Blue Like Jazz

Based on Donald Miller's bestselling memoir, Blue Like Jazz is that rare Christian film that acknowledges doubt as a valid part of the faith journey. Marshall Allman plays Don with a bemused vulnerability — a kid who grew up in church and is suddenly surrounded by people who think religion is a joke. Instead of doubling down or caving, he wrestles. The Reed College setting is captured with affection rather than mockery — these aren't cartoonish atheists, they're intelligent, creative people with legitimate reasons for their skepticism. The film's most powerful sequence involves a reverse confessional at the school's annual festival, where Christians apologize for the church's failures. It's a gutsy scene that will make some viewers cheer and others squirm. Steve Taylor directed with indie sensibility — the film looks and feels nothing like a typical faith film, which is entirely the point. Tania Raymonde provides a strong female lead who challenges Don without being a love interest stereotype. Not for viewers who want their faith affirmed without question, but essential for anyone who's ever struggled to believe.