From a very young age, I have always
had a colossal love for films. I love the stories films tell, the feelings they
evoke and how they influence and inspire me. I have chosen many films from a
wide range of film genres and topics that have made an impression on me.
For me, ‘Schindler’s List’ is a film
that inspires me massively. It tells the story of Oskar Schindler who saved
more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust. I find this
film inspirational as it tells the story of how one man saved a generation of
lives by employing them in his factories. This film also inspires me because it
shows that if you can use your strength and determination for a good cause, you
have potential to stop monstrosities occurring and make the world a better
place. This message is still relevant today because of the many wars and
troubles that the world still faces.
One of my favourite topics for films
that have influenced me is people standing up for their rights such as freedom
and there have been many examples of classic films that fall into this
category. A recent example is the excellent ‘12 Years A Slave’ which is about a
free African-American man called Solomon Northup who is captured and sold into
slavery. The film features excellent performances and won the best picture at
the Oscars this year. This film inspires me because it shows us the
heart-breaking truth that an innocent man can be captured and tortured for no
reason and the will and determination that people can display under horrendous
circumstances.
Other films that I find inspirational
in this category include ‘Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom’, ‘The Help’ and ‘The
Butler’. The Mandela film shows Nelson Mandela stood up for his rights and
spent many years in prison because he fought for his belief that people of any
race should be equal- as do the scripts in ‘The Help’ and ‘The Butler’.
Another type of inspirational films
that I like to watch are films which see a character overcoming a problem.
Examples of film that fit into this category are ‘Rain Man’, ‘The King’s
Speech’ and ‘The Blind Side’. Rain Man is about a man who discovers that his
estranged father has died and left all of his multimillion dollar estate to his
other son Raymond who is autistic. I find ‘Rain Man’ inspirational as it shows
that even if you have a disability, you can still be a great person and this film
helps get rid of the misconception that you can’t do much good if you have a
disability. The ‘King’s Speech’ is inspirational as it shows George VI
overcoming his stammer and that you can be a great leader even if you have
something that makes you struggle more than others. ‘The Blind Side’ is
inspirational for me as it shows you can come from nothing with a very poor
background, to then achieving your dreams.
I also love a motivational story that
includes an underdog. My favourite film from this category is the sports drama
‘Rocky’ which is about Rocky Balboa who is an uneducated but nice debt
collector in Philadelphia. ‘Rocky’ then starts out as a club fighter who later
gains a chance at the World Heavyweight Championship. I find Rocky an
incredibly amazing story because this is another example of a ‘rags to riches’
story and shows that even if you lose, in the end, you have tried your hardest
and can still be proud of your achievements.
Survival stories based on real life
tragedies are also a great source for an inspirational movie with two examples
being ‘Titanic’ and ‘World Trade Center’. Titanic is an influential film
because it shows many people on board the Titanic trying to help others survive
and escape safely off the ship and ‘World Trade Center’ is influential because
it shows the courage of the firefighters that went in the Twin Towers to save
many civilians during ‘9/11’.
The last feature that I think an
inspirational movie should contain is courage. Best Picture Oscar winner
‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is a perfect example of a film that is motivational and
contains courage in the characters. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ is about a young man
from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to Be
a Millionaire’ and does so well that he is accused of cheating. The film is
shown in flashbacks which explain how he knows all the answers and the film is
inspirational because it shows that if you have courage, you can achieve a lot,
despite having many drawbacks to stop you from reaching your goal. A recent
example of an influential film is ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ which is about a
girl who has cancer. ‘The Fault In Our Stars’ shows courage as the main
character, Hazel, tries to stay brave
and live her life even though she has cancer and is inspirational as it shows
that you don’t have to change even if you have a horrible illness.
However inspirational films are not
always about standing up to rights, having courage or the other topics that
have been mentioned above. An inspirational film can also be something that
personally inspires you. For me, many animation films inspire me because when I
am older, I want to work in the film business doing a job linked to animation.
The main films from this genre that influence me are ‘Toy Story 3’ and ‘WALL.E’
because the designs in these two films are ‘in another world’. They also
influence me because they both contain beautiful and interesting stories with
well-developed and thought through characters.
