19 Must See Movies with a Message To Lift Your Spirit

19 Must-See Movies with a Message To Lift Your Spirit

By Leiza Mosley

Movies can inspire, teach, encourage creativity, and after watching most movies I come away learning something.  Movies can help you discover a deeper life meaning, reflect on your past, have a vision for your future and even change the way you deal with a current situation. They can be a valuable tool in personal healing and growth. 

This post lists 19 movies with a message.  When you next find yourself with your feet up, relaxing and a little time on your hands, why not search for one of these movies to lift your spirit, expand your awareness, challenge your beliefs, or just leave you feeling great!

Like many people, movies can transport me to another place, and I’m often left feeling good, have learnt something, opened a new awareness, seen reflections in my own life and evoked emotions which can be healed and celebrated.  

In fact, I came across the term Cinema therapy:
"Cinema therapy can be a powerful catalyst for healing and growth for anybody who is open to learning how movies affect us and to watching certain films with conscious awareness. Cinema therapy allows us to use the effect of imagery, plot, music, etc. in films on our psyche for insight, inspiration, emotional release or relief and natural change….Like music, poetry, stories, myths, jokes, fables, or dreams, cinema therapy allows us to gain awareness of our deeper layers of consciousness to help us move toward new perspectives or behaviour as well as healing and integration of the total self.” (http://www.cinematherapy.com/)

Movie watching along with their metaphors have become prevalent within our family, particularly as lockdowns have had us confined to the home putting pressure on family relationships (think Frozen and its theme song Let it Go!) and time to scroll through the many websites and apps offering an extensive range of viewing.

So, here is a list of movies that may be good for the soul and you may find a message for yourself.  Of course, this list is not definitive and is in no particular order.  We’d love you to add to the list in the comments section and why they have inspired and changed you.

Dan Millman (Scott Mechlowicz) is a gifted athlete whose desire for success drives everything he does. When a mysterious stranger (Nick Nolte) opens Dan's eyes to a new vision of strength and understanding, the Olympic hopeful finds that he still has much to learn and more sacrifices to make.

#spiritual awakening #inspirational #peace 

Daniel Miller (Albert Brooks) isn't having a good week. For starters, he died after he got hit by a bus. Then he discovers that in the afterlife he must defend his actions on Earth in order to ascend to a higher plane of existence. While awaiting judgment, he falls in love with Julia (Meryl Streep), whose near-perfect life on Earth seemingly makes her a shoe-in for ascension. However, Daniel's actions in his lifetime might not be enough for him to move on.

#mortality 

When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo (Keanu Reeves) to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth – the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

#societal programming #truth #illusion #controlofmylife

Transcending the boundaries of technology and imagination, "Waking Life" is a revolutionary breakthrough in film animation. In "Waking Life," Wiley Wiggins ("Dazed and Confused") travels through a series of encounters and observations in a world that may or may not be reality. It is this surreal existence, flourishing with endless ideas and possibilities, that ultimately leads to the question -- Are we sleep-walking through our waking state or wake-walking through our dreams?

#teenanimation #thoughtprovoking #philosophical

Ishaan, a student who has dyslexia, cannot seem to get anything right at his boarding school. Soon, a new unconventional art teacher, Ram Shankar Nikumbh, helps him discover his hidden potential.

#bollywood #uniqueness #heartwarming 

This is the story of Seth (Nicolas Cage), an angel who wanders the Los Angeles area invisible to humans. As the demise of an individual approaches, he spends time near them and becomes visible while acting as their traveling companion during their trip to the great hereafter. His discovery of distraught heart surgeon Maggie (Meg Ryan) inspires him to forego his immortality and exist on earth with her as a feeling and mortal entity.

#angels 

Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) seems to have it all but his wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), is increasingly frustrated by the amount of time he has to spend at work. Michael cannot find time to be at home until he meets an eccentric inventor (Christopher Walken) who gives him a universal remote that controls time. At first he happily skips the boring times until he realizes the remote is in control of his life and he learns to cherish all the precious moments with his family.

#causality #comedy #thoughtprovoking

Young Cole Sear (Haley Joel Osment) is haunted by a dark secret: he is visited by ghosts. Cole is frightened by visitations from those with unresolved problems who appear from the shadows. He is too afraid to tell anyone about his anguish, except child psychologist Dr. Malcolm Crowe (Bruce Willis). As Dr. Crowe tries to uncover the truth about Cole's supernatural abilities, the consequences for client and therapist are a jolt that awakens them both to something unexplainable.

#thriller #confusedsouls #afterlife #profound

Born under unusual circumstances, Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt) springs into being as an elderly man in a New Orleans nursing home and ages in reverse. Twelve years after his birth, he meets Daisy, a child who flickers in and out of his life as she grows up to be a dancer (Cate Blanchett). Though he has all sorts of unusual adventures over the course of his life, it is his relationship with Daisy, and the hope that they will come together at the right time, that drives Benjamin forward.

#lifetimereversed #comtemplative #lifejourney

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a thief with the rare ability to enter people's dreams and steal their secrets from their subconscious. His skill has made him a hot commodity in the world of corporate espionage but has also cost him everything he loves. Cobb gets a chance at redemption when he is offered a seemingly impossible task: Plant an idea in someone's mind. If he succeeds, it will be the perfect crime, but a dangerous enemy anticipates Cobb's every move.

#thriller #intriguing #dreams

The story of a social studies teacher who gives an assignment to his junior high school class to think of an idea to change the world for the better, then put it into action. When one young student creates a plan for "paying forward" favors, he not only affects the life of his struggling single mother, but he sets in motion an unprecedented wave of human kindness which, unbeknownst to him, has blossomed into a profound national phenomenon.

#kindness #generosity #warmth #gratitude

After deciding to sell their zoo in India and move to Canada, Santosh and Gita Patel board a freighter with their sons and a few remaining animals. Tragedy strikes when a terrible storm sinks the ship, leaving the Patels' teenage son, Pi (Suraj Sharma), as the only human survivor. However, Pi is not alone; a fearsome Bengal tiger has also found refuge aboard the lifeboat. As days turn into weeks and weeks drag into months, Pi and the tiger must learn to trust each other if both are to survive.

#humility #parable

After learning that a brain aneurysm will kill him in about 90 minutes, a perpetually unhappy man (Robin Williams) struggles to come to terms with his fate and make amends with everyone he has ever hurt.

#mortality #love #hate #change 

Finally, some of my favourite kids/family animation movies! There are so many, I had to stop myself at a few!

• The Lion King – #courage #bravery #friendship #disappointment
• Shrek – #inner-beauty #judgement
• The Wizard of Oz – #inner-qualities #love #courage #feelings #intellect 
• The Princess and the Frog – #gottadigalittledeeper #hardwork #success 
• Fern Gully – #environmental #savetheplanet 

And finally our current favourite, Luca - Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar's original feature film "Luca" is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto (voice of Jack Dylan Grazer), but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water's surface.

#identity #differences #acceptance

Maybe we'll do another post on Documentaries!  Please share your favourite movies with a message!

Movie summaries from Rotten Tomatoes www.rottentomatoes.com 

Read other articles related to this topic:
Understanding our True Home
How to discover the Echo of Your Feelings
3 Vital Steps to Break Through Comfort Zones Brief Masterclass

#movieswithamessage #share #favourites #leizamosley #spiritualmessages #lifemessage #movieswtihmeaning #familytime #metime #personaldevelopement