Cate Blanchett Just Gave Us Six Film Recommendations For Lockdown So That's What I'll Be Doing This Weekend

    Films of Hope to help us all through these uncertain times.

    Ayla Smith
    by Ayla Smith

    BuzzFeed Staff

    Cate Blanchett, noted Australian actor, director and UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador, has just released a watchlist of six "Films of Hope" to inspire movie lovers during lockdown.

    IMDb

    The films are all centered around themes of "human resilience, isolation, and what it means to have hope and a home."

    Blanchett filmed a video at home for IMDb, explaining that the films have helped her reconnect with a sense of resilience and kindness, and with the experiences of others.

    She hopes the films will inspire us all to do the same. Here they are.

    1. Capernaum (2018)

    Mooz Films

    Directed by Nadine Labaki, this film follows Zain, a courageous 12 year-old boy in Lebanon who flees his neglectful parents and sues them for the crime of bringing him into the world.

    Watch the trailer here.

    2. Shoplifters (2018)

    Magnolia Pictures

    A Japanese drama about a family, resorting to petty crimes to stay out of poverty, who rescue a little girl from the freezing cold and welcome her into their home. Written, directed and edited by Hirokazu Koreeda.

    Watch the trailer here.

    3. News From Home (1977)

    Institut National de l'Audiovisuel (INA)

    A documentary in which filmmaker Chantal Akerman reads letters from her mother back home in Belgium, over filmed images of New York City, where she has relocated.

    Learn more here.

    4. The Other Side of Hope (2017)

    Curzon Artificial Eye

    A heartfelt comedy from Aki Kaurismäki about the friendship between a Syrian asylum-seeker, recently arrived in Finland, and a traveling salesman who has just won big at poker and opened his own restaurant.

    Watch the trailer here.

    5. Babel (2006)

    Paramount Pictures

    Directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and featuring Cate Blanchett herself. Babel's four interlocking storylines about the complex lives of different people around the world ultimately remind us that we're more connected than we think we are.

    Watch the trailer here.

    6. The Joy Luck Club (1993)

    Buena Vista Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

    Based on the novel of the same name by Amy Tan and directed by Wayne Wang, The Joy Luck Club follows four Chinese-American women and their immigrant mothers as they explore the stories of their past.

    Watch the trailer here.

    Aside from recommending six hopeful films for us, Blanchett also asked that we consider donating to the work of UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, who are training health care workers around the world, and providing critical supplies to help curb the spread of the coronavirus among vulnerable refugee populations.

    To donate to UNHCR’s COVID-19 response appeal go to www.unhcr.org/covid