As a film student and journalist, there’s nothing I love to talk about more than my own experiences with the world of cinema. While it’s hard to pinpoint exactly which films have influenced the way my life has moved, there are certain examples that have had a powerful impact on me—often shaping the person I am today. These aren’t just my favourite films because they make me laugh or look amazing; they truly reflect my life in film.
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (2005) dir. Nick Park and Steve Box
It would be wrong not to start with my ultimate feel-good film, and one of the most entertaining films ever released. This is a film so encompassing of all human emotion it doesn’t deserve to be held under the bracket of a ‘children’s film’, because honestly, I know more adults who get joy out of it than I do kids. Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, the first full-length feature film from the Wallace & Gromit universe, is one of those films that knows how to make you feel better: it can almost sense what you need to smile. Released in 2005, when I was just five, there hasn’t been a year that has gone by where I haven’t forced my friends or family to sit through a viewing of it with me. You cry, but then instantly you laugh; you feel shocked but then straight away you feel an overwhelming sense of comfort. I still to this day don’t know how Aardman Animations managed to make an idiotic dreamer of an engineer and a human-like but mute dog into one of the best double acts of all time.
Hot Fuzz (2007) dir. Edgar Wright
If I had a pound for every time I’ve popped this film on when I don’t know what else to watch, I’d be very rich by now. I think a lot of people share this opinion when I say Hot Fuzz is not only one of the best British comedies of all time, but a comedy film that manages to connect to audiences on many levels. As someone who grew up in the countryside and was recently thrown into city life, the way Hot Fuzz mocks days spent organizing the village fete, dealing with the lack of police funding and the joke that outsiders (and insiders) think the parish council is secretly a real-life cult feels brilliantly close to home. Edgar Wright’s script, supported by the brilliant Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, offered me not only a relatable perspective of village life (with a bit of murder thrown in for good measure) but a form of escapism that I had never really thought about before.
Let Him Have It (1991) dir. Peter Medak
Medak’s Let Him Have It is a film that slips past many people’s radars, yet in Year 9 English class it is the film that basically changed my life trajectory. Witnessing a film that truly made me react in a visceral way was something I hadn’t faced before this point, yet watching a true story of injustice unfold in the grittiest way before my eyes changed my perspective of cinema forever. I realised just how important film is for telling stories, and how the medium is often overlooked in its influence on our fears, feelings and opinions. As well as noticing how I was impacted by the film in that moment of watching it, I started to focus on the way in which politics and social issues could be picked apart and analysed, and from that moment on I couldn’t stop thinking about just what film does for audiences. Not only did the film directly influence my standing on the issue of capital punishment, but seven years down the line and writing about just how films impact audiences is what I do for a living.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) dir. Michel Gondry
There isn’t a film out there that I find more beautiful than Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. With two actors I had always connected with specific areas—Winslet with her stunning performance in 1997’s Titanic and Jim Carrey with his numerous comedy roles—I wasn’t expecting these two to join forces for a deep dive into the psyche. Gondry’s film offered me a new way at looking into cinema, gaining an appreciation for cinematography and scriptwriting. From wide establishing shots to the importance of Winslet’s hair colour in the stages of the film’s narrative, Eternal Sunshine became my favourite film because it taught me so much about a director’s insights.
Pride (2014) dir. Matthew Warchus
When someone asks me what my favourite film is, Pride is usually the answer I give to that question. Not only is it one of the most uplifting films I’ve ever seen, but it’s a brilliant re-telling of 1980s miner’s strikes. I once recommended it to a friend and they went on to tell me that they’d managed to convince all their friends to see it, with one even watching it three times in a week. If that’s not the sign of a brilliant film, I don’t know what is. Pride even boasts some famous names like Bill Nighy, Paddy Considine and Andrew Scott, as well as offering upcoming talent such as the now-famous George MacKay. Pride ignited my draw to activism, exploring the realities of the lives of LGBT individuals living in a time of great social change.
Honourable Mentions: Django Unchained (2012), Amores Perros (2001), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Fish Tank (2009), Being John Malkovich (1999), Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Carol (2015)
Words by Katie Evans
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