The Movies That Enhanced My Understanding of Life
13 movies that may change your perception of life
Watching a good movie is a lifetime investment. I can recall the nights I spent watching movies during my university years. One of my friends was a movie freak, and he knew my choices. He was always there to recommend some good movies.
I was never a fan of so-called action or comedy movies. Instead, I was a fan of good storytelling (I still am) and brilliant acting. I prefer good acting to so-called heroism.
I watch and rewatch movies that make me think or leave an impact on my mind. There are tons of movies that can enhance your understanding of life and gives you hope and optimism when you feel low.
In this post, I will mention some of my favorite movies that I love repeating. I hope you will have an enlightening experience watching them.
Charlie
“When we crash into other's life and when we give some surprises, I see glow in their eyes. I just continue to live my life on that fun and thrill.”
An adventurous girl Tessa runs away from home to avoid getting married. She rents a room in a distant city and decides to learn music. But in that weird room, she finds a sketchbook of the previous dweller that reveals a compelling yet incomplete story.
Driven by curiosity, Tessa starts an eventful journey to find the rest of the story and the interesting person who wrote it.
I watched this Malayalam masterpiece numerous times. It’s not just a movie, it’s a philosophy of life. It tells you to connect your life with others and leave an impact on them.
Director: Martin Prakkat Story: Unni R. Casts: Dulquer Salmaan, Parvathy, Aparna Gopinath, Nedumudi Venu, Soubin Shahir Release date: 24 December 2015 Running time: 129 minutes Trailer: Link
Of Mice And Men
“- Slim: You travel around together? - George Milton: Yeah. - Slim: There ain’t many guys travel around together. I don’t know why. Maybe everybody in the whole damn world’s scared of each other.”
This American period drama film is made on John Steinbeck’s 1937 novella of the same name. It’s about two farm workers — George and the intellectually disabled, huge yet childlike Lennie and their dream of having their own land.
This movie was a pure shock to my mind as it depicted discrimination and loneliness in the most beautiful way possible.
John Malkovich did a tremendous job in representing the innocence of Lennie. Oh, I just loved this tale of dream and discrimination.
Director: Gary Sinise Story: John Steinbeck Casts: John Malkovich, Gary Sinise, Casey Siemaszko Release date: October 2, 1992 Running time: 111 minutes Trailer: Link
Machine Gun Preacher
“Got off your butt, stop your crying, and build it again.”
Sometimes, real life is stranger than fiction. After watching this movie, I felt that some people come into this world with a huge heart filled with love and care for humanity.
A former biker, Sam, decides to go to East Africa in the middle of a civil war going on there. He wants to rebuild the destroyed homes and save people’s life. All aide workers and agencies warn him not to go in that dangerous war field controlled by the brutal militia. But Sam listens to his heart and starts his breathtaking journey to help others.
This type of movie makes me question my own contribution to humanity. I think after watching this movie, you will feel the same. It will change the way you see things, and most importantly, this movie will help you come out of your own self-interest and do something for others.
Director: Marc Forster Story: Based on Another Man’s War by Sam Childers Casts: Gerard Butler, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Shannon Release date: September 11, 2011 Running time: 129 minutes Trailer: Link
Saving Private Ryan
“I just know that every man I kill the farther away from home I feel.”
If you want to watch just one movie based on World War II, I recommend you this masterpiece from Steven Spielberg. The way it represents the distress, destruction, and loss that happened in WWII is unlike any other. It’s one of the best anti-war movies I have ever seen.
The story goes like this — Captain John Miller leaves all his men behind enemy lines to find Private James Ryan. The sad reality is all the three brothers of him have already been killed in combat within a short time. So, knowing this, Marshall ordered Ryan to be found and brought back home. And Captain John Miller is ready to do everything to find and bring Private Ryan back home.
It’s an extraordinary movie that everyone must watch to understand what life seems like in a war and how futile this human existence is with all its hope, glory, love, distress, and fear.
Director: Steven Spielberg Story: Robert Rodat Casts: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore Release date: July 24, 1998 Running time: 169 minutes Trailer: Link
Zorba The Greek
“You have everything but one thing: madness. A man needs a little madness or else — he never dares cut the rope and be free.”
This gem shows you how to live your life without weighing it down with expectations and disappointments. It tells you to be present at the moment and enjoy it to the fullest.
While traveling to see an abandoned mine he owns from his father in Crete, Basil, an author with so many books, meets Zorba, an older man with a happy face, always laughing and doing what his mind wants.
