A QUIET PASSION
An intimate portrait of Emily Dickinson, rich in faith, poetry, and quiet conviction.
Should You Watch It?
A Quiet Passion is a beautiful, compelling appreciation of Emily Dickinson and her poetry. Cynthia Nixon gives an excellent performance, and the film uses voiceovers of Dickinson’s poems to draw viewers into her work. Its strong Christian, moral worldview presents prayer, church, the Bible, and faith in God as sources of strength.
The tradeoff is its pace. Intricate language, long takes, and a style that sometimes feels more like a biographical documentary than a drama may hold an adult viewer’s attention more readily than a child’s. The film also includes disturbing images of women suffering from illness, along with several obscenities and profanities.
If you are choosing for a teenager or adult who appreciates thoughtful biography and poetry, this is worth seeing; use discernment with younger children.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESThe film follows Emily Dickinson from her schoolgirl years in New England through adulthood as an unmarried writer. Emily resists society’s pressure to marry and devotes herself to writing poetry, even when publication proves difficult.
Along the way, she navigates family relationships, friendship, faith, social expectations, and the question of whether her poems will be recognized for their artistic beauty.
Is It Any Good?
Three stars means this is a strong, worthwhile film with some limitations. It is beautifully produced and compelling, with an excellent performance by Cynthia Nixon as Emily Dickinson.
The film makes memorable use of Dickinson’s poetry through voiceovers. However, its intricate language and long takes slow the experience, and it sometimes feels more like a biographical documentary than a drama. Those drawn to poetry and character-centered biography may find more reward here than viewers looking for brisk storytelling.
The Worldview
A Quiet Passion presents a strong Christian, moral worldview. Emily believes in the Lord, finds support in church sermons, prays for strength, and continues writing even when her work is not being published. The film portrays her writing as a gift from God and encourages viewers to follow God’s calling, even when the results are not immediately visible.
It also emphasizes love, faithfulness, family, friendship, and honoring one’s parents. Emily’s commitment to her family and her devotion to writing are treated as meaningful virtues. The film’s positive references to Jesus Christ in some of Dickinson’s poems are especially notable, given that some scholars speculate extensively about her psychology, personal life, and philosophy while overlooking those references.
The film connects faithfulness with trusting God’s purposes, even when a person cannot see the fruit of faithful labor. Scripture similarly teaches, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand” (Ephesians 2:10).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian, biblical, moral worldview about the poet Emily Dickinson, who prays to God, attributes her faith as her means of strength to continue writing even when others tell her to stop, and refers to God, church and the Bible as sources for hope and salvation, plus teachers ask students repeatedly about their faith and encourage them to choose God so they will be saved, movie implies biblical moral virtues of love, faithfulness and honoring ones parents, Emily chooses to live at home and care for her parents in their old age, Emily loves her family and friends and delights in their good qualities in her poems, Emily is faithful to God’s calling for to write even when those around her advise her to marry instead; three obscenities and two profanities; older woman sweats profusely and collapses from a stroke, woman’s body shakes violently from a kidney failure; married woman commits adultery with another man, and Emily finds the woman kissing her brother on the couch, and man and woman kiss on their wedding day; no nudity; light alcohol usage includes aunt sips a small glass of wine with her family; no smoking or drug use; and, miscellaneous problems include greed, racism, and dysfunctional family portrayals.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Emily continues writing even when others do not recognize her work. How can faithfulness matter when you cannot yet see the results?
Galatians 6:9 · Hebrews 11:1Emily believes she is called to write. How can you distinguish a genuine calling from personal ambition?
Ephesians 2:10 · James 3:13The film portrays family love, care for aging parents, and friendship. What do these responsibilities look like in your family?
1 Timothy 5:4 · Romans 12:10Emily finds strength in prayer, church, and the Bible. Where do you turn when you feel discouraged?
Psalm 46:1 · Philippians 4:6–7The Final Word
A Quiet Passion is a beautiful, thoughtful portrait of a gifted writer whose faith helps sustain her calling. Its slow pace and disturbing illness scenes make discernment wise for younger children, but teenagers and adults interested in poetry and Christian themes should find it worthwhile. WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
