5 Movies Guaranteed To Give You A New Perspective
A list of movies that I believe will leave you questioning your entire existence. Warning: there are spoilers in these explanations, so if you don't want to to have the movies ruined, skip to the next movie!
1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
This film, based on the novel of the same name by Stephen Chobsky, is The Breakfast Club for millennials. The story follows Charlie, a high school freshman, as he tries to cope with the struggles of being in a new school. Charlie meets two people, Sam and Patrick, who very quickly become his best friends. Patrick is openly gay, and dating the school's star football player. Sam has an exquisite taste in music, and happily shares it with Charlie. The three become inseparable.
It is discovered later that Charlie suffers from anxiety and depression, Sam has had a long list of men using her, and after keeping his relationship a secret, Patrick watched his boyfriend be beaten by his own father. The characters in this movie may seem atypical to some, but somehow we can all relate with the atrocities faced by the main characters. No matter how we were raised, we all dealt with the horrors of growing up and being in high school.
The universality of this movie is what is so poignant for today's generation. It's all about fitting in, and finding where you belong and who you are as an individual.
Much like The Breakfast Club, this film shows us just how different people are. Although it may seem like Charlie is simply a meek (and fucking adorable) guy, he actually has many demons he is fighting (his favorite aunt molested him, causing his mental illness) which prohibit him from being his full self. Although it seems like Sam is happy with her life, she is actually battling intense self-esteem issues and questioning her self-worth. Patrick, as colorful and flamboyant as he is, believes he is never going to find love or achieve true happiness.
These are all things that people go through at this age, and it is something we often forget once we get older. We forget the demons that other people have stashed away in their past, and we only focus on the parts of people that we can observe with our own two eyes.
This movie reminds us that we all struggle, and with a little love and support, we can all finally get to a place that makes us happy, and makes us feel truly infinite.
2. Titanic
Has anyone not seen this movie? For those of you that haven't, you're seriously lacking in the pop culture department.
Here's a basic rundown: poor guy, Jack Dawson, wins a ticket on the grandest ship in the world, the Titanic. While on the ship, he meets a wealthy girl, Rose DeWitt Bukater and they fall in love against all odds. This was not good for Rose because she was already engaged to a wealthy man, Cal Hockley. The ship hits an iceberg, and Rose and Jack decide to say "Screw it!" to what society wants them to do, and they decide they are going to get married once the ship docks/they survive the ship sinking. Surprise! Jack dies, and Rose then goes on to live her life.
Not only is this an amazing love story, it is a great depiction of the strength humans have. Some people see this movie as simply a cliche love story, but if you really watch it (I've seen it over 100 times, so I really know), you see the how far people are willing to go to be happy. Rose is willing to give up everything to be with Jack, regardless of how hard it might make her life in the future.
At one point, it seems as though Rose is about to give up and let herself die in the freezing water, but she remembers a promise she made to Jack, and she finds the strength to survive and fight for the life that he no longer gets to enjoy with her. This film teaches us to never give up on what we want, no matter how horrific the odds may seem.
This film shows us that as human beings, we always have the power to overcome obstacles, no matter how stacked against us they may be. If Rose can survive the sinking of a ship, lose the love of her life, and still go on to be a successful actress, mother, and wife, then we as ordinary human beings can accomplish anything we set our minds to as well. Yes, I understand it's a movie, but the movie is somewhat based in reality, so who's to say this story isn't primarily true?
3. Under the Tuscan Sun
This is one of the lesser-known movies on this list. I know so many people who haven't seen this movie, but it's honestly one of my favorites.
This film follows Frances (played by the amazingly talented and beautiful Diane Lane), who is a writer and has just recently gone through a divorce. She wallows for a long time, until her lesbian best friend Patti (Sandra Oh!), offers her a ticket to tour Tuscany, Italy. Reluctantly, Frances takes the trip. While on this trip, she realizes that she will never be able to move on from her ex-husband until she begins a new life. Out of the blue, she buys her own villa in Tuscany, an ancient house in a country she has never been to before. Along the way, she makes friends, finds a man she loves, and finds herself at home her new house. Her best friend gets broken up with, and newly pregnant, shows up at the villa. Patti has her baby in Tuscany, and decides to stay with Frances. At the end, Frances is so happy with her new life and realizes this villa in Tuscany is everything she ever wanted and needed to find happiness again.
This movie, as goofy and corny as it may be at times, shows us that sometimes, we have to let go of the past and simply seek a new life for ourselves. This new life will not always be easy, and will inevitably be incredibly scary, but in the long run, it will help us find our happiness again.
Now, it doesn't always take drastic changes like moving to a villa in Tuscany to help us find happiness, but the basic idea is that change is good, and if we embrace change, change will embrace us in return.
4. The Holiday
This movie is seriously the greatest. Though it takes place around Christmas, this movie is still great in the dead of summer.
This movie is about Iris, who recently found out the man she's in love with is engaged to another woman, and Amanda, who just found out her boyfriend has been cheating on her. The two of them decide to participate in a home exchange for the holiday, in order to escape their awful lives. Iris, who lives in England, goes to Amanda's home in Los Angeles, and vice versa. While in their respective homes, Iris meets Miles, who is a friend of Amanda's, and they hit it off. Amanda, not so content with Iris' small English cottage, meets Iris' brother Graham, and they engage in a one-night stand. Complications arise when we learn that Miles has a girlfriend, and Graham has two daughters. Amanda decides that, for the sake of Graham's daughters, it would be easier if they stopped seeing each other. Eventually, they realize they love each other, and are willing to take a change on a long distance relationship. Jasper, Iris' unrequited lover shows up in LA, and attempts to woo her, even though he is still engaged. Iris, uncomfortable with being treated like a doormat, tells him to leave and completely rids herself of her feelings for him. Miles and his girlfriend break up when he learns she has been cheating on him. This gives Miles an opportunity to ask Iris on a date. At the end, the four main characters are seen at a New Year's Eve party in England, and they all have a wonderful time being merry together.
The most poignant part of this movie for me is when Iris finally rids herself of her unrequited lover. She says she finally has something resembling gumption, which is empowering to all of us who have felt unrequited love.
Much like other movie of its kind, The Holiday shows us that anything is possible, as long as you are willing to let go of whatever is holding you back. It shows us that you should always pursue what makes you happy, no matter how unlikely and difficult it may seem. In the end, it will be worth it.
5. We Bought a Zoo
This movie is wonderful, and based on a real story! I'm not a huge fan of Matt Damon, but it's still great.
This film is about a family who has recently lost their mother, and so they have decided to move in order to move on and begin their new life. It just so happens that the house they buy has a zoo attached to it. The zoo is very run down and so, Benjamin (Matt Damon) decided to pour his money into making the zoo great again. He eventually runs himself into debt, and there are problems on top of problems, including discourse between Ben and his teenage son Dylan. With the help of the zoo staff, the zoo gets back on its feet and becomes wildly popular. The Mee family builds relationships with the workers and the animals alike, and everything ends up well and they are able to begin their new life, while still keeping the memory of their mother alive.
This movie brings me to tears every time. This movie fills audiences with immense hope. It shows us that no matter how hopeless the future may seem, as long as you accept the love and support of others, you will be able to find a better tomorrow.
This family suffered an unimaginable loss, and they managed to find something that gave them all a sense of purpose again. The best part is that this is all based on a real family, which makes the message even more potent, because these are events that happened to an actual family. That means you can also overcome anything life throws at you.
And on top of all of that, the little girl, Rosie, is adorable and it will make you excited to hopefully have a kid who's half as cute as she is.
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