Along the way, the two become friends. And with so many events, slowly but surely, Zorba changes Basil’s understanding of life and happiness. He teaches Basil how to enjoy life even when everything goes in the wrong direction.
Oh, this lovely movie will be with you till your last days. It will give you a better understanding of life. And you will start dancing at the end with Basil and Zorba.
Director: Michael Cacoyannis Story: Based on Zorba the Greek by Nikos Kazantzakis Casts: Anthony Quinn, Alan Bates, Irene Papas, Lila Kedrova, Sotiris Moustakas Release date: 14 December 1964 Running time: 142 minutes Trailer: Link
The Pianist
“If I’m going to die, I prefer to die in my own home.”
This movie is based on an autobiography of a Polish Jewish radio station pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman titled “The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939–1945.”
At the beginning of World War II, Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto with his family with no food and shelter. Later, during Operation Reinhard, he gets separated from his family. Then he hides in different places and continues his struggle to save his life among the ruins of Warsaw.
You will fall into tears, watching the pianist’s struggle to save his life. The movie brilliantly portrays the tension, fear, depression, emptiness, death, and cruelty of World War II.
Director: Roman Polanski Story: Based on The Pianist by Władysław Szpilman Casts: Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Frank Finlay, Maureen Lipman, Emilia Fox, Ed Stoppard, Julia Rayner, Jessica Kate Meyer Release date: 24 May 2002 Running time: 150 minutes Trailer: Link
The Pursuit Of Happyness
“Can I say something? Um, I’m the type of person that if you ask me a question and I don’t know the answer, I’m gonna tell you that I don’t know. But I bet you what, I know how to find the answer and I will find the answer.”
If you are struggling in life and everything is falling apart, this movie is for you. It will tell you that happiness comes when you don’t give up and try your best even in the worst situations. This film is based on a true struggle of a single father, Chris Gardner.
Chris and his young son have no place to sleep as Chris’s X-ray machine selling business goes futile, and they get evicted from their apartment.
With much struggle, Chris manages to get an unpaid internship at a prestigious brokerage firm. Only one person will get the job at that brokerage firm from all of the interns. So, Chris keeps trying and trying and trying… and he is not going to give up. He will try his level best to better his condition to secure his son’s future.
It’s an incredible true story of Chris Gardner who later became a successful stockbroker and eventually founded his own brokerage firm Gardner Rich & Co in 1987. He is now a 67-year old wealthy businessman and motivational speaker.
Director: Gabriele Muccino Story: Based on The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner, Quincy Troupe Casts: Will Smith, Thandiwe Newton, Jaden Smith Release date: December 15, 2006 Running time: 117 minutes Trailer: Link
The Shawshank Redemption
“Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
This movie is a slow killer. You will hardly realize when you get engaged with the story, and it takes you through an entirely different world. You will know about how life goes on in prisons full of convicted criminals.
Andy Dufrense, a banker, is sentenced to two consecutive life terms as he proved to be guilty (though Andy claims he is innocent) of murdering his wife and her lover. He is sent to Shawshank State Prison. There Andy meets Red, another convicted murderer.
Red secretly supplies stuff to the inmates. From him, Andy gets a tiny rock hammer and a poster of Rita Hayworth. And he dreams of escaping the prison one day. This hope keeps Andy busy until the day he finally escapes from the Shawshank prison 19 years later.
It’s an incredible movie that will teach you positivity, optimism, and the power of hope. It’s a true masterpiece nobody should miss.
Director: Frank Darabont Story: Based on Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King Casts: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler, Clancy Brown, Gil Bellows, James Whitmore Release date: September 10, 1994 Running time: 142 minutes Trailer: Link
The Truman Show
“- Truman Burbank: Who are you? - Christof: I am the creator, of a televisionshow that gives hope and joy and inspiration to millions. - Truman Burbank: Then who am I? - Christof: You’re the star.”
What if your life were a live show for others, but you don’t know it? The Truman Show is all about this question. The question of identity, the question of the creator and the creation.
Truman lives on a massive TV set without realizing it. Everything he does is on the constant telecast. Thousands of people are watching every second of his life. He thinks he takes his own decisions, But in reality, he doesn’t. All things are pre-determined by the show creator Christof.
Christof does what he wants. He even tries to control Truman’s mind, removing his true love Sylvia replacing her with Meryl. But eventually, Truman starts to understand that something is wrong in his life. So, he tries to discover the truth and his true self.
