10 Movies That Caused a Deep Impression on You and Why?

I didn’t think I’d have enough material for this question, but it got the wheels churning.

1. Flatliners: I saw this in my last year of high school when it was first released. I came from a difficult background (or as my psychologist used to say, “a colourful history”), so I didn’t always default to kindness to my fellow students. Jealousy over their “normal” home lives and the desire to fit in overshadowed my values, so there were a few people I had been mean to over the years. This film taught me that not being kind may come back to haunt me one day. This idea really jolted me. Soon after, I made attempts to befriend those people and to apologise for my bad behavior.
2. This Boy’s Life: It reminded me so much of my childhood that it was hard to watch. I’ll never forget young DiCaprio’s acting and declaring that we have a star to look out for in the future.
3. Shawshank Redemption: It’s hard to pinpoint why it made such an impression, but maybe it was the concept of redemption in itself – that it is possible.
4. The Breakfast Club: The idea that one can take several people from completely different backgrounds, put them in a room where they initially knock heads, but then once they realise that if they become allies in order to achieve their common goal of winning against the antagonist is fantastic. It’s a great coming of age story, too.
5. Stand by Me: Having read the short story first, “The Body” by Stephen King, I’ll never forget the first time I saw a commercial with the movie trailer for it. I yelled out that I knew what this movie was even before it indicated it was a King flick. It was so close to the book, the young actors and the incredible soundtrack really made this movie come alive. It’s the small guys vs. the big guys and the small guys win plot, which helps make it timeless.
6. This is Spinal Tap: Thank you Christopher Guest for confirming twisted minds should rule the world.
7. Boys Don’t Cry: The thought that so much cruelty can be unloaded on someone trying to live their truth, all because of sheer ignorance, was profound to watch. It was deeply sorrowing and I’ll never forget how hard it was to get through.
8. Dead Man Walking: The excellent script and acting in this taught me that it is possible to empathize with someone who has done something evil. That perhaps they aren’t evil as a whole – that they are a person who has done something evil. And, oh boy, the soundtrack to this is killer. Anywhere you see Sean Penn, you have to listen for Eddie Vedder and what he’s cooking up in the background.
9. Rabbit-Proof Fence: A true story about aboriginal girls taken from their families from the Australian government was truly unforgettable. It’s a sobering reminder that racism/slavery is still sadly breathing amongst us and is barely in our rear-view mirrors.
10. Amores perros: This movie blew my mind. The direction, the writing, the themes and intensity are extraordinary. It made me realise how it’s possible to love a movie in a foreign language and that opened my mind to more. I love when films like this come along to kill the fluff that’s out there. In fact, I’m going to watch this again really soon to remind me again what’s so amazing about it.