By Delve into this list of masterpieces that will make your heart beat faster and your neurons get to work.
Cinema is one of the best ways to move the mind and many professionals of the seventh art know this, which is why they focus all their talent on it. An example of this are those films that make you think, due to the depth of their messages and the emotions they generate.
Here you will find a selection that invites reflection. Please note that not all of the films on this list are suitable for children, so if you plan to watch them with your family, discretion is recommended when choosing them. Let’s get started!
1. Interstellar (2014)
This film will not only make you curious about physics, but it also intertwines the game of space-time and the power of love and forgiveness over the years. Interstellar is an intense film from start to finish, in which questions and emotions intrinsic to human nature are shaken up .
2. Don’t Look Up (2021)
Tragicomic yet relatable, it tells the story of a group of people fighting to save the planet from a meteorite impact. Its story perfectly sums up the emotional processes of the masses and how the information age is also one of inaction. Don’t Look Up is highly recommended for those who want to change the world .
3. The Skin I Live In (2011)
This is an ‘Almodovarian’ thriller about identity and our path to true self. Here we experience the terror of change, while accompanying the protagonist in her process, as well as finding satisfaction in fulfilled goals. It is one of the films suggested for thinking and reflecting on the self and asking questions about the essence of people.
4. Okja (2017)
Have you ever wondered what was there before that steak you get at the supermarket? Okja tells the story of a girl who knew how to look into the eyes of an animal and give everything to preserve the soul she saw in them. A wonderful way to analyze the food system that sustains us.
5. Life is Beautiful (1997)
A classic of the seventh art that makes you reflect on happiness and overcoming adversity , despite taking place in a Nazi concentration camp. You will spend the entire film with your heart in your mouth at Guido’s efforts to keep his son protected from the horror that surrounds them.
6. Never leave me alone (2014)
Kate, a successful pianist, sees her life cut short when she is diagnosed with ALS ( amyotrophic lateral sclerosis ). Never Leave Me Alone explores the importance of social ties in the most difficult times, reminding us that no one is an island.
7. Lamb (2021)
In this horror thriller , a couple discovers a sheep-human hybrid in their barn. Through frugal glimpses of everyday life, you’ll discover that reflecting on parenting and being scared don’t have to be at odds.
8. Isle of Dogs (2018)
In a Japanese city, all dogs are accused of spreading a flu that threatens human life. The president uses his influence to carry out the extreme measure of throwing them into a floating landfill, against the scientist who is looking for a cure and his own son, who runs away to look for his dog. This stop motion work reflects on the abuse of power, love and the opinion of the masses.
9. Quo vadis, Aida (2020)
This film is about the Srebrenica massacre, which delves into learned helplessness and how the protagonist rises up against the horror to protect her family. The bitter taste in the mouth is offset by the personal growth that the work produces.
10. Path (2008)
A hard-hitting film , based on real cases, that explores the experience of a girl who dies at the age of 14 from a malignant tumor. This is one of those films that makes you think about religious fanaticism, love, and the vision of someone who is not yet old enough to choose. You can’t miss it.
11. The Sea Inside (2004)
Another classic of Spanish cinema that makes you rethink deep-rooted beliefs such as dignity and death . In Mar adentro , the protagonist battles to end his suffering, facing all the moral questions that this entails.
12. Chicken run (2000)
In addition to enjoying a stop motion animation made of clay, you will see such transcendental themes as freedom , teamwork and masculinity. All this without forgetting the central issue: animals that escape from those who enslave them by laying eggs until they end their lives.
13. Requiem for a Dream (2000)
While the film will make you think, you should keep in mind that its scenes may not be suitable for sensitive people . However, the social problems presented in this work are worth seeing, as they deal with everything from addiction to poverty .
14. The Hole (2019)
A film about responsibility, altruism and empathy? The Hole . We see a prison arranged in levels, in which a limited amount of food is given and passed down to the last. Thus, what the prisoners on the lower floors eat depends on how much those on the upper floors leave them.
