There's nothing better than sitting in a movie theater or in front of the TV to watch an inspiring movie.
It may be that kind of film that pulls out an easy laugh, some tears, but somehow makes you think and learn something. So, add these 25 movies next to your list of favorites.
1. Love Rosie
The film "Love, Rosie" is so much more than a romantic comedy to watch mindlessly. Behind Rosie's (Lily Collins) and Alex's (Sam Claflin) stories, there are some positive lessons that make the film a must-watch title for anyone who loves the genre.
The best in life is not planned
Rosie's life is not easy at all. Planning to go to college in Boston, the girl is surprised with an unexpected pregnancy that keeps her from going with her best friend Alex. Soon, Rosie becomes Katie's mother and has to deal with the challenges of motherhood. At times we may think that if something hasn't happened yet, maybe it won't happen anymore, but everything in life happens at the right time.
Whatever will be, will be
Rosie and Alex's paths don't cross during the movie, but when we're almost out of hope, they decide to get together. Nothing that Rosie and Alex went through was by chance. Every disappointment is a lesson, and as much as they didn't understand it when it happened, the difficult events prepared them for the incredible path ahead of them. Fate puts us exactly where we should be.
Good friendships make us invincible
More than colleagues, Rosie and Ruby built a solid partnership, where they support and encourage each other. If it were not for Ruby, Rosie wouldn't have believed in her potential to open her own hotel. In a world where a lot of people only worry about themselves, friendship (and love) always wins in the end.
2. The Help
For those who like movies with strong female characters, this one is a must. It tells the story of black maids in the United States during the fight for civil rights.
More than a film about North American history, the film portrays the time more intimately, showing what these women's lives were like. The film brings a reflection on arrogance, oppression, superiority, and racism.
3. Okja
The film shows the friendship between a 14-year-old South Korean girl, Mika (Ahn Seo-hyun) and her super pig Okja. She and the animal live a quiet life in the Korean mountains until Dr. Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal) following orders from executive Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) takes Okja, who is a pig genetically modified by her company, to the slaughterhouse.
When they take away Mika's only friend, she decides to live the adventure of her life and go to New York to try to rescue her pig from the hands of Lucy Mirando. On the way, she will come across the Animal Liberation Front, led by Jay (Paul Dano) and K (Steven Yeun), who decides to help her with her mission.
However, the film is a reflection of the relationship between man and nature. It's not about not eating meat, it's about taking a critical look at how the food industry works.
4. Selma
It is a biographic film about Martin Luther King, Jr (David Oyelowo), and it follows his historic marches and pacifist protests in 1965, from Selma, in the interior of Alabama, to the state capital, Montgomery, in search for equal electoral rights for the African American community.
More than a portrait of a movement, Selma is a hero's movie. It also shows some of the issues King faced in the 1960s, which are still very relevant and make us think.
5. Against The Sun
In one of the most real stories of World War II, three U.S. Navy pilots crash their planes in the South Pacific. In a lifeboat, in the middle of the open sea, they run out of food and water and have no hope of being rescued. Traveling more than 1,000 miles, they face storms, sharks, hunger and coexistence.
6. Dead Poets Society
Starring Robin Williams, the drama tells the inspiring story of a literature professor who tries to open his students' minds in a strict school full of conservative rules. The film conveys the positive message that living the moment without suffering from the past or the future is the best way to live.
7. Life Is Beautiful
During World War II, in Italy, the Jewish man Guido (Roberto Benigni) and his son Giosué are taken to a Nazi concentration camp. Away from his wife, he has to use his imagination to make the boy believe they are participating in a great joke, to protect him from the terror and violence that surrounds them. This masterpiece has won three Academy Awards, including Best Actor for Roberto Benigni.
8. Coach Carter
Owner of a sporting goods store, Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), accepts to be the basketball coach in his old school, located in a poor area of the city. To everyone's surprise, he makes the students sign a contract with strict rules, including respectful behavior, proper dress code and good grades in all school subjects.
9. Good Will Hunting
The movie is about a 20-year-old with a great talent for science, but who is also a rebellious and full of past grudges and frustrations. He begins to be recognized when he solves a math problem no one had solved before. The film reflects on our fears, insecurities and how we deal with our past.
10. Room
Joy (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) live isolated in one room. The only contact they both have with the outside world is the periodic visit of Old Nick (Sean Bridgers), who keeps them in captivity.
Jack doesn't mind being captive because he has nothing to compare it to. Once he has, he looks at his experience with different eyes. This process occurs in real life when we open our minds to new ideas and experiences that transform us.
