So it’s that time of year again where you’re sitting at home, probably wearing multiple layers and fuzzy socks to protect you from the insane Arctic-cold weather trapping you in your own home. The worst part is that this is the slowest part of the academic semester and the days are still much lighter than in February. There are a limited number of times you can re-watch The Office before you have all the scripts memorized, and unfortunately, there are only a handful episodes of Black Mirror currently available at your fingertips. Before the midterms and assignments really start to pile up this semester, take some time to enjoy the slow-paced days of January and snuggle up with your dog/cat/turtle to watch these heartwarming movies you likely haven’t seen!
Never Let Me Go
‘Never Let Me Go’ goes down as one of my absolute favourite movies of all time, so I really had to start this list off with a banger. The plot follows a group of young students attending a boarding school that grow older and realize that they are much less in control over their destinies than they assumed throughout their childhoods, and face shocking truths of their realities as they progress through adulthood. Andrew Garfield, Kiera Knightly and Carey Mulligan nail their performances in this peculiar and exceptional artwork. Besides literally ripping your heart wide open with a frustrating love triangle, this movie is fully equipped with shocking plot-twists, heart-wrenching tragedies and moments that will keep you intrigued until the last scene. With a plot based on the successful novel of the same title, written by Kazuo Ishiguro, the film’s storyline is one of the most bizarre and creative pieces I have experienced in a long time, and will really get you thinking about the value of human existence and the purpose of human life. I can’t say much more without spoiling the best parts of the story. However, you really need to watch this film for yourself, once or maybe twice to fully grasp its powerful content.
500 Days of Summer
Okay, so maybe you have heard of this one, but I still felt the need to write about it for those who haven’t. “500 Days of Summer” is your typical hipster movie about the girl-next-door type of character that is also super quirky and “not like other girls” while she listens to the Smiths and rides a bike with a basket attached in a vintage maxi skirt. She captures the attention of the typical “awkward boy who doesn’t know how to talk to girls” type of character and you already know how it’s going to go; except (SPOILER ALERT) it doesn’t really end the way you’d expect. This story carries an array of clichés and your typical romance tropes but does so in such a well-executed and produced way that I still find it a wonderfully enjoyable film to watch. Zooey Deschanel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt portray their characters effectively with such realistic levels of awkwardness, chemistry, and humour as the plot is laid out. This is definitely the type of film you want to watch with your girlfriends during a night-in or a sleepover.
Into The Wild
We all have a certain soft spot for those “based on a true story” types of movies. This one hits right in the gut with its inspirational protagonist based on the persona of adventure-seeker Christopher McCandless, who gave up his life’s stability and all of his money to pursue true happiness in the Alaskan wilderness. The biography follows his emotional path to understanding the value of true happiness and finding the purpose of life through travel and survival. This film is a wonderful piece that brings about the discussion around entrapping systematic structures and the unavoidable drags of day-to-day life in the average North American society. The movie also explores the highs and lows of human experiences in solitary survival situations which force the viewer to really think hard to understand why the character would put himself in the position that he is in. Tears may be shed, and you may find yourself thinking about running away to Alaska after watching this emotional and influential story of a man who travels as far as he can to find the simple pleasures of life.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
This award-winning movie can only be described as a visual masterpiece and an absolutely beautiful work of art. The Grand Budapest Hotel follows the adventures of a hotel concierge and his lobby-boy sidekick as they find themselves in a predicament when a wealthy woman dies and leaves behind a valuable heirloom for them to take care of. A genuinely bubbly and quirky plotline that is paired with some of the most visually breathtaking production and cinematography make this film a pleasure to watch no matter the occasion. Every set, scene, costume and camera angle is designed and executed so perfectly that even if you don’t enjoy the comedic plot and writing, you will undoubtedly fall in love with the artistic experience it provides.