Films That Changed Our Lives

Sydney Paolercio - Moonlight (2016)

Growing up, I’d always been a lover of films. I grew up watching old movies with my mother as they played on Turner Classic Movies. My eyes lit up watching musicals like Fiddler on the Roof (1971) or On the Town (1949). I made my mom watch the comedies like Auntie Mame (1958) or Pillow Talk (1959), every time they aired. Despite that, the movie that truly changed my life was Moonlight (2016). It came out when I was a sophomore in high school - a period of time where I was at my lowest, in terms of mental health. I was also at a crossroads in life, struggling to figure out what I wanted to pursue in adulthood; being a professional ballet dancer was no longer in the picture, so I was considering law school, but I was never truly gung-ho for that life. What I needed was something creative. Eventually, I sat down to watch the movie with bated breath - the thought of getting to watch Moonlight was the only thing that kept me afloat in that moment. I remember the first time I watched it like it was yesterday. When the credits began to roll, I couldn’t move. All I could do was sit there and cry. After that, I had to truly sit with what I’d just watched. Barry Jenkins and his Best Picture winning film shook up my entire world. That movie quite literally kept me alive. Even beyond that, it made me rediscover my true passion: writing. Without Moonlight, I wouldn’t be in film school pursuing directing and screenwriting, in fact, I don’t know where I’d be today. Thanks to that movie, I realized that I can share my story with the world, and that filmmaking is a valid life to lead. After Moonlight won Best Picture, I learned that there are people out there listening - and they care about my story. 

Jessica Moore - Paris, Texas (1984)

“The dust has come to stay”.

It is entirely significant that I discovered Wim Wenders’ Paris, Texas whilst I was living in Berlin. During my time there, my view of home, (England), became romantic and exterior. I began to feel like an outsider, a feeling which I saw in the characters of Paris, Texas. When I first came across this film, its hues of neon projected on the wall of my apartment, I was taken aback by its urgent, painful strokes of loss and displacement, shown best through Nastassja Kinski and Harry Dean Stanton’s symbiotic performances. 

Wenders’ view of America, as a German filmmaker, emerges most potently through a sense of adoration made possible by his peripherality, and through the subjectivities of characters who themselves are jettisoned from the fabric of their lives, directionless and lost. Being an outsider to this world, however briefly, enamoured by its beauty and restraint, is nothing short of magical.

Madeleine Lingad - My Life as a Zucchini (2016)

Where to even begin? My Life as a Zucchini seriously threw me off my guard the first time I watched it. I had not seen the trailer, nor read the synopsis of the film; I simply chose to watch it after stumbling upon the cute and whimsical cover image on my Netflix recommendations page. Just as the picture suggested, I was expecting a jovial animated children’s movie, but boy was I in for a surprise. This film tells a far more grim and mature story about a little boy named Zucchini, who is sent to live in an orphanage after the sudden death of his alcoholic mother. There, Zucchini meets other young orphans who also share a dark and twisted childhood trauma.The stylistic choice to make this film a claymation was really interesting; the characters were designed to look gentle, innocent, and colorful, in contrast to its darker themes of abuse, abandonment, and grief. Although I have not experienced anywhere near the same level of trauma as Zucchini or the other orphans, I felt a great connection to all of them alike. From a young age we are exposed to the harshness of an unforgiving world, regardless of how much our parents try to shield us from this reality. Nonetheless, this film finds the beauty in having a damaged or flawed background by conveying an optimistic outlook for the future to come. While My Life as a Zucchini is not the childrens’ film I thought it would be, it certainly tugged at my heartstrings in ways I have not felt from a film in a long time. 

Carolina Azevedo - A Woman Is a Woman (1961)

A Woman Is a Woman, probably one of the first non-Hollywood movies I ever watched, happened to be the film that first got me into cinema. Being one of the earliest full-features by the deified Jean-Luc Godard, the film defined the cinema from that point onwards. The director conducts a complete deconstruction of conventional Hollywoodian cinema in an extremely sentimental romantic comedy, causing, perhaps like no other, the most simple and pure pleasure a film can provide. Watching it as a young teenager, amidst the search for influences and inspirations, really changed the way I see both filmmaking and the entire world. The outstanding Anna Karina plays Angela, a dancer on the verge of womanhood, tackling the varieties of love and relationships, whilst comedically displaying the boorishness of men. 

