A great movie can change your life for the better, since it makes you see things from a brand-new perspective. It’s extremely rare for a movie to have this kind of power, but those that do can stick with audiences for their whole lives, even shaping the ways that people choose to interact with the world around them.

Everyone has their own personal favorite movies, so there’s no guarantee that any one film in particular will resonate with someone. However, there are certain films that are so poignant and inherently powerful that they’re far more likely to connect with someone on a deeper level.

10

About Time (2013)

About Time Looks At All Sorts Of Love

Richard Curtis is known as the writer behind some of the best British rom-coms ever made, but he also has a few directorial credits to his name. About Time represents the peak of his powers, as he creates a hilarious and uniquely British romance with a sci-fi twist, but it’s also stunningly powerful.

About Time uses its time-travel premise to explore the very simple question of how we should live our lives. It starts out as a quirky love story, but it takes on broader concerns as it develops. It ends up as one of the most life-affirming and uplifting films anyone could ask for.

9

Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind (2004)

Michel Gondry’s Sci-Fi Romance Hits On Some Deep Truths

Charlie Kaufman is one of very few screenwriters in Hollywood who has his own following, and films like Eternal Sunhsine of the Spotless Mind perfectly demonstrate why. It’s quite unlike anything else, but Kaufman’s experimental style yields incredible results.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind plays with the ideas of memory and love, concocting a sci-fi medical procedure to analyze the very real way that people shy away from the thorny nature of life. There’s a resonant emotional truth at the center of the story, and this shines through the many quirks and kinks of the narrative.

8

Spirited Away (2001)

Miyazaki’s Enchanting Fable Has Plenty Of Rewatch Value

Like several other Studio Ghibli movies, Spirited Away is blessed with endless creativity. There are curiosities hiding in every corner of Hayao Miyazaki’s masterpiece, many of which defy all explanation. Spirited Away‘s gorgeous worldbuilding works so well because it refuses to take a direct route.

Spirited Away is one of the best animated movies ever, and not just because of the beauty of its art style. It’s also a richly rewarding story about finding oneself and fighting for what’s right. Spirited Away always has new creatures to discover on a rewatch, but there are also hidden layers to the story to reward fans who watch it multiple times.

7

Aftersun (2022)

Aftersun’s Naturalistic Approach Works Wonders

Despite its relatively slender runtime, Aftersun has the power to linger in the mind. It’s the kind of complex, mature drama that urges its audience to interrogate every frame. Ultimately, the story of a father, seen through the eyes of his daughter, stands up to the most intense scrutiny.

The ending of Aftersun can feel like an anticlimax, but it’s the perfect finale to a film that always values realism over a more cinematic story. For a long time, Aftersun feels as though it’s building up to some great tragedy, but it finds an even more affecting ending with its downbeat, ambiguous fade-out.

6

Groundhog Day (1993)

Groundhog Day Is Surprisingly Poignant Beneath Its Humorous Facade

Groundhog Day uses its surreal time-loop premise to explore some philosophical questions that everyone thinks about at one time or another. It’s easy for the audience to place themselves in the shoes of jaded weather reporter Phil Connors, asking themselves what they would do in a world without any consequences, and without any hope of forming meaningful connections.

The script of Groudhog Day is known for its unorthodox structure, which mirrors the famous “five stages of grief” model. With Phil trapped in his own private purgatory, he mourns his own death by running through the full gamut of his emotions, only to emerge on the other side with a renewed perspective on life. Simply watching Groundhog Day can offer audiences the same revelation.

5

Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022)

The Oscar-Winner Creates Meaning Out Of Chaos

Although Everything Everywhere All at Once spans the multiverse, it manages to retain an emotional core that keeps audiences engaged. This is because the true meaning of Everything Everywhere All at Once is tied to its overstimulating absurdity.

Everything Everywhere All at Once gives audiences a fresh sense of perspective by dipping into various surreal dimensions. The effect of this is to boil down the human experience to its most essential components, focusing on what people are drawn to in every possible reality. It’s a rare achievement that such a freewheeling comedy can be so impactful.

4

Fire Of Love (2022)

The Documentary Shows Life Through A Different Lens

Documentaries always have the potential to connect with audiences on a deeper level, but the craft has to match up to the innate power of the medium. This is certainly the case in Fire of Love, the moving story of two volcanologists who fell in love and traveled the world together.

Fire of Love overflows with potent visual metaphors, as the cascading rivers of lava become symbols for both a pᴀssionate love and an intense desire to live life to the fullest that borders on reckless. The documentary contrasts its grand themes with more mundane, everyday vignettes, but these are no less emotional in their own way.

3

Lost In Translation (2003)

Sofia Coppola’s Comedy-Drama Is Densely Layered

Sofia Coppola’s naturalistic dialogue and her willingness to give her actors room makes Lost in Translation the kind of film that stands up to multiple viewings. Initially, audiences might appreciate its melancholic romance, but the two main characters are so acutely drawn that their stories conceal mulтιтudes.

Lost in Translation is many things simultaneously. It’s a story of finding purpose, unlikely connections and giving oneself over to a new experience, no matter the cost. While juggling all these intelligent themes, it’s also charming and funny in a way that makes the characters seem far more human.

2

The Graduate (1967)

The Graduate Has Aged Beautifully

There’s a reason that The Graduate is still seen as the quintessential film for recent graduates, even after so many decades. Its timeless truths about the nature of life after education still apply, and some great performances across the board mean that it’s still engaging and funny too.

The Graduate‘s ambiguous ending sums up much of what makes it so special. It’s a kind of Rohrschach test that different people will take different lessons from. It’s possible to watch The Graduate at two different stages of life and find the ending both optimistic and completely devastating.

1

Roma (2018)

Cuarón’s Semi-Autobiographical Story Illuminates Every Corner Of The Human Experience

It’s often the case that the most universal truths in art come from the most specific cases. Films which try to appeal to the broadest audiences possible rarely do so, but Alfonso Cuarón’s deeply personal reflection on his own childhood makes Roma intensely emotional.

It’s not necessary to understand Mexican history or the country’s class system to come away from Roma as a changed person. The dramatic vignettes that sтιтch together to make a life are all relatable and loaded with meaning in their own way. Cuarón’s greatest trick is that they coalesce to create something shimmering and alive.