Albert Brooks’ Defending Your Life (1991) is a rare spiritual comedy that sneaks up on you with its wisdom. The story follows Daniel Miller, an average man who dies in a car accident and finds himself in a kind of celestial weigh station known as Judgment City. There, he must literally “defend his life” in a courtroom-style trial—complete with a prosecutor, a defender, and video footage of his life—before a panel of judges determines whether he has conquered fear and is ready to “move forward.”
On the surface, it’s quirky and light-hearted, full of sharp dialogue and gentle satire. But beneath the humor lies a premise that aligns beautifully with one of the most central messages of A Course in Miracles: fear is the problem, and love is the answer.
ACIM teaches that the entire world is built upon fear—fear of loss, fear of failure, fear of death, fear of judgment—and that only by recognizing this can we begin to heal. In Defending Your Life, the soul’s progression is not measured by achievements or virtues, but by how much fear governed one’s choices. Did you take a chance on love? Did you pursue your passions? Did you stand up for yourself, or shrink from life? The deeper question beneath all of it is: did you trust, or did you hide?
Judgment City is, ironically, not a place of divine condemnation but self-confrontation. The judges do not scold; they observe. There’s no heaven or hell—just the next step in spiritual evolution or a return to “try again.” In this way, the film gently dissolves the harshness of traditional religious judgment and replaces it with a process that is deeply in line with ACIM’s idea of the Holy Spirit’s role: not to condemn, but to correct our misperceptions and gently guide us home.
One of the most touching arcs in the movie is Daniel’s relationship with Julia, a woman who seems to have lived with far less fear. She is vibrant, loving, and confident—everything Daniel wants to be. Their connection shows him what life could look like without fear, and it begins to soften his defenses. This is the Course’s concept of the holy relationship—where love is used not to bind or control, but to awaken.
There’s a beautiful irony in the film’s title. In ACIM, the ego is always trying to “defend” itself—against guilt, against God, against awakening. But every defense is ultimately an attack. The more we defend, the more we hide from the truth. The Course encourages us to lay down our defenses and let love lead. In the end, that’s what Daniel does—literally. He abandons the safe route, breaks free of the system, and runs toward love.
The climax of Defending Your Life is not dramatic by Hollywood standards—but spiritually, it is a moment of profound awakening. Daniel chooses love over fear. He decides to trust. And in that moment, he is free.
Defending Your Life offers a comforting and insightful vision of what happens after death, but more importantly, it reminds us what matters in life: the courage to love, to forgive, to try. ACIM would say that what we’re defending against is our own holiness, our own light. And when we stop defending, when we let go of fear, we remember who we truly are.