It’s a fascinating film that questions the things we generally take for granted. The films encourage us to search for our own identity and truth.
Director: Peter Weir Story: Andrew Niccol Casts: Jim Carrey, Laura Linney, Noah Emmerich, Natascha McElhone, Holland Taylor, Ed Harris Release date: June 1, 1998 Running time: 103 minutes Trailer: Link
Life Is Beautiful
“What kind of place is this? It’s beautiful: Pigeons fly, women fall from the sky! I’m moving here!”
It is an Italian masterpiece that is humorous and, at the same time, heartbreaking. When the movie ends, your heart gets inundated with tenderness and a feeling of relief.
Guido Orefice, a Jewish-Italian waiter, falls in love with Dora, a sweet schoolteacher, and eventually, they get married. Their life gets more meaningful and content when they have their son Giosue.
But life hits hard when World War II starts. The war tears everything apart as Guido and his son Giosue find themselves in a concentration camp separated from Dora. How will Guido’s son be saved in this horror?
Guido somehow convinces his young son that their time in the camp is just a game, and they must play well to win. To know whether Guido’s technique goes well or not, you must watch this incredibly touchy and moving film till the end.
I can guarantee that after watching the film, you tell yourself- life, indeed, is beautiful.
Director: Roberto Benigni Story: Roberto Benigni & Vincenzo Cerami Casts: Roberto Benigni, Nicoletta Braschi Release date: 20 December 1997 Running time: 116 minutes Trailer: Link
Her
“Sometimes I think I’ve felt everything I’m ever going to feel. And from here on out, I’m not going to feel anything new, just lesser versions of what I’ve already felt.”
This movie is the future of us. I mean, the way we are distancing ourselves from face-to-face connections, feelings, and relationships, we have no better future ahead.
Theodore, a sensitive man left heartbroken after separation, earns his living by writing personal letters for other people. He lives in a highly tech-driven world where recently a unique operating system is released.
Being fascinated, he buys it and starts the program right away. Thus Theodore meets Samantha, a playful virtual voice with whom he eventually falls in love. He forgets that it’s just a program and has no physical existence.
This film is unlike any sci-fi film. It explores human loneliness with the advancement of technology. Will technology replace human relationships? To know in more depth, you must watch this unparallel movie.
Director: Spike Jonze Story: Spike Jonze Casts: Joaquin Phoenix, Amy Adams, Rooney Mara, Olivia Wilde, Scarlett Johansson Release date: October 12, 2013 Running time: 126 minutes Trailer: Link
Cast Away
“I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?”
The punctual FedEx executive Chuck Noland survives a plane crash on his way to an assignment to Malaysia. He is now on a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean. Being the lone survivor, he doesn’t know what to do next.
The primitive fight begins against hunger in no time. What will Chuck do now? Will he survive and somehow manage to go back to his home where his wife is waiting for her?
Days after days pass with no progress. Several failed attempts and all, Chuck and his only mate, a volleyball, leave the island towards the unknown. Will Chuck die in the sea or gets eaten by sharks?
Director: Robert Zemeckis Story: William Broyles Jr. Casts: Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy Release date: December 22, 2000 Running time: 144 minutes Trailer: Link
It’s a Wonderful Life
“Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends.”
What will happen if you were never born into this world? Does that matter? This movie will make you think about this question. You, many a time, feel depressed failing to accomplish your dreams and all. But is life meant to achieve your goals and ambitions?
It’s Christmas, and George Bailey has inundated himself with problems. He has no clue how to solve those. So, George decides to commit suicide.
When he is about to jump off the bridge, a miracle happens. A guardian angel rescues him and gives him a rare opportunity to see the world without him.
What does George experience seeing the world without his existence? Why is he shouting with joy, saying Happy Christmas! to everyone?
Director: Frank Capra Story: Based on The Greatest Gift by Philip Van Doren Stern Casts: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore, Thomas Mitchell, Henry Travers, Beulah Bondi Release date: December 20, 1946 Running time: 131 minutes Trailer: Link
Honorable mentions: Invictus, Megamind, 12 Years a Slave, Life of Pi, Bridge to Terabithia, Up, The Green mile, Golpo Holeo Sotti, Jibon Theke Neya, K.D., I Am Sam, A Beautiful Mind, Artificial Intelligence, Casablanca, Forest Gump, Into the Wild, The Bucket List, The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, The Ottoman Lieutenant, Adaptation, Kumbalangi Nights.
Happy watching!
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