Movies for enlightenment
by errol246 | created - 08 Aug 2013 | updated - 18 Apr 2014 | PublicThis is a list of movies that I've personally watched that, in one way or another, reinforced my belief in the goodness of mankind, strengthened my love for life and reminded me of my true nature as awareness itself - during times where I've most needed it. I have yet to find a list like this that truly satisfies my need for spiritually enlightening motion pictures for very long, so I think it is about time that I make one myself. To begin with this list is not going to satisfy completely of course, but once I get to watch a lot of great movies this list is sure to become helpful for people like me who seeks to find their true nature on the screen. Remember: No movie can ever be called truly good if it doesn't touch your soul.
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1. King of Hearts (1966)
Not Rated | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, War
During World War I, a British private, sent ahead to a French town to scout for enemy presence, is mistaken for a King by the colorful patients of an insane asylum.
Director: Philippe de Broca | Stars: Alan Bates, Geneviève Bujold, Pierre Brasseur, Jean-Claude Brialy
Votes: 4,340 | Gross: $0.02M
An underrated classic of a spiritual movie. I bet I'm the only one who calls it that. Go watch it. Now.
2. American Beauty (1999)
R | 122 min | Drama
A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.
Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley
Votes: 1,210,796 | Gross: $130.10M
"That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever".
3. Zen Noir (2004)
71 min | Comedy, Drama, Mystery
A nameless 'noir' detective, still mourning the loss of his wife, investigates a mysterious death in a Buddhist temple, but his logical, left-brained crime-solving skills are useless in the intuitive, non-linear world of Zen.
Director: Marc Rosenbush | Stars: Duane Sharp, Kim Chan, Debra Miller, Ezra Buzzington
Votes: 377
4. The Fountain (2006)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
As a modern-day scientist, Tommy is struggling with mortality, desperately searching for the medical breakthrough that will save the life of his cancer-stricken wife, Izzi.
Director: Darren Aronofsky | Stars: Hugh Jackman, Rachel Weisz, Sean Patrick Thomas, Ellen Burstyn
Votes: 248,732 | Gross: $10.14M
5. Departures (2008)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 54,970 | Gross: $1.50M
This Japanese academy award winning film serves as a masterfully executed metaphor on how beautiful death truly is.
6. Samsara (I) (2011)
PG-13 | 102 min | Documentary, Music
Filmed over nearly five years in twenty-five countries on five continents, and shot on seventy-millimetre film, Samsara transports us to the varied worlds of sacred grounds, disaster zones, industrial complexes, and natural wonders.
Director: Ron Fricke | Stars: Balinese Tari Legong Dancers, Ni Made Megahadi Pratiwi, Puti Sri Candra Dewi, Putu Dinda Pratika
Votes: 38,033 | Gross: $2.67M
7. The Green Mile (1999)
R | 189 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt
Votes: 1,407,030 | Gross: $136.80M
This made me cry tears of joy and sadness at the same time.
8. Into the Wild (2007)
R | 148 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden
Votes: 658,043 | Gross: $18.35M
9. The World's Fastest Indian (2005)
PG-13 | 127 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of New Zealander Burt Munro, who spent years rebuilding a 1920 Indian motorcycle, which helped him set the land speed world record at Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats in 1967.
Director: Roger Donaldson | Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Diane Ladd, Iain Rea, Tessa Mitchell
Votes: 58,580 | Gross: $5.13M
Enthusiasm is not to be taken lightly.
10. Forrest Gump (1994)
PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance
The history of the United States from the 1950s to the '70s unfolds from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, who yearns to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
Votes: 2,256,411 | Gross: $330.25M
The simpleton has a lot more wisdom to give out of than what most people expect.
11. Peaceful Warrior (2006)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
Dan, a college student and a world-champion gymnast, is disturbed and wants to add some meaning to his life. A chance encounter leads him to discover an enlightened way ahead.
Director: Victor Salva | Stars: Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart, Tim DeKay
Votes: 29,853 | Gross: $3.96M
The teacher appears when the student is ready.
12. Avatar (2009)
PG-13 | 162 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A paraplegic Marine dispatched to the moon Pandora on a unique mission becomes torn between following his orders and protecting the world he feels is his home.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez
Votes: 1,386,224 | Gross: $760.51M
A movie that a lot of people love to hate because many find it too overrated ended up on this list, not because of it's aesthetic beauty or special effects, but because it, to quote Eckhart Tolle, "invites you to identify yourself with an alien race".
13. Mushi-Shi (2005–2014)
TV-14 | 25 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Ginko is an expert travelling around to investigate a primeval life-form, the "Mushi," and helping people with Mushi-related supernatural problems.
Stars: Yûto Nakano, Travis Willingham, Kôjun Itô, Jennifer Seman
Votes: 14,590
An unexpected choice. This is the only anime series (or any series for that matter) that I like besides Kodoku no Gurume. Few series or even movies have ever sucked me into their worlds for their depiction of nature, hauntingly beautiful music and mysterious atmosphere alone the way Mushishi did it.
14. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 849,109 | Gross: $10.06M
Love can give you more strength than you can ever imagine to help you in strange and unfamiliar worlds and will guide you towards your own independence.
The next 10 or so titles are dedicated to Miyazaki alone.
15. My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
G | 86 min | Animation, Comedy, Family
When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi
Votes: 380,132 | Gross: $1.11M
Only the innocent child is able to see the forest spirits.
16. Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979)
102 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A dashing thief, his gang of desperadoes and an intrepid cop struggle to free a princess from an evil count, and learn the secret of a treasure that she holds part of the key to.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue
Votes: 33,559
Miyazaki's interpretation of Monkey Punch's 'Lupin The Third' changes Lupin from a confident, crude and sometimes sexist master thief into a warm-hearted one, while still retaining some of his wit. I've watched a good chunk of other Lupin stuff but nothing has ever managed to beat this. Being Miyazaki's first feature film it might be slightly underrated, while I personally rank it among his best. Apparently even Steven Spielberg has called it one of the greatest adventure movies of all time, to which I would agree whole heartedly.
17. Castle in the Sky (1986)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Mayumi Tanaka, Keiko Yokozawa, Kotoe Hatsui, Minori Terada
Votes: 182,308
18. Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)
PG | 117 min | Animation, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Sumi Shimamoto, Mahito Tsujimura, Hisako Kyôda, Gorô Naya
Votes: 182,485 | Gross: $0.50M
19. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)
R | 142 min | Drama
Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.
Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler
Votes: 2,888,104 | Gross: $28.34M
The movie that inspired the making of this list.
20. The Matrix (1999)
R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi
When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.
Directors: Lana Wachowski, Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss, Hugo Weaving
Votes: 2,052,652 | Gross: $171.48M
21. Kumaré (2011)
Not Rated | 84 min | Documentary
A documentary about a man who impersonates a wise Indian Guru and builds a following in Arizona. At the height of his popularity, the Guru Kumaré must reveal his true identity to his disciples and unveil his greatest teaching of all.
Director: Vikram Gandhi | Stars: Vikram Gandhi, Toby, Greg, Molly
Votes: 5,197 | Gross: $0.13M
22. The Constant Gardener (2005)
R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A widower's transcontinental quest to find answers about his wife's death leads him to explosive secrets.
Director: Fernando Meirelles | Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Rachel Weisz, Danny Huston, Hubert Koundé
Votes: 148,454 | Gross: $33.58M
23. Blade Runner (1982)
R | 117 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
A blade runner must pursue and terminate four replicants who stole a ship in space and have returned to Earth to find their creator.
Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos
Votes: 822,945 | Gross: $32.87M
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