Watching A Woman Is a Woman has surely become a point of inflection in my life, as it taught me to never settle for what is conventional. Seeing the irregular way Godard put together comedy, tragedy, and musical cinema, all embellished by beautifully and wisely placed color, issues of womanhood and adolescence with the touch of the whimsical yet personal breaks of the fourth wall, (probably the most outstanding thing I’d seen so far in a film), opened my eyes to a form of art I had never dreamt of. As Brialy says within the movie; “I don’t know if this is a comedy or a tragedy, but it’s a masterpiece”. Aside from that, Karina’s character is one whom I legitimately saw as an inspiration, not only in looks but certainly as a woman. Angela puts herself over the demands of patriarchy, refusing to let men control her feelings or actions in a way fourteen-year-old me had not previously seen in cinema. As Anna Karina replied to Brialy’s “Angéla, tu es infâme" ("Angela, you are horrid"), with “Non, je suis une femme" ("No, I am a woman"), I felt a joy never before induced by any other film. 

McKenna Blackshire - The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

When my mother was in high school, she would catch the midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show with her friends every couple of weeks. It was such a major part of her coming of age experience, so she couldn’t wait to share it with me. Watching the film for the first time was a transformative experience. Rocky Horror is this intense amalgamation of so many different parts of the human experience: love, conformity, home, purpose, truth, and so on and so forth. It remains one of the most subliminally political films I’ve ever seen. To me, the film is a response to the ruthless limits of society - the fact that we are so tightly constricted by so many ideals and norms that we’re never truly allowed to be everything we are. Rocky Horror challenges our perceptions of normality. It’s a lesson that the best parts of this world, the best parts of ourselves, are the parts we were taught were wrong, solely because they are different.

I could ramble on about The Rocky Horror Picture Show for years, but what I want to emphasize is that it was the first film that truly spoke to me. I’ve always been different, and I used to hate that; I lived an agonizingly lonely existence in so many ways. But, this film made me feel understood. Rocky Horror celebrates all that is unconventional, while also recognizing the painful implications of complexity in any time or place. On the other hand, the film gracefully demonstrates that, no matter who you are, life is chaotic. My favorite scene in Rocky Horror is the one where Dr. Frank N Furter sings ‘I’m Going Home’. The scene is so revolutionary in its rawness, it’s a perfect representation of the film in its entirety - Furter is so disheveled and he’s practically screaming as he sings, everytime I watch it, I’m always moved. 

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a cinematic masterpiece, it’s an ode to everyone who doesn’t fit the mould. The film is a perfect reminder of the importance of questioning everything, rather than allowing ourselves to mindlessly conform to the expectations of others. 

Kelsey Hayes - About Time (2013)

The first time I watched About Time, I was at home with my mom and we were just looking for a simple, romantic comedy to end the day with. After watching this film for the first time, it became so much more significant to me. More than just a rom-com, it ended up being a story about love, friendship, family, life, and finding appreciation in the everyday. I am someone who needs those reminders every now and again, that life, deep down in its core, is only as bad as you allow it to be. I mean this in the everyday sense. Life is hard and this film shows that, showing that things can be so great and full of love, but that obstacles will surface no matter how great things are going. I’ve come to watch this movie repeatedly over the years and each time I still feel a sense of renewal within myself afterwards. It reminds me that each day is what I allow it to be, focusing on how the simple, repetitive things don’t have to be so dreadful. The mundane of everyday can be joyous and a reason to have a good day as opposed to just an ‘okay’ day. The film provides immense power because of how its story unfolds. In the first act of the film, it seems to only be a story about Tim, the main character, finding someone to fall in love with. By the end of the story, however, it has become more about finding that love within your own everyday life. I recommend this film to everyone that asks me. If you especially find yourself searching in this dark time for a way to feel joy in your everyday, give this film a watch. Even if it’s just to see Rachel McAdams with really cute bangs. 

Kate Saltel - Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Yes, I am going to gush over Wes Anderson. Yes, I am one of those annoying pretentious film kids that gushes over Wes Anderson.

