How are your New Year’s resolutions going so far? Are you working out? Saving up? All in all, are you feeling renewed? I know it has only been a couple of weeks, but right now’s the moment when we all feel motivated to plan the way we’re going to be our best selves this year, and not just in terms of a looking for a better job or patching up things with your friends. I’m talking about something more personal, such as freeing yourself from your past self that wasn’t helping you grow better and becoming a better you. If you’re having a hard time with this, and you’re looking for inspiration, you came to the right place. Here, you will find a list of movies that in one way or another can inspire you to renew yourself.
Silver Linings Playbook, Dir. David O. Russell (2013)
Renewing yourself is also about accepting who you really are, and this movie helps a lot with this. In Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper embody two people who deal with everyday struggles by accepting that what they’re going through is just part of their journey. They make their reality part of who they are instead of avoiding it. In this particular case, both of them deal with specific mental health issues, and while you may think this story is only relatable to people with mental illness, it is actually a beautiful lesson that teaches us to own and love our imperfections.
How To Train Your Dragon, Dir. Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders (2010)
Changing your perspective on certain situations can also help you renew yourself. If you think kid’s movies can’t teach you about anything new about yourself, then you haven’t watched How To Train Your Dragon. The movie revolves around a teen named Hiccup, who happens to be the son of a viking village leader. In this community, becoming a dragon slayer is a very important tradition, and while everyone is trained and convinced to do so, Hiccup changes his mind about this when he gets the chance to capture a fearful dragon himself. This story can teach you a lot about changing your perception on reality and giving yourself the chance to prove your worth.
Shawshank Redemption, Dir. Frank Darabont (1994)
Renewing yourself also means freeing yourself from the past. Considered one of the best movies ever made, Shawshank Redemption tells the story about Andy Dufresne, a man who’s sent to prison for murdering his wife and her lover (even though he claims he’s innocent). While being an inmate, Andy learns a lot about other prisoners and how their stories shape them to be, not criminals, but real human beings. So, if you’re looking to let go all of those bitter memories and baggage that you carried on 2017, you should definitely give this movie a chance.
Predestination, Dir. The Spierig Brothers (2014)
Sometimes, renewing yourself also means changing certain attributes about yourself. Predestination is a heavy story that revolves around the life story of John, a very mysterious but interesting man that lives in a reality where time traveling is a thing, and dangerous criminals jump between timelines to commit gruesome atrocities. Before turning into an undercover time traveler cop, John had to go through several difficult moments, where his dreams and even his identity had to drastically change in order to fulfill his destiny. This movie teaches us that we should never give up on us, and by doing so, we can get to know a new and improved version of ourselves.
The Devil Wears Prada, Dir. David Frankel (2003)
In order to feel like a fresh new person this year, you will probably have to do some sacrifices. But be careful, because not all of them are worth your time. In The Devil Wears Prada, we learn a lot about how the fashion world works, but also how looking for your dream job means having to deal with a lot of different challenges. Anne Hathaway does an amazing job portraying hardworking Andrea Sachs, who works tirelessly for one of the biggest fashion magazines in the world. To gain the title of a respected journalist, she finds herself giving up her friends, her boyfriend, and even her career goals. The movie is a great example of what we’re willing to do to achieve our goals, even if that means losing a little about ourselves in the way (and how that’s clearly not the way to go).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTDSwAxlNhc
I know these recommendations include very different genres, plots, and eras, but all of them have amazing lessons to be learned, and, let’s be honest, they’re also very good stories. Did any of these movies inspire you to look forward to a personal renovation? If not, what movie can you think of to do so?
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You might also enjoy reading:
If I Can Make It There: The Documentary About Leaving Your Home For A New Chance (VIDEO)
5 Movies I Had To Watch A Second Time Before I Actually Liked Them
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