Watching movies, especially with those I love, gives me an escape from the things around me. I love being immersed into a fictional world that enhances my imagination and motivation. Along with entertainment, many movies provide meaningful lessons that I continue to withhold long after watching them. Here are some of the movies that reside with me.
The Life of Pi – Directed by Ang Lee
In my eyes, this is one of the greatest movies of all time. It tells the divine story of a young Indian man, Pi, and his adventure away from his home. Pi grew up in Pondicherry, India where his father owned and operated the local zoo. Pi also had a loving mother and brother and he had learned many valuable life lessons while living in India that kept him alive throughout the film. When the zoo was not making stable profit, Pi’s family had to pack everything up on a ship, including the animals, and move to Canada. Pi’s situation quickly deteriorates as he is left stranded on a lifeboat with unexpected survivors after a fatal storm. Pi comes to realize that companionship was his only way to survival, which is not a spoiler because his story is told as a flashback. Pi’s story and his original question of faith beautifully go hand in hand in the “twist” of the story.
Ponyo – Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
I love all Studio Ghibli movies but Ponyo stands out to me since I have rewatched it since I was a little girl. Ponyo captures the chaotic and magical feeling of being a young kid. The animation of this movie is beautifully cultivated through countless hand drawn frames. Sosuke, the son of a sailor, lives in a house perfectly perched on a cliff by the sea. He finds Ponyo, a magical gold fish like creature, and keeps her in a bucket to take to school and the nursing home. Their friendship defies the limitations of nature and is depicted through unconditional acceptance and the unfiltered love of childhood.
The Royal Tenenbaums – Directed by Wes Anderson
This film sits on the edge between comedy and sadness, but nonetheless, it is a fantastic movie. There are big laughs and touching quiet moments. The Tenenbaums are a family that lives in a huge dreamy house in New York. The house is a key aspect in the story as each character has their own space that is compatible with their personalities. The children of the household, Chas, Margot, and Richie were all child prodigies in theatre, academics, and tennis.
Their mother, Ethline, is married to Royal Tenenbaum, and they do not divorce even after Royal leaves his family. When Royal fakes a fatal illness 22 years after his separation, his servant acts as a doctor to lure him and his children back into the house to be a family again. The dialogue in this film creates a duality of emotions between the family and their friends. The Royal Tenenbaums stands out to me as the whole family unravels one strategy after another to find love, acceptance, and happiness.
The Book of Life – Directed by Jorge R. Gutierrez
The Book of Life is a gorgeous film that portrays the story of three childhood friends in the small town of San Angel. Two of the friends, Manolo and Joaquin, are both in love with the third, Maria. Two gods, La Muerte (ruler of the Land of the Remembered) and Xiaalba (ruler of the Land of the Forgotten) bet on which of the boys will marry Maria in the end. The Book of Life has endless eye catching designs amongst the characters and environments that greatly impacts the nature of the story. This film undoubtedly highlights the heartening attributes of Mexican culture such as family togetherness, bravery, music, etc. However, it also illustrates how the young ones had to battle societal norms to have their happy ending.
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