Each Sunday in Lent, I want to share with you an appropriate piece of art (movie, poem, painting, whatever) to deepen and enrich your observation of the season.
On this first Sunday of Lent 2025, I want to point you to a short film made this year about the killing of 21 Christians by ISIS in 2014. Mostly told in beautiful and piercing animation in the style of Coptic icons, The 21 also makes judicious use of real footage shot by ISIS.
I know that sounds heavy. And it is. And this is what Lent is for. I guarantee that overarching the horror of this film’s story is a bright and flashing lightning of Christ’s mighty presence portrayed with a power I have never before seen animation capture. This 13-minute film was shared with me just a couple of days ago, but it already ranks as the best short film I have ever seen (2nd place: Behemoth: or the Game of God) and an exemplar of what cinema can do.
Please go to www.the21film.com to watch it for yourself, download study resources, and support the filmmakers.