We’ve already written about the way movies can move and inspire us; while that article was directly related to sports movies and their ability to get us up off the couch and moving again, we wanted to revisit the idea of inspirational films (we find we’re always in need of inspiration, despite our best efforts to keep ourselves working the grind, day in and day out) and take a look at some non-sports movies that have the power to inspire us, to allow us to ask more of ourselves and to help us grow as individuals. And as crazy as it is to think, we actually believe that movies have the power to do this, despite the fact that they’re just made up of moving pictures on a two-dimensional screen. That, in and of itself, is a wondrous feat, and we felt it warranted an article looking into 10 of the most inspirational films ever made. We hope you guys are as inspired by these as we are, because after watching them all we can’t help but feel like anything is possible.
10. Harold and Maude
This dark comedy was released way back in 1971 and was directed by the acclaimed Hal Ashby. Due to its age and relative obscurity, some of our viewers may not be familiar with Harold and Maude, which tells the story of two extremely mismatched individuals who partake in a road trip to re-discover what it means to live, and live well. Harold (Bud Cort) is obsessed with death; he spends his days attending funerals for people he never knew, staging mock suicides to distress his mother, and driving around in a hearse. Maude (Ruth Gordon) is a 79-year-old woman who is also fascinated with death, but in a very different way; her quirky, carefree approach to life and everything about it exists in harsh contrast to Harold’s dour attitude, and when the two become close friends (and eventual lovers), Maude makes it her mission to teach Harold how to appreciate his time on Earth. It’s a deeply funny, important film that’s about distancing yourself from the crushing presence of death so as to better appreciate the life in front of you. We can’t think of any film better to kick off a list focusing on inspiration and positivity.
http://www.sky.com/tv/movie/harold-and-maude-1971 Source: Sky.com