There’s been a recent trend going around about what people consider their Roman Empire. For context, this was first a trend started by women who simply started asking men “How often do you think about the Roman Empire?” and apparently, it’s a lot. This has since expanded to using the phrase “this is my Roman Empire” which refers to things that people think about often. For me, I feel like I haven’t nailed down exactly what my “Roman Empire” is, but what I do know is that there are 5 specific movies that I have watched in my lifetime that I think about way too often. I thought I’d share them with you so that they could become your Roman Empire too.
- Triangle of Sadness (2022)
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For those who know me, you KNOW I talk about this film often, so obviously it’s going first. Triangle of Sadness lies on a simple concept about two influencers named Carl and Yaya who get invited onto a luxury cruise. In an unexpected turn of events, a brutal storm hits the shift causing a lengthy aftermath. But the film expresses so much more than that. The main message of the film is a discussion on power dynamics, ranging from gender to economic status, and politics. In each situation the characters are placed in, we see how these dynamics are played out, and we see them from a reverse perspective, beginning with who pays for dinner and ending with who is fit to lead survival on an island. I talk more about this film in this article, but this film, especially its ending, causes me to think about it often.
- Searching (2018)
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Thanks to the engaging plot and creative cinematography & editing, Searching is a film that’s often on my mind. Searching follows the story of David Kim, after his 16-year-old daughter goes missing which prompts a local investigation. The twist? The entire film is set entirely on digital devices, ranging from laptops to smartphones to security cameras. The plot itself is extremely engaging with lots of twists and turns. Even the ending had my jaw on the floor the entire time. But what really kept me engaged was its use of devices and social media. Executing the story in this way allowed the audience members, like me, to follow along, and sometimes even catch things before the characters do! Writers Sev Ohanian and Aneesh Chaganty recently released the film Missing (2023) which serves as a film in the same universe as Searching and is a similar concept But there’s something about Searching that just makes the film on my mind all the time.
- Vengeance (2022)
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I am a B.J. Novak girlie. I don’t know what it is about him, but everything he does is always super interesting to me. Most people would know it for his roles as Ryan in The Office and Jaime in The Mindy Project. But what I love about Novak is the fact that he wrote a children’s book with no pictures, and he wrote the film Vengeance. Vengeance introduces us to Ben (also played by Novak), a writer from New York who attempts to solve the murder of a girl he hooked up with after her family invites him to her funeral. Upon the family aiming to convince Ben it was murder with no evidence, Ben ends up recording all of it to turn it into a conspiracy podcast. This film featured a star-studded cast including Dove Cameron, Issa Rae, Ashton Kutcher, and even John Mayer (which will forever intrigue me). The story also had me on the edge of my seat the entire time, with an ending so shocking that it only made me ask more questions.
- La La lAnd (2016)
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I have had an interesting love/hate relationship with La La Land which prompts me to ponder the film often. When I first watched it, I didn’t like it mainly because I thought the ending was dumb, but as I’ve grown, I’ve realized the ending is a tragic masterpiece which makes me like the film even more now. I won’t get into it as I want to avoid spoilers but it’s good, I swear. I also specifically love this film’s use of colour theory as a form of character development beginning with bold primary colours and ending with muted mixed tones. Not to mention, the music in this film is phenomenal and pops into my head often.
- Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2016)
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I always find it interesting how often I think about this film because I’ve only watched it once, yet it remains so significant. Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong takes us through two nights between the lives of Ruby and Josh. On the first night, Ruby is an American Toy designer visiting Hong Kong for a weekend trip and requests Josh’s help with directions, resulting in the two exploring Hong Kong together. The second night takes place a year later when Ruby has now permanently moved to Hong Kong for work. I’m normally not the type of person who likes to watch a film consisting of two people having a conversation, but this film did it in such a way that I wanted to follow along and get to know these characters better. I became really attached to them and their story up until the end where a shocking twist and ultimate cliffhanger left me wanting more, yet also oddly satisfied.
Together, I think these films create my brain’s Roman Empire, in which at least one is on my mind daily. So if you’re looking for films that will sit on your mind for a little while, I highly recommend them.