9 Inspiring Movies That Teach You How to Find Happiness
The world can be unfair and cruel, but fate favors those who do good deeds and never give up. Here’s a list of 9 inspiring movies where characters find their path to happiness.
1. “Promise Me This”, 2007
Directed by Emir Kusturica, this Serbian film is a personal favorite that I’ve watched countless times. Set in a remote village, it tells the story of an old inventor and his 14-year-old grandson. The grandson is the only student in the village school, which is threatened with closure. The grandfather makes his grandson promise to go to the city, buy an icon, sell their cow, and find a bride.
This driving film, filled with Balkan music, a confrontation with mafiosi, and love, will make you smile throughout its two-hour duration. Kusturica masterfully depicts happiness and joy that can be found even in the most remote and dreary places on Earth.
2. “Angel-A”, 2005
This French film by Luc Besson, shot in black and white, tells the story of a down-on-his-luck man who is given a second chance by fate. The protagonist owes money to several criminals and sees no way out. Friends and the police refuse to help him, so he decides to end his life. But just as he’s about to jump off a bridge, he sees a radiant blonde woman falling into the Seine.
This film allows you to believe in miracles again and that there’s always hope for a better outcome in our crazy world.
3. “Midnight in Paris”, 2011
Directed by Woody Allen, this film is about people who wish to live in a different era. The story centers on a famous Hollywood screenwriter who has always wanted to experience the 1920s. Mysteriously, while walking through an unfamiliar alley in Paris, he finds himself in the past and meets his idols: Dali, Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein.
Each morning, the screenwriter returns to his own time and tells his fiancée about his travels, but she thinks he’s going mad. He continues his time travels every day and discovers that people from his favorite era also don’t want to live in their own time—a classic case of “the past was better.”
The film is filled with a wonderful atmosphere, is unhurried, and has a divine visual style.
4. “Gravity”, 2013
This techno-thriller by Alfonso Cuarón, which won 7 Oscars, tells the story of a catastrophe that occurs while American astronauts are working in space. Sandra Bullock’s character is left completely alone in outer space and must make her way from a space shuttle to the International Space Station. Her courage and self-confidence inspire us never to give up, even when it seems there’s no way out.
5. “The Fountain”, 2006
This Indian-American fantasy film tells the story of an Italian revolutionary, naturalist Charles Darwin, an African slave, and a hitman. The main character, who narrates the tale, chooses a bitter ending for his characters. But a little girl listening to the story manages to influence the plot and instill a love for life in the storyteller.
Visually stunning with unforgettable music and well-developed characters, each character possesses unexpected philosophical depth. The film raises questions about growing up and setting life priorities.
6. “Silver Linings Playbook”, 2012
Directed by David O. Russell, this drama tells the story of a former teacher who has just been released from a psychiatric hospital and is trying to reconcile with his wife, whom he is forbidden to see. One day, the protagonist meets a woman who has also undergone psychiatric treatment. She is eccentric and whimsical but views the world positively and looks to the future. She speaks her mind and criticizes the “template” life of the young man.
The film helps you shed your fears, ignite interest in yourself, and love yourself for who you are.
7. “Hysteria”, 2010
Directed by Tanya Wexler and based on real events, this film is set in 1880s Britain. A young doctor invents an electric vibromassager for women suffering from hysteria, melancholy, and insomnia. At the time, doctors were convinced that women were incapable of experiencing pleasure without internal stimulation. The lively heroine, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal, shows the importance of women’s enjoyment of life, work, or sex. The film is filled with subtle English humor, the refined atmosphere of aristocratic England, and surprising modesty.
8. “Easy Virtue”, 2008
This British comedy by Stephan Elliott is a remake of Hitchcock’s film of the same name. John, a young and handsome Englishman, marries Larita, a free-spirited and incredibly attractive American race car driver. The newlyweds go to John’s family estate to meet his parents. But in his childhood home, Larita is met by a prim mother, sisters driven mad by loneliness, and a father who has long forgotten what happiness is.
The family constantly puts new and ridiculous obstacles in Larita’s path. The well-read and self-assured girl overcomes them with ease and never once compromises her beliefs throughout the film.
The film is visually stunning: Larita dresses stylishly and sparkles with her smile, reads smart books, and stands up for her beliefs. The English landscapes, the atmosphere of racing, and feminism make you admire almost every frame. The film addresses the issue of the union of two people, the problem of intimacy, and dependence on the opinions of others. The light and funny plot helps you decide what kind of external and internal freedom you want and how to achieve it.
9. “The Pursuit of Happyness”, 2006
This American biographical film by Gabriele Muccino is based on real memoirs. Will Smith’s wife leaves him, leaving him with their son (played by Will Smith’s real-life son, Jaden Smith). Due to a series of events, the main characters become homeless.
Father and son are forced to sleep in a subway bathroom and beg in a church. But despite the terrible conditions, the protagonist completes an internship program at a large firm and gets a good job.
The film is filled with the atmosphere of the hustle and bustle and anxiety of a multimillion-dollar metropolis and proves that if you strive for your goal and never give up, you will surely be rewarded by fate.
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