My lifelong friend and I recently started creating a list of the movies we want our children to see one day. While they may not be old enough yet to see some of these movies that present raw looks into darker sides of humanity, we feel these are movies that either give glimpses into different aspects of life, inspire growth or are just plain great. Movies can often be great therapy.
This is of course an ongoing progress and will continue to be updated. Here’s what we have so far, in no particular order. Keep in mind, some of these are very R rated, but for good reason.
Good Will Hunting
Braveheart
Shawshank Redemption
Breakfast Club
Dead Poets Society
Matrix
American Beauty
The Thin Red Line
Cardboard Boxer
Forrest Gump
12 Angry Men
The Lord of the Rings series
Inception
August Rush
The Princess Bride
Neverending Story
The Help
Driving Miss Daisy
Life is Beautiful
Lost in Translation
Cinderella Man
Gladiator
American History X
A Walk to Remember
A River Runs Through It
Scent of a Woman
Crash
Pay it Forward
Truman Show
Passion of the Christ
Legends of the Fall
Me, Earl and the Dying Girl
City of Angels
Blindside
Fireproof
Short Term 12
Before We Go
Lars and the Real Girl
Captain Fantastic
Knight’s Tale
Monty Python’s Quest for the Holy Grail
The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
A Monster Calls