Moonrise Kingdom was a staple in my personality for over a year after watching for it the first time. I found myself changing every social media profile picture to Suzy Bishop, wearing blue eyeliner everyday, and quoting the movie daily. I had never been so obsessed and intrigued by a film before watching Moonrise Kingdom.

What intrigued me was Anderson’s use of color, costume, music, whip pans, dialogue, etc. Andersons unique style threw me for a loop. I hadn’t considered utilizing costume as character development, color grading for style, and centering subjects in the center of frame. I was exposed to how artistic filmmaking was and could be - and the creativity behind the art. After watching Moonrise Kingdom I couldn’t get enough, and watched it three more times before it was unfortunately swiped from Netflix weeks later.

This film inspired me to pursue filmmaking and exposed me to the possibilities of the art. I discovered my passion for color, costume and music. I also discovered my obsession with whip pans.

One of these years I will finally live out my dream and dress as Suzy Bishop for halloween. It’s going to happen one day - I’m waiting…

Sara Zakaria - Goodfellas (1990)

There are numerous ‘firsts’ people will remember in their lives: first day of school, first job, first love, etc. One of the most important firsts I have experienced was the first time I saw the film Goodfellas. My brother watched it before me; when he watched it the second time, he wanted me to watch it with him. I can think back to twelve-year-old me crossing my arms and shouting excuses. He put on the movie anyway. Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Robert De Niro appeared on the screen. Then, Liotta shuts the trunk door and utters the infamous line; “As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be a gangster.” My standoffish demeanor instantly diminished. Everything - the screenwriting, the fast-paced editing at times, the music, the charismatic performances of Liotta, Pesci, De Niro, and Brocco - sucked me into a world I did not expect to like. In the entire two hour-and-a-half screen time, I did not want to look away even for a second. I could never forget the emotions of excitement and joy that occurred the first time I watched it; I still get that feeling whenever I rewatch it. I did not leave Goodfellas with budding philosophical ideas or a new code of personal ethics, but I did come out of it with a refined sense of how just great cinema can be. The meticulousness Scorsese achieved in each aspect of the movie changed the way I looked at film. It certainly changed my relationship with film as well, turning my consumption of it into one of my passions. Actually, I remember how I ended up watching Taxi Driver soon after, beginning my exploration into classic films. My list of movies I love is ever changing and sometimes indefinite, but Goodfellas will always hold a special place in my heart.

Carolina Thompson - Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)

After the school day would end, I would go over to my cousins’ house and wait for my mom to pick me up after work. I spent more time seeing my cousins than I did my parents in a week so our relationship was inseparable. I don’t remember how it started but one day we were all just watching Fantastic Mr. Fox and it never stopped. Fantastic Mr. Fox, directed by Wes Anderson, a well liked director, producer, screenwriter, and actor, became our favorite movies to watch together, and we would constantly make references to it. The simplicity in the structure of the film makes it so that not only children can enjoy it, but those same children can grow up to be adults and still experience the same energy they had when they were watching it for the first time.  I don’t think this film drove me to wanting to pursue a career in the film industry, but I became interested with films of a similar style.  I guess you could say this was perhaps the start of my journey of slowly venturing into the film world.  When I think of the best moments with my cousins, this film is one of the few things that come to mind, and I’m so grateful for it. It was adventurous, comedic, and bubbled a feeling in us that could only be described as pure joy.  This film will always have a special place in my heart and I hope that someday in the future I can be a part of a project like this that’ll impact kids and adults the same way it did for me.

Lindsey Rabinowitz - The Breakfast Club (1985)

“We’re all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.”

I have the first part of this quote tattooed on my back. Why? It’s a constant reminder that nobody is perfect and we all have flaws. As someone who has experienced self esteem issues my entire life, watching The Breakfast Club has been a form of therapy. I know what you’re thinking. What a typical choice of an uncultured millennial. Well, you’re right. But, I don’t like this movie because I love John Hughes. I love this movie because it completely changed my life and how I look at myself. There are actually four movies that have shaped me into the person I am today; The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, 10 Things I Hate About You, and Dazed and Confused. Although they’ve all had lasting impacts, The Breakfast Club was the first. What astounds me about this movie is that I can relate to every character. Somehow I am the jock, the basketcase, the princess, the criminal, and the nerd. Whenever I felt out of place, I would think about how I’m not the only one with these problems. Then, I would open my computer and sit in detention with the strangers that I would soon find out are just like me. I feel refreshed and calm once I see Judd Nelson pump his fist in the air into a freeze frame with ‘Don’t You Forget About Me’ playing in the background. I somehow feel better about myself and worry less. There are plenty of movies and TV shows that have let me escape reality for a bit, but none make me feel the way I do when I watch The Breakfast Club.

