11. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
This sci-fi comedy-drama and momentarily a thriller will make you realise that certain relationships are as important as they are fragile, and it is only with the test of time that you can know their value and also their strength. This movie narrates an exceptional story of two lovers who are fighting to win back each other through memory. Marvellous performances by both Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet as the leads, and by Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Elijah Wood, and Tom Wilkinson in shorter roles will stick in your memory for long. This movie will help you figure out that who are the ones in your life that you never want to let go, no matter how difficult it is to keep them. It will inspire you to change yourself and to fight harder for that rare love that you have been lucky enough to find.
12. Dead Poet’s Society
Caught between that meek voice of your heart and that loud noise of the world around you? Not sure if you have it enough in you or if you will make enough with what your soul aches to do most hours of the day? Well, then watch ‘Dead Poet’s Society (yet again, if you haven’t already) and take a moment to listen to that meek voice. Feed on it till the time it becomes so powerful that it breaks all that your heart fears but doesn’t believe in. This movie will remind you that you have not been put here to play safe, but to play most sincerely and honestly with the help of the best thing that you have. This is the message that you will probably take away each time as you watch this brilliant piece of cinema. John Keating (Robin Williams) will guide you through your doubts and inspire you to change the course of your life, Todd Anderson and Neil Perry (character names) will become your friends, and ‘Carpe Diem’ (Seize the Day) will echo in your head long after you have finished watching this movie.
13. Thank you for Smoking (2005)
Sometimes, we achieve all that we had ever wished for, but at the cost of our values. ‘Thank you for Smoking’ is a satirical comedy that will make you check if your job is in line with your values or if that pay-check is making you compromise with them. Not everyone might be at a position as tricky as Nicky Naylor’s (Aaron Eckhart) who is a lobbyist for a tobacco company, but might still need some inspiration at a crossroad. He is a smooth-talker and that’s the skill that he is largely paid for, but gradually he realises that he can no more deny that his role has something to do with the health of some of the affected consumers. He has a hard time playing the role model for his own son who believes that his father is a man of integrity until he gives up that job and refuses to let go of the qualities that his son looked up to him for.
14. Amélie (2001)
This French romantic-comedy film, directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, is a wonderful masterpiece for cinema lovers across the world! As Amélie Poulain (Audre Tautou) embarks on an adventurous journey to fix the lives of all the people that she comes across, she is constantly reminded of the importance of her own life’s reality which she has withdrawn herself with. Nominated for five Academy Awards, this movie will beautifully remind you of the pleasure of giving someone the ‘gift of smile’. It will also remind you to not just live in our own imaginary world and forget the real joys that life can surprise us with!
15. Joy (2015)
Don’t let that fire in your belly die down when the going gets tough! It is the power of that fire that Joy Mangano (Jennifer Lawrence) will constantly remind you of, throughout this biological drama. Lawrence has given a fierce performance as a divorcee mother of two, who struggles and struggles to support her family which you might hate on and off for being tirelessly dependent on her. Joy’s smartness and her fascination with creating things were her gifts and she uses them to turn her life around from an indebted-working mother to a self-made millionaire. Joy is bound to inspire you to write your success story on your own terms!
