(These are in no particular order because they’re all flawless to me!)
- Shawshank Redemption
This is definitely my go-to choice when someone asks me my “favorite movie” but truthfully there is no such thing as a favorite in my mind, every film on this list is my favorite. If you have never seen Shawshank Redemption you are missing out because no movie is so perfectly paced, narrated, and cast as this one. The story can be tough at times but the overall message makes the journey worth it. The amount of pop-culture alone this film has inspired makes it a must-watch. It’s a movie I think everyone could take some value out of.
- Fight Club
I know I’m not supposed to talk about it… Again, this is a film that inspired so much after it that I think everyone should see it at some point in their lives. I think it is such poignant commentary on masculinity and the human condition in general while maintaining a somewhat light and humorous tone. If you like dark irony, this is definitely the movie for you. It also has one of the greatest twists of all time.
- Lady Bird
This may be a biased pick on my part but movie watching is inherently biased. I think Lady Bird is such a modern classic. I love every actor in this film, Saoirse Ronan does such an incredible job as the lead and I just love the story. I am always drawn to movies that don’t rely on supernatural, magical, or extreme elements to make their plot interesting and, to me, Ladybird is a good example of this. It is just about a girl growing up in a small town, learning how to navigate the world. Her family is imperfect. She is imperfect. And the world is imperfect.
- Little Women (2019)
Yeah I put two Saoirse Ronan movies on the list, sue me. This book is already a crown jewel of feminist literature so the film adaptation was working with the best of the best plot/character wise. I love this movie because I think the whole cast and direction really brought the story to life in a way not many can. It is not easy to transfer a book to the screen and Greta Gerwig did an amazing job at saving the core of all the characters and handling the emotions and purpose of each of them.
- The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
I am not even going to elaborate on this one, a beloved film for a reason. The sugar cube scene changed my life.
- Past Lives
This is the newest movie on this list and my Letterboxd “hall of fame” as it just came out last year. I can only describe this film as beautiful. Every aspect of it is absolutely lovely. The story is so human and yet it’s about something bigger than even that. I don’t ever want to describe the plot because if you haven’t seen this movie it is better to just go in blind. I would say it’s a love story but I don’t know if that’s true, or even enough.
(Reminder: These are in no particular order because they’re all flawless to me!)