Resurrection

Resurrection

Year: 1980

Runtime: 103 mins

Language: English

Director: Daniel Petrie

DramaFantasy

After surviving a car crash that kills her husband, a woman discovers she can mysteriously heal others. Her newfound ability turns her into an unexpected public figure, offering hope to the desperate while provoking intense debate between believers and skeptics.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – Resurrection (1980)

Explore the full timeline and setting of Resurrection (1980). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Kansas, Last Chance Gas, California

Edna returns to her small hometown in Kansas, reuniting with family and the familiar Midwestern landscape. The local community gathers at places like Esco's Last Chance Gas, a roadside stop that becomes a touchpoint for Edna's growing powers. Portions of the story later move to California for tests, highlighting the tension between ordinary life and extraordinary gifts.

🏡 Small Town 💫 Healing 🕊️ Faith

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:42

Main Characters – Resurrection (1980)

Meet the key characters of Resurrection (1980), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Edna (Ellen Burstyn)

A woman who survives a fatal crash and awakens with a mysterious ability to heal others. Her power gradually stabilizes and becomes a focal point for hope, skepticism, and personal growth as she reconciles grief with a sense of purpose.

🩺 Healer ✨ Mystery 💫 Power

Esco Brown (Richard Farnsworth)

The warm, quirky owner of Last Chance Gas who becomes a grounding presence for Edna. He offers practical support while also serving as a custodian of the town’s secrets, helping Edna navigate fame and fear.

🤝 Neighbor 🛠️ Supportive 🗺️ Quirky

Cal Carpenter (Sam Shepard)

A local farmer whose devotion to Edna borders on obsession. He interprets her healing as a sign of God’s will, creating tension between love and control and driving him toward instability.

💞 Love 💥 Obsession 🧭 Faith

Grandma Pearl (Eva Le Gallienne)

A wise elder whose stories of near-death visions inspire Edna to interpret her gift as part of a larger fate. She provides historical context for the healing phenomena and grounds the tale in family memory.

👵 Wisdom 🕊️ Spirituality

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:42

Major Themes – Resurrection (1980)

Explore the central themes of Resurrection (1980), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

✨ Healing Power

Edna's out-of-body experience awakens a healing ability that touches neighbors and strangers alike. The power is both a blessing and a burden, drawing crowds and scrutiny, while reshaping how she sees herself after her husband's death. The film explores the responsibilities that come with extraordinary gifts and the way communities respond to miraculous claims.

🙏 Faith vs Skepticism

Esco, Cal, and the town wrestle with what Edna's abilities mean for faith, science, and personal belief. Psychologists witness healings and seek to test her, raising questions about the legitimacy of miracles. Cal's insistence that Edna is a divine sign drives conflict, testing love against dogma. The story probes how belief can both inspire hope and provoke fear.

🌾 Small Town Life

The Kansas hometown frames Edna's return as a public phenomenon, with neighbors watching her every move. The setting emphasizes close-knit bonds, gossip, and a sense of shared history that makes her powers both exciting and threatening. The community's reception evolves as her abilities become more accepted, yet never fully understood.

🧭 Self-Discovery

Edna uses her gifts to repair her own grieving process and to walk again, discovering inner resilience and a new sense of purpose. The journey shifts from being about healing others to finding her own identity beyond tragedy. The arc culminates in a mature understanding of love, responsibility, and the cost of miracles.

Last Updated: October 04, 2025 at 12:42

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Explore Movie Threads

Discover curated groups of movies connected by mood, themes, and story style. Browse collections built around emotion, atmosphere, and narrative focus to easily find films that match what you feel like watching right now.

Uplifting Spiritual Journeys like in Resurrection

Stories where faith, healing, and discovery lead to quiet hope and transformation.Explore movies like Resurrection that focus on spiritual discovery and healing. These similar stories often feature characters finding hope and purpose through faith or mysterious gifts, offering a contemplative and uplifting vibe.

upliftingmysticalheartfeltserenecontemplativehopefultouching

Narrative Summary

These narratives typically begin with a personal crisis or loss, leading to the discovery of a spiritual ability or a deeper purpose. The journey involves overcoming skepticism, grappling with the responsibility of the gift, and ultimately using it to bring hope and healing to others, culminating in a reaffirmation of faith and connection.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on spiritual themes, a hopeful tone amidst serious subject matter, and the central journey of a character finding meaning through a transformative gift or experience. The pacing is often steady, allowing for reflection on the emotional and philosophical questions raised.

Movies about Miracles and Mundane Lives like Resurrection

Ordinary people faced with extraordinary events that challenge their reality.If you liked Resurrection, discover other films where miraculous events touch ordinary lives. These movies explore the tension between faith and skepticism, often set in small towns, creating a heartfelt and questioning mood.

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Narrative Summary

The narrative pattern involves an unforeseen, miraculous event—a healing, a vision, a mysterious occurrence—that disrupts the protagonist's normal life. This forces them to navigate newfound attention, public debate, and personal doubt, while exploring the impact of the extraordinary on their relationships and community.

Why These Movies?

This thread connects movies based on the central conflict between the miraculous and the mundane, the clash of belief systems, and the exploration of how ordinary people cope with extraordinary circumstances. They share a medium emotional weight and a steady pacing that allows for both personal drama and philosophical questioning.

Unlock the Full Story of Resurrection

Don't stop at just watching — explore Resurrection in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what Resurrection is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

Resurrection Summary

Read a complete plot summary of Resurrection, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

Resurrection Summary

Resurrection Timeline

Track the full timeline of Resurrection with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

Resurrection Timeline

Resurrection Spoiler-Free Summary

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Resurrection Spoiler-Free Summary

More About Resurrection

Visit What's After the Movie to explore more about Resurrection: box office results, cast and crew info, production details, post-credit scenes, and external links — all in one place for movie fans and researchers.

More About Resurrection

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