Family, self-knowledge, helping those in need – the meaning of Life is different for everyone. It can change with age, or even depend on the achievement of goals, become irrelevant, and sometimes completely absent. One way or another, the question “What do I live for?” is asked by everyone who has a choice in their Life. In our selection, you will find the 10 best films about the meaning of Life.
Rating of the most interesting films about the meaning of Life: top 10 according to eBravo App
Here are paintings that will make you think or rethink your views and, perhaps, find new ways to find yourself.
10. A Man Called Ove
- Genre: Drama, Romance, Comedy
- Country: Sweden
- Year: 2015
Plot. The film, based on the novel of the same name by Fredrik Backman, is a story about a grumpy 59-year-old Uwe who patrols the neighborhood every day and finds fault with his neighbors because of an improperly parked car or an abandoned cigarette butt. The hero’s wife died not so long ago, and Life has lost its meaning, so the pensioner decides to commit suicide, but every attempt fails due to external circumstances. Fate presents Uwe with situations in which he is a kind of savior for those around him – this is a manifestation of the philosophy of humanism, which has become a trend in foreign cinema.
Interesting fact. At the start of filming, Rolf Lassgård, who played Uwe, was 59 years old, so he was the same age as his character.
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9. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
- Genre: Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy, Drama, Romance
- Country: USA, UK
- Year: 2013
Plot. Walter Mitty is an employee of the illustration department of Life magazine, which is on the verge of closure. The Life of the hero, in reality, is quite routine, but in fantasies, it is full of adventure and drive. That all changes when photographer Sean O’Connell sends in the negatives for the latest issue of the magazine and asks for the 25th frame he thinks best captures Life on the cover. Only this very frame is missing, and the management demands to find it. Walter Mitty decides to go on a journey and discover the photographer and, with him, the missing negative.
Interesting fact. There are several Russian attributes in the film: one of the characters drives a VAZ-2121 Niva, and above Walter Mitty’s sofa hangs a photograph taken in Bratsk (Russia, Irkutsk region) in 1967.
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8. Into the Wild
- Genre: Drama, Adventure, Biography
- Country: USA
- Year: 2007
Plot. The film is based on the true story of a college graduate, Christopher McCandless, who gave the $24,000 accumulated during his studies to a charitable foundation, armed himself with a .22 caliber rifle books and hitchhiked to conquer Alaska. During his journey, the guy meets people and eventually tests himself to leave a major entry in his diary. In the 90s, this story stirred up the United States. First, it became an article, “Death of an Innocent,” in the magazine “Outside.” A book, and ten years later, the parents of Christopher, who called himself Super Tramp Alexander, permitted a film adaptation. Despite the difference in cultures – the United States and Russia – the story of the young man will be close to everyone who at least once thought about giving up everything and going into the conditional taiga in search of an answer to the main question “What do I live for?”
Interesting fact. The film was shot in real locations. The film crew traveled to Alaska 4 times to capture all the seasons.
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7. The Bucket List
- Genre: Drama, Comedy, Adventure
- Country: USA
- Year: 2007
Plot. What do you do if you have six months or a year left to live? Make the most of your time. This decision was made by Carter Chambers and Edward Cole, two older men with cancer who met in a hospital room. They travel around the world, visit the Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and the Himalayas, and fulfill the craziest desires, which in a healthy state would be considered “beyond their age.” This story is a reminder of how important it is to live for yourself without leaving Life to an ephemeral future that may not exist at any moment.
Interesting fact. Justin Zacham wrote the script for the film in just two weeks, and Carter’s role was created specifically for Morgan Freeman.
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6. Peaceful Warrior
- Genre: Drama, Romance, Sports, Biography
- Country: USA, Germany
- Year: 2006
Plot. Dan has it all: awards, friends, girlfriends, parties, recognition. He is a talented gymnast who dreams of competing at the Olympic Games. The young guy has a goal for which he lives, but a serious injury threatens his sports career. Throughout the film, Dan interacts with Socrates, a man from a car service station who acts as a local philosopher. It helps the guy change his mindset, which puts him on his feet and brings him back to the sport, but with new views on life and his goals. The film reminds us that all the answers are already in our heads, but the thoughts and false values that flood it do not allow us to see the right path.