15. Children of Men (2006)
In a dystopian scenario, where humanity is becoming extinct due to its inability to have offspring, an organization hides a pregnant woman. This is another film that makes us reflect and think about justice and human nature in extreme situations.
16. Girl, Interrupted (1999)
This one is based on a real case. In Girl, Interrupted , a young woman is admitted to a psychiatric center for borderline disorder . Although it is almost 3 decades old, it perfectly visualizes the stigma that falls on people with a mental illness and, in general, those who do not conform to the norm.
17. XXY (2007)
This film is about an intersex person, who is born with Klinefelter syndrome and faces intolerance from society and his circles during adolescence. Through it, gender choice, non-binarism and the construction of identity are explored .
18. Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
We add to the list of films to think about the story of a dysfunctional family that, through beauty pageants, explores its emotional ties. Little Miss Sunshine addresses the effect that beauty standards have on girls, but also on the people around them.
19. Nomadland (2020)
In Nomadland , a woman becomes a nomad not by her own choice, but by losing everything. It is one of the best cinematic alternatives to reflect on precariousness, resilience and poverty.
20. Parasites (2019)
The contrast between two families, one lower class and the other rich, is exploited to great effect in Parasites . Economic inequality and violence mark the relationship between them, when the Kims lie to get close to and parasitize the Park family (of the upper class).
21. Everything at once everywhere (2022)
As crazy and outlandish as the scenes are at times, you won’t find another movie like this one to explore the pressures of being a responsible mother. Intense and sensitive, Everything at Once Everywhere will help you understand how many women save the world every day.
22. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
The story deals with the fragility of memory and how it influences relationships, decisions and emotions. In it, a girl artificially erases all memories of her boyfriend. In response, he decides to do the same to her, but regrets it halfway through the process.
23. Into the Wild (2007)
If you’ve ever thought about stripping yourself of material things and going to live in the mountains, here’s a movie about someone who did it. Highly recommended for reflection in the midst of an existential crisis .
24. Persona (1966)
We add to our list one of the most hated, loved and analyzed films in the history of cinema. If you like intellectual challenges, in Persona you have all the abstraction and symbolism of postmodernism. We won’t tell you any more, so you can draw your own conclusions.
25. The Truman Show (1998)
To reflect and think, we propose one of the most famous films of the seventh art. In The Truman Show , the protagonist is born and lives in a simulation of a life that, in truth, is a reality show. From this scenario arise very emotional situations that will make you think like never before.
26. The Father (2020)
This drama tells the story of a man suffering from Alzheimer’s and with a difficult character, and the challenges his daughter has to overcome as the disease deteriorates him. The mastery of the script is to present everything from the father’s perspective, making you enter his mind and experience the illness as if it were your own.
27. Shutter island (2010)
What begins as an investigation in a psychiatric hospital located on an island, develops with a progressive turn towards themes of mental health, deception and prejudice. Shutter Island is both emotional and thought-provoking.
28. Now or Never (2015)
Do everything you have to do before you die? That’s what the two protagonists of this film decide, despite being very different. Don’t miss it, because you can learn a lot from their interactions.
29. Everything is illuminated (2005)
Among the films that call us to think, Everything is Illuminated stands out. Here the past and present of the Jewish community are connected . Essential to visualize the fact that nothing is new and that we must learn from the mistakes made as a society.
30. Amélie (2001)
Amélie ‘s story will not leave you indifferent. Her genuine behavior to care for others is a different way to appreciate altruism , innocence and interpersonal differences .
Choose yours!
As you can see, it is possible to approach human problems from any genre. Although here you have a good selection of cinematographic works to get your neurons going, perhaps some of them do not match your preferences or style.
What topics do you want to delve into? Do you need to learn through emotion or spend hours thinking about what you’ve seen? Choose well and take advantage of all the advantages that the seventh art offers for personal growth, while entertaining yourself alone or with your loved ones. The blanket-and-movie plan has never been so beneficial!