzle looks at Plato’s Atlantis, Dwarka: Atlantis of the East explores a legendary city beneath the Arabian Sea, Crucifixion Quake investigates a geological question about the Crucifixion, and Marketing the Messiah examines the origins of early Christianity.
What is First Contact: Channeling Bashar about?
It is the true story of Darryl Anka, a visual effects artist who found he could channel Bashar, narrated by James Woods. Next Level Soul founder Alex Ferrari was post-production supervisor, colorist and online editor on the film.
Are these films tied to one religion?
No. They draw on yoga and Vedic wisdom, Krishna devotion, early Christianity, Islamic sacred history, Ayurveda and non-denominational spirituality, so you can explore across traditions.
How long are these spiritual movies?
Runtimes are listed on each watch page. For example, Awake runs 1 hr 26 min, Marketing the Messiah runs 1 hr 43 min and The Lady of Heaven runs 2 hr 21 min.
Are spiritual documentaries true stories?
Documentaries share real accounts, but they present a point of view. Topics such as Atlantis, Dwarka and channeling are open questions, so enjoy them as doorways to explore, not as settled fact.
Does Next Level Soul TV have spiritual series as well as movies?
Yes. Spirit Talker, Ageless Living, Take A Seat, Sacred Earth Expeditions and Divine Encounters are a few of the series in the section above.
How do I get more from a spiritual movie?
Watch once for the story, then again with a notebook. Pause on a scene that stays with you, talk it over with a friend, and sit quietly for a few minutes afterward before you do anything else.
