Life Changing Films
Films that helped shape my personal outlook on life, from youth in the 90's to present day. Please feel free to comment and share your favorites too.
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- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsMargarita TerekhovaFilipp YankovskiyIgnat DaniltsevA dying man in his forties remembers his past. His childhood, his mother, the war, personal moments and things that tell of the recent history of all the Russian nation.I could put every Tarkovsky movie on this list, but the Mirror is surely his most personal, and for me, his most emotionally concentrated. In The Mirror, Tarkovsky meditates on one of the most important issues of all: the mother-child relationship. By poetically recreating his memories as a child in a conflicted society, he provides us with a beautiful portrait of what it means to be Russian, and for that matter, what it means to be a human being.
- DirectorBéla TarrÁgnes HranitzkyStarsLars RudolphPeter FitzHanna SchygullaA naive young man witnesses an escalation of violence in his small hometown following the arrival of a mysterious circus attraction.While it's difficult to finger exactly what is so great about Werckmeister Harmonies, it's easy to recognize that the director, Bela Tarr, is onto something, with a painstakingly shot story that blurs the line between simplicity and abstraction, while simultaneously expressing the human condition in ways I've never seen. You owe it to yourself to at least watch the first ten minutes (one of my favorite scenes of all time, yet not even the best sequence in the film).
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsAlisa FreyndlikhAleksandr KaydanovskiyAnatoliy SolonitsynA guide leads two men through an area known as the Zone to find a room that grants wishes.Somewhere between naturalistic beauty, cultural cynicism, and existentialism, lies Stalker: a film small in budget, but massive in scope. With Stalker, Tarkovsky really shows off how much he can pack into one seemingly simple film. No other film for me has triggered so much deep thinking. One could spend years breaking it down.
- DirectorBéla TarrStarsMihály VigPutyi HorváthLászló feLugossyOn the eve of a large payment, residents of a collapsing collective farm see their plans turn into desolation when they discover that Irimiás, a former co-worker who they thought was dead, is returning to the community.Satantango (also from Bela Tarr) answers all the questions you've ever had about small town life in Hungary, and then some. Or maybe it doesn't answer any of your questions at all. I came out of Satantango feeling confused.. but in a peaceful way, knowing I had seen something tremendous. If you ever feel overwhelmed by life and want to get back to life at its purest, treat yourself with a little time off, with Satantango.
- DirectorStanley KubrickStarsKeir DulleaGary LockwoodWilliam SylvesterAfter uncovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, a spacecraft is sent to Jupiter to find its origins: a spacecraft manned by two men and the supercomputer HAL 9000.Taking us from the humble beginnings of humanity, to the humble space (literally) where life ends (or does it?), 2001: A Space Odyssey is a massive film in both production and vision. Often criticized for being 'cold,' though I believe this film holds more emotion than it immediately lets on.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsColin FarrellQ'orianka KilcherChristopher PlummerThe story of the English exploration of Virginia, and of the changing world and loves of Pocahontas.Of the films I've seen, The New World has the unusual distinction of being the most intuitive of all. Director Terrence Malick and cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki head into the forests with a 70mm camera, and film all the beauty they can find (also with the help of always-excellent production designer, Jack Fisk). The result is a three hour montage of nonstop visual poetry, reflecting on the relationship between man-man and man-nature.
- DirectorAbbas KiarostamiStarsHomayoun ErshadiAbdolhosein BagheriAfshin Khorshid BakhtiariAn Iranian man drives his car in search of someone who will quietly bury him under a cherry tree after he commits suicide.If you've ever questioned if life is worth living, Taste of Cherry is the film for you. Mr. Badii spends the film driving through mountains in Turkey (I won't say why), and interacting with only a couple people along the way. It feels like real life, yet every encounter is very carefully planned, and leaves the viewer with a new perspective on life. Taste of Cherry is also probably the only film that shows nothing but a man driving for the entire duration, but that still can completely rivet the viewer.
- DirectorAlfonso CuarónStarsJulianne MooreClive OwenChiwetel EjioforIn 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have somehow become infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.Masterfully shot by Alfonso Cuaron and Emmanuel Lubezki, Children of Men provides us with a vision of a future without children. It sounds like a depressing film, but it really is the opposite, because for everything that is ugly in the film, there is a counterpoint of something beautiful. Children of Men illustrates that while a collective may break down quite easily, our spirits as individuals are much more resilient, and have a tremendous capacity for good.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsJack NanceCharlotte StewartAllen JosephHenry Spencer tries to survive his industrial environment, his angry girlfriend, and the unbearable screams of his newly born mutant child.A mutated fusion of artistic expression and narrative. Eraserhead gives a unique viewpoint of what it means to be American (or just to live in a major city), and the result is not entirely flattering. For everything that The New World does to push us towards nature, Eraserhead does to push us away from cities. Spend a year living in downtime Los Angeles and you'll see where Eraserhead came from.