“We’re all pretty bizarre”.

It’s true. We’re all unique in our own special way. We all have our quirks and things that other people think are weird. The Breakfast Club reminds me that those things are normal and sometimes you need to get high and have an emotional share circle to realize that. I have an eternal reminder on my body that nobody’s perfect, and nobody is supposed to be. I plan to have a tattoo for all four of my favorite movies at some point. They’ve all changed me in different ways and I don’t ever want to forget the impact that they’ve made on me. I had been planning The Breakfast Club one for years. There has not been a single movie that has helped me find myself more than The Breakfast Club.

 Tara Moroni - Requiem For A Dream (2000)

Requiem For A Dream is perhaps the film that has impacted me most in my life. It’s not my favourite film, nor the one that I enjoyed most. In fact, I have never watched the film to the end. Yet Aronofsky’s direction struck my soul violently, leaving me reduced to a raw heap of tears. This psychological drama, directed by Darren Aronofsky and based on the 1978 novel by Hubert Selby Jr, tells the parallel stories that are linked by the relationship between the isolated, widowed Sara Goldfarb and her son, Harry. Requiem For A Dream depicts different types of addiction, leading to different yet equally tragic outcomes for the characters; Sara is addicted to amphetamines, whilst Marion, Tyrone and Harry are all addicted to Heroin. As the film unfolds, with its hectic rapid cycling of images depicting the escalation of addiction into the abyss, (the structure of the film is intricately linked to the editing, camera and sound design), it becomes blindingly obvious that whilst some forms of medication and sedation are more socially acceptable than others, the characters share the same desire to escape their reality through substance abuse. Some people go to the doctors, others to drug dealers. This invites the question: what is this human desire to escape our reality? Furthermore, as shown in the intensely passionate, excitable yet destructive relationship between Harry and Marion, the drug-fuelled climax of their love story which eventually leads to its demise, the film depicts how even in the company of others, we sometimes still seek to escape.

The practical construction of this film also changed my perspective of film, as the filmmaking techniques play such a significant role in the film’s effect, from the use of fast montage, to the ultra wide-angle shots, with uncomfortably intimate close ups of the characters, to the blindingly vivid colours. Unlike some films which offer a pretense of ‘objectivity’ posing as realism, almost paradoxically Requiem’s stylisation is so hyperbolised that it somehow becomes far more ‘realistic’ as a result. Whilst this portrays a reality which is arguably depressing, brutal and hopeless, the film jolted me into the realization that in the end, whether an isolated elderly person, or an aimless young drug dealer, we are all terrified of life and of feeling; because essentially, we are all human. And so when, in the scene where Sara, obsessed with the prospect of appearing on a TV game show - a haunting parody of our contemporary culture of spectacle, media performances, and obsessive celebrity culture – becomes utterly consumed by her psychosis-induced delusions, afraid that her refrigerator is coming to life, I found myself curled up and unable to repress my tears, I let myself be held by my mother, and I let my tears fall abundantly. The film hit me so hard that I could not physically bear to continue watching - that in itself is a sign of powerful art. In part, my pain was a result of my personal connection with the film’s themes and characters. Like the characters’ who seek to numb themselves from the distress of their pasts, the film leaves us with the existential idea that we exist for no tangible reason, leaving us squandering through life; yet that brings the question of personal responsibility in life - a prominent theme in my life.

Yet ultimately this film is a reflection on addiction and alienation in the modern world, and so I found myself all at once grieving for the tragic aspects the society in which we find ourselves, for the pain of contemporary youth, the isolation of people in the face of our oftentimes estranging societies, for all of humanity. However, my tears were also for the extent of impact that genius filmmaking can have upon a person. Requiem is not an easy, or necessarily enjoyable watch, but it’s certainly an important film for everyone to see.