Interesting fact. The film is based on Dan Millman’s autobiographical novel The Way of the Peaceful Warrior, and the author himself appears as a car driver at a gas station.
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5. Whale Rider
- Genre: Drama, Family
- Country: New Zealand, Germany
- Year: 2002
Plot. Pai is the granddaughter of a Uangara chief. Her grandfather, Koro, considers his Life to be over because he has no heir who would have the right to bear the name of the “Whale Rider” – an ancient Maori legend about a chief. His grandson died in childbirth, and his son left the country in grief, leaving his daughter to be raised by her grandparents, for whom the main goal was to prove to Koro that the girl was also capable of leading the tribe. To do this, the young heroine needs to master the martial art of her ancestors, which is available only to men, learn ancient spells, and, most importantly, ride on the back of a whale in front of everyone.
Interesting fact. Today, the number of Maori reaches more than 900 thousand people. Contrary to the belief that the tribes are separated from the rest of the world, there are many famous personalities among the Maori, such as Taika Waititi, who is the director of the film Thor. Ragnarok.”
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4. An Interview with God
- Genre: Drama, Mystery
- Country: USA
- Year: 2017
Plot. Journalist Paul Asher returns from Afghanistan, where he covered the war situation. The consequences of a profession, a failed marriage, and a dying faith cause a personal crisis. The specificity of his work is religious articles for a secular publication. Wanting to fend off Life’s difficulties, he immerses himself in an interview with a man who calls himself God. At first, it seems like a game to the journalist. He asks tricky questions, trying to bring the mysterious stranger to light, but in sometimes banal answers, he finds what he needs.
Interesting fact. The film was created by Astute Films and Giving Films, which finance films about faith, religion, culture, and relationships and donate the profits to charity.
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3. Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door
- Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime
- Country: Germany
- Year: 1997
Plot. In the sky, there is nothing but talk about the sea and the sunset” – two completely different men, the detached Martin Brest and the law-abiding Rudi Wurlitzer, meet in the same hospital room. Both are terminally ill. In the course of a conversation over tequila, it turns out that one of the characters did not see the sea, for which, according to the second, in heaven, he will be “dubbed a sucker.” Disregarding the rules, the new acquaintances decide to fulfill their dream for the last time, steal the gangster boss’s car, and go towards the salty wind.
Interesting fact. The film had a rather small budget – about 2 million euros, so the filming took place in a short time, and the film was ready in just a month.
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2. Wish I Was Here
- Genre: Fantasy, Drama, Comedy
- Country: USA
- Year: 2014
Plot. As children, everyone wonders what they will become when they grow up. But what do you do if you have grown up but there is still no answer? The main character of the film is Aiden Bloom, a father of two children and a failed actor who does not let go of his dream and regularly goes to auditions while his wife Sarah works for two. Aiden’s father pays for his grandchildren to go to a private Jewish school because he wants them to grow up in religion, but soon, his cancer returns, and he has no money left for their studies. Then, the failed actor takes up the education of children and, teaching them about Life, gradually gets to know himself.
Interesting fact. Fans raised more than $3.1 million for the filming in just a month with the help of the collective funding site Kickstarter.
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1. Pay it Forward
- Genre: Drama
- Country: USA
- Year: 2000
Plot. Geometric progression, something that was not particularly memorable from school lessons, formed the basis of a concept that, according to the theory of seventh-grader Trevor McKinney, should increase the number of good deeds. The boy decided to start with himself and help three people, each of whom would eventually also have to help three people and expand this chain further. The idea spreads to other cities and finally reaches journalist Chris Chandler, who had an accident at the very beginning of the film and to whom a stranger offered his car in exchange for a business card. In the course of his investigation, he comes to the founder of the idea, Trevor.
Interesting fact. The idea of the “Pay it Forward” concept was embodied in one way or another by the Pay it Forward Foundation and the charity organization Timebank. The concept has also resonated with different segments of the population in other countries. So, for example, when you come to a coffee shop, you can hear, “Your coffee has been paid for.”
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