10 Movies That Will Change Your Life
You haven't watched movies if you haven't watched these!
“It’s just a movie,” said no one, ever!
Whether you’re watching it at home or on the big screen, alone or with company, a well-made movie is known to incite many different emotions. Not only do you end up entering a make-believe world, you also end up buying all of its vagaries with ease, even starting to find parallels with your own life experiences.
But every few weeks (or months, even years) comes a movie so good, it completely changes your life. Alters your beliefs. Makes you rethink everything. The world as you knew it ceases to exist. It’s not just entertainment – it's so much more!
Basically, you’re no longer the same person after watching the movie. That’s the power of art. It’s meant to illicit a reaction. Evoke feelings and sensations. Reduces movies to nothing but a way to pass some time is doing gross injustice to what it is, and what it can be. The feeling of finishing a well-made film is next to nothing, and you’d be so unfair to your own self by not recognising it.
Life-Changing Movies
As a firm proponent of cinema as a tool for change, I’ve always been inspired by movies and strongly recommended others to do so too.
Forrest Gump
What’s essentially a love story of a (low IQ) man, is also a chronicle of a changing world around him. What powers Forrest through it all is his innocence and the ability to look at life as nothing but a bed of roses, or rather, a box of chocolates. How’s that for a sweet pursuit?
A Beautiful Mind
Based on the life of renowned mathematician John Nash, A Beautiful Mind is a remarkable tale of a man who overcomes his disorder, all while displaying incredible resilience. Struggles, trauma and the eventual breaking free – it's the ultimate story of winning over life’s unfair ordeals.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
You’ll find a million movies based on picture-perfect love stories but this isn’t such a movie. It’s about facing failure in love instead, before finding ‘success’ in it. Love isn’t meant to be a walk in the clouds and that’s what makes it real. Vulnerability is strength, after all.
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Dallas Buyers Club
What would you do when dealt with an unfair hand in life? If there’s one thing that Dallas Buyers Club teaches you is to not give up but get going instead. Ron Woodroof turns his HIV diagnosis into an opportunity to help others suffering, and that’s the one thing we could all aspire towards doing.
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Dead Poets Society
Like I was saying at the beginning of this piece, art is a tool for social change, and Dead Poets Society further elucidates that. A bunch of students learn to challenge status quo (as we all should) with the help of their poetry teacher, giving the term ‘poetic justice’ a whole new meaning.
Schindler’s List
Taking a leaf out of our horrid past, Schindler’s List tells the story of a German businessman who has a change of heart after witnessing upfront the atrocities being committed against the Jews during World War II. At a time when the world is going through many religious wars, this film is a potent reminder of the power of humanity.
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Udaan
The father-son dynamic isn’t always about tender love and care. Sometimes, it’s an unfortunate case of being abused (physically and emotional) by one’s own parent. Udaan is a masterclass in addressing such a complicated scenario and you can’t help but feel absolutely elated when Rohan finally breaks those metaphorical shackles and runs towards his new life.
Swades
Is loving your country only about screaming from the rooftops (or social media) or actually working towards bringing about change? When SRK’s Mohan comes back to India, he’s cynical about his own country. But fate has other plans, and he ends up working towards changing things, in what’s the real definition of patriotism.
Rang De Basanti
Speaking about changing things for your country, Rang De Basanti too makes the same point but with a certain passion and irreverence that’s hard to find. Yes, the ending is divisive but what’s not is the film’s pulsating energy that hits you like a thunderstorm, making you question why you aren’t doing enough to challenge the powers that be.
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The Lunchbox
Could you ever fall in love with someone you’ve never met or seen? In the hustle-bustle of Mumbai, amidst those crowds and cars, there buds a love story unlike anything else you’ve seen. Tender, simple and real. Exactly how love is supposed to feel. All exchanged through notes, passed along in a steel lunchbox.