- DirectorWes AndersonStarsBill MurrayOwen WilsonAnjelica HustonWith a plan to exact revenge on a legendary shark that killed his partner, oceanographer Steve Zissou (Bill Murray) rallies a crew that includes his estranged wife, a journalist, and a man who may or may not be his son.Offbeat, dry comedy at its best, The Life Aquatic provides a welcome return to the adventurous lifestyle (which, from how I see it, has been continuously fading since the post-industrial era). This film changed my life perhaps in the most literal way possible, as it directly inspired me to pursue film making as a career.
- DirectorTerry GilliamTerry JonesStarsGraham ChapmanJohn CleeseEric IdleKing Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table embark on a surreal, low-budget search for the Holy Grail, encountering many, very silly obstacles.Smart, wacky, hysterical, inventive. I was lucky to be exposed to Monty Python very early in life, and as a result, the Holy Grail almost single-handedly shaped my sense of humor as a child. My sense of humor is somewhat drier these days (see Life Aquatic above), but I think everyone should be able to laugh about how silly we truly are the way these guys do.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsElias McConnellAlex FrostEric DeulenSeveral ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.After Elephant, directors should have stopped making films about high school, because here Gus Van Sant gets everything right. Consisting mostly of long tracking shots of students moving through their lives, Elephant wholly immersed me in its teenage world, only to upset me even more when it was taken away.
- DirectorRichard KellyStarsJake GyllenhaalJena MaloneMary McDonnellAfter narrowly escaping a bizarre accident, a troubled teenager is plagued by visions of a man in a large rabbit suit who manipulates him to commit a series of crimes.I think Donnie Darko introduced me to the strengths of experimental filmmaking. Richard Kelly's earned a bad reputation since, but my teenage self is forever indebted to him.
- DirectorCharlie KaufmanStarsPhilip Seymour HoffmanSamantha MortonMichelle WilliamsA theatre director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he creates a life-size replica of New York City inside a warehouse as part of his new play.All of a man's existence is contained in a warehouse, filled with actors that play out scenes from his life, and embody his various mind states. As the man gets older, and the production gets out of his conceptual grasp, the symbiotic existence loses control of itself and begins to break down. A must-see for any artistic type.
- DirectorAlejandro JodorowskyStarsAlejandro JodorowskyHoracio SalinasZamira SaundersIn a corrupt, greed-fueled world, a powerful alchemist leads a messianic character and seven materialistic figures to the Holy Mountain, where they hope to achieve enlightenment.A film designed to literally enlighten the world, the Holy Mountain deconstructs modern society by hurling a Christ-like figure into it (named "The Thief"). The result is often quite ugly, but always memorable.
- DirectorFrancis Ford CoppolaStarsMartin SheenMarlon BrandoRobert DuvallA U.S. Army officer serving in Vietnam is tasked with assassinating a renegade Special Forces Colonel who sees himself as a god.Apocalypse Now opened my mind to the idea of war movies simultaneously functioning as works of art. I first randomly caught it on television, the same as Blade Runner, and I felt myself immediately drawn in and utterly intrigued by what the film had to say.
- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsJonathan PryceKim GreistRobert De NiroA bureaucrat in a dystopic society becomes an enemy of the state as he pursues the woman of his dreams.My first truly surreal film. It led me to one of my favorite books, writers, and an eventual tattoo.
- DirectorShunji IwaiStarsHayato IchiharaShûgo OshinariAyumi ItoThe problematic lives of teenager students for whom the singer Lily Chou-Chou's dreamy music is the only way to escape an alienating, violent and insensitive society.A runner-up for best teenage movie I've seen, perfectly capturing the angst and obsession I similarly felt in that age.
- DirectorTerrence MalickStarsJim CaviezelSean PennNick NolteAdaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.
- DirectorAndrei TarkovskyStarsErland JosephsonSusan FleetwoodAllan EdwallAt the dawn of World War III, a man searches for a way to restore peace to the world and finds he must give something in return.
- DirectorDarren AronofskyStarsHugh JackmanRachel WeiszSean Patrick ThomasAs a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.
- DirectorJulian SchnabelStarsMathieu AmalricEmmanuelle SeignerMarie-Josée CrozeThe true story of Elle editor Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffers a stroke and has to live with an almost totally paralyzed body; only his left eye isn't paralyzed.
- DirectorWerner HerzogStarsDieter DenglerWerner HerzogEugene DeatrickGerman-American Dieter Dengler discusses his service as a U.S. naval pilot in the Vietnam War. Dengler also revisits the sites of his capture and eventual escape from the hands of the Viet Cong, recreating many events for the camera.
- DirectorRoy AnderssonStarsLars NordhStefan LarssonBengt C.W. CarlssonWhere are we humans going? A film poem inspired by the Peruvian poet César Vallejo. We meet people in the city. People trying to communicate, searching compassion and get the connection of small and large things.
- DirectorAleksandr SokurovStarsSergey DreydenMariya KuznetsovaLeonid MozgovoyA 19th century French aristocrat, notorious for his scathing memoirs about life in Russia, travels through the Russian State Hermitage Museum and encounters historical figures from the last 200+ years.