My Source of Motivation from 10 Great Movies
I have a theory that movies operate on the level of dreams, where you dream yourself : Meryl Streep
BY Shreyam DUTTAGUPTA
At some point in life, everyone finds themselves in a position, where every single day is a struggle. I think that’s something similar to the second person I meet because, I believe somewhere down the line, everyone is fighting their own battle. Behind the scenes of regular life, I found my sterling redemption in some of the greatest movies. So here I am, reaching out to all you tired souls; I urge you to watch these movies. No matter how busy you are, invest 90 mins of your work week watching two quality movies. If you are lost, I would highly recommend you to start with these. To the list..
1)Dead Poets Society:
Boys, you must strive to find your own voice. Because the longer you wait to begin, the less likely you are to find it at all. Thoreau said, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation.” Don’t be resigned to that. Break out!
All my emotions drifted in when the last scene unfolded. O Captain, my Captain. This is not a film about school, or poetry or teaching: it's about finding your motivation and standing firm against the world. When I watch this movie, it reminds me that this time is precious. Carpe diem, seize the day boys, make your lives extraordinary!
2)The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life : Walter Mitty(Magazine's motto)
This is undoubtedly one of the most refreshing movies I have ever seen. It blew me away. Every single aspect of this movie is remarkable. The story, characters, locations, cinematography, direction and soundtracks(Stay Alive is literally playing in my mind now). The character Walter Mitty is everything I dream about my family, love, work, adventure and most importantly, courage.
3)The Pursuit of Happyness
Still a dreamer, yet more of a realist than ever before, I knew this was my time to sail. On the horizon I saw the shining future, as before. The difference now was that I felt the wind at my back. I was ready
This move? Its heavy, its inspiring, it will make you laugh, it will make you cry, it will make you chase your dreams. The climactic scene is so powerful, that it will make your heart ache with Happyness. I’m sure at some point of our life, we can stand tall like him and say “This part of my life.. this part right here. This is called happiness”.
4)Scent of a Woman
HOO- AH!
I know a lot of you guys will think I am nuts for keeping this movie in my inspirational movie list. In my defense, that's the beauty. I believe perception of a movie is different to each human being. The level of acting and the wisdom of the character portrayed by Al Pacino will leave a huge mark in your life. Pacino’s Col. Slade is a portrait of turmoil. Not because he’s blind, but because he’s never been able to rise above the blindness and still find peace with himself and with the world.
5)Forrest Gump
My Mama always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on
One of the greatest film ever made. I came to appreciate this movie by its simple yet a underdog script. This movie is pure class of Tom Hanks. It shows the real life events of a single parent, childhood bullies, military life, love lost, love found and what not. What I appreciated the most about this movie is how it portrayed a life of a simple man and his struggle against the toughest enemy..LIFE.
6)Good Will Hunting
You don’t know about real loss because it only occurs when you’ve loved something more than you love yourself. I doubt you’ve ever dared to love anybody that much
Another Robin Williams masterpiece and not to mention the beautiful act of Matt Damon. This movie draws out our defensive mechanism which inhibits our growth. It shows how our inner demons hunts on our emotions and restricts us from seeing our potential in life. I think the movie was way ahead of its time with its witty, brilliant and yet marvelous story writing with the icing of Ben Affleck and Stellan Skarsgard.
7)Yes Man
YES! Say it a million times. Then say it a million more. And the word you will have said two million times is…
This movie is way more than its comedy scenes. It's all about challenging yourself and saying YES! to circumstances where you would have a backed out easily. This movie will make you think about all the opportunities you might have missed by saying NO.
8)Peaceful Warrior
I call myself a Peaceful Warrior… because the battles we fight are on the inside
This movie goes inline with what I have started this article. It's all about the battles we fight, which defines us. Like we fight, every single person is fighting their own. The story is based on a book by Dan Millman, which shows a college gymnast who has great potential. In his pursuit of a goal, he gets sucked onto a dark phase of “life is what happens while you are making other plans”
9)The Social Network
We lived on farms, then we lived in cities, and now we’re going to live on the internet!
It is an obvious addition for a wannabe-Software Developer in States. Who wouldn’t like to see the creation of facebook through David Fincher’s direction? This is the kind of movie which is extremely relevant for our times and years to come. Watching The Social Network was like an experience unlike any other. It was the first time that I was deeply inspired by a film in a technical level. With this movie in my head, I still code, I still dream and nothing can take that away from me.
10)The Shawshank Redemption
Remember, Red, hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. And no good thing ever dies.
There is a reason I chose this movie for my last point. I wanted to end this list and convey a simple message which is perfectly characterized in this movie. HOPE! My takeaway from this movie was, optimism and faith always leads to achievements. Our brain works in a peculiar way, if we keep the hope alive, our confidence will find us and show the way.
Any inspirational movies you would recommend? Post in the comments.