11. The Man Who Knew Infinity
In 1913, Ramanujan, a self-taught mathematics genius from India travels to Trinity College at Cambridge University, where he approaches his mentor, the eccentric professor GH Hardy, and struggles to show the world everything he knows. The film is about not giving up and pursuing your goals.
12. The Danish Girl
The film is starred by Eddie Redmayne as Lili Elbe, one of the first transsexuals to undergo sexual reassignment surgery, and Alicia Vikander as Gerda Wegener, who was his wife and became a friend. And what does her story have to do with us? Everything! How many times do we live a life that is not ours because we are ashamed of who we really are? It's worth the thought!
13. Cinderella Man
Jim Braddock (Russell Crowe) was a boxing champion but was forced to retire due to a series of defeats in the ring. To survive, Jim accepts to do manual labor to support his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), and children. He gets a chance to return to the world of boxing and has to face the defending champion, Max Baer. This movie shows the power of hope and focus!
14. The Art of Loving. Story of Michalina Wislocka
In the middle of the communist regime, a Polish gynecologist fights against censorship to publish a book about sexuality criticizing the current tradition. It is a necessary film at a time when we are taking steps back in ethical and moral values and fearing the loss of the social rights that we've achieved.
15. Nappily Ever After
Nappily Ever After is the story of Violet Jones (Sanaa Lathan), a successful advertiser who organizes every step of her routine so that nothing gets out of hand.
After going through a great disappointment, she decides to change her looks and immerses herself in a journey of self-acceptance, bringing up childhood traumas and learning to put herself above the opinion of others.
16. The Age of Adaline
In "The Age of Adaline", Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) had a normal life until she gets in a terrible accident. From that moment on, she becomes immortal and doesn't grow old, which causes her to live a lonely existence. Because of her immortality, she decides to not create bonds with people.
It all changes when she meets a man worth risking her life for. This film reflects on creating bonds and love.
17. Still Alice
"Still Alice" revolves around the life of Dr. Alice Howland (Julianne Moore), a renowned linguistics teacher who begins to lose her memory. This film also shows the strength of ties.
18. Like Father
The movie tells the story of a workaholic woman (Kristen Bell) who, after being abandoned by her fiance, decides to go on a honeymoon with her father (Kelsey Grammer), whom she hasn't seen in a long time.
This film will certainly make you rethink your relationship with your father. And it will show the power of an incredible company.
19. Irreplaceable You
"Irreplaceable You" tells the story of the end of Abbie's life, a young woman who believes she is pregnant. She discovers that she actually has lumps on her pelvis, diagnosed as cancer. This film shows that everything can happen at any moment and everything can change in an instant. Therefore, enjoy the little moments.
20. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" is set in 1946, when Juliet Ashton (Lily James), a writer from London, gets a letter and decides to visit Guernsey, one of the islands invaded by Germany during the Second World War. She goes after her next story and starts to investigate a book club founded during the war.
21. The Giver
"The Giver" shows a society that lives in a perfect world, without diseases or wars, but also without feelings. Under this regime, a person is charged with storing memories to spare the inhabitants from suffering and guide them with wisdom.
22. One Day
Emma (Anne Hathaway) and Dexter (Jim Sturgess) met in college on July 15. This date serves as the basis to follow their lives for over 20 years. During this period Emma faces has a hard time trying to succeed in her career, while Dexter achieves easy success both at work and with women. The film shows how important it is to enjoy the moment and not let time go by without doing what we want.
23. You're Not You
Kate (Hilary Swank) is a classic, married, extremely successful and a pianist newly diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). This film is very cool and contemplative because it shows the importance of others in our lives.
24. Alex Strangelove
Alex Truelove (Daniel Doheny) is an exemplary high school senior. He has a great future ahead of him, but before graduating he wants to reach the last milestone of adolescence: losing his virginity with his girlfriend, Claire (Madeline Weinstein). Everything gets complicated when he meets Elliot (Antonio Marziale), a gay boy who unwittingly puts Alex on a journey of self-discovery. The film has managed to approach the profound theme of sexuality, besides talking about prejudice and discovery.
25. Tallulah
Lu (Ellen Page), a young independent woman, has her money stolen by her ex-boyfriend. Poor and living in a van, she decides to look for his mother, Margo (Allison Janney), who doesn't know her and doesn't help her. Besides that, it raises some thoughts about why we are on Earth.
Translated article original published on VIX Brazil, by Tatiana Sisti.