Many psychologists see films as an extraordinarily effective complement to therapy, and this is due to various factors. Watching films can be revitalizing.
There is even the so-called "film therapy," which uses scenes to help people confront their fears. Through identification and empathy, one can become aware of their own problems. Furthermore, those who watch a film can experience anger or passion without suffering from the side effects.
Researchers studied around 2150 women and men who were over 50 at the beginning of the study and did not already suffer from a mental illness. After ten years, it was found that a large portion of the participants who went to the cinema every few months in the last ten years could reduce their risk of depression by more than 30 percent. Those who went even more often – about once a month – to the cinema or theater could reduce it by almost 50 percent.
The type of films we enjoy is related to our personality. Personally, I do not know if that is true, but I know that some films melted my heart and have become a part of me.
I am generally not a fan of American films. There are many great American films, especially independent films. However, when it comes to mainstream, there are many things I do not like about Hollywood films: violence, special effects, the "hero" figure, the huge egos, clichés, repetitions, and the list could go on. That is why I rarely watch them.
But in the end, it does not matter who produced the film. What counts is the story, which should be coherent and impactful. A good film should provoke questions and thoughts, be original, innovative, and challenging. I also like it when it has a characterful depth.
I have made my own list of beautiful films that have accompanied me to this day, including American ones. The list is random and not exhaustive:
La Grande Bellezza - Paolo Sorrentino (2013)
El Orfanato - J. A. Bayona (2007)
Call me by your name - Luca Guadagnino (2017)
Carol - Todd Haynes (2015)
American Beauty - Alan Ball / Sam Mendes (1999)
Undine - Christian Petzold (2020)
Toni Erdmann - Maren Ade (2016)
Paterson - Jim Jarmusch (2016)
E stata la mana di dio - Paolo Sorrentino (2021)
Here we Are - Nir Bergman (2020)
Platzspitzbaby - Pierre Monnard (2020)
Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach (2019)
Heidi - Alain Gsponer (2015)
The Nest -Sean Durkin (2020)
Black Cat, White Cat - Emir Kusturika (1998)
Blue Velvet - David Lynch (1986)
Bacalaureat - Cristian Mungiu (2016)
Ana, mon amour - Călin Peter Netzer (2017)
Alles ist gut - Eva Trobisch (2018)
Die göttliche Ordnung - Petra Volpe (2017)
Lara - Jan-Ole Gerster (2019)
What we wanted - Ulrike Kofler (2020)
La vita davanti a se - Edoardo Ponti (2020)
Mammut - Lukas Moodysson (2009)
Breakfats at Tiffany's - Blake Edwards (1961)
The English Patient - Anthony Minghella (1996)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Miloš Forman (1975)
Casablanca - Michael Curtiz (1942)
La vita e bella - Roberto Benigni (1997)
Before Sunset - Richard Linklater (2004)
Her - Spike Jonze (2013)
Paris, Texas - Wim Wenders (1984)
The Color Purple - Steven Spielberg (1985)
Trainspotting - Danny Boyle (1996)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind -Michel Gondry (2004)
Age of Adeline - Lee Toland Krieger (2015)
The Death of Mr Lazarescu - Cristi Puiu (2015)
The Kid with a Bike - Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne (2011)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days - Cristian Mungiu (2007)
Beyond the Hills - Cristian Mungiu (2012)
The Passion of Joan of Arc - Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928)
On Body and Soul - Ildikó Enyedi (2017)
Melancholia - Lars von Trier (2011)
La dolce Vita - Federico Fellini (1960)
Cyrano von Bergerac - Jean-Paul Rappeneau (1990)
Der Pianist - Roman Polański (2002)
Dogville - Lars von Trier (2003)
Belle de Jour - Luis Buñuel (1967)
There is even the so-called "film therapy," which uses scenes to help people confront their fears. Through identification and empathy, one can become aware of their own problems. Furthermore, those who watch a film can experience anger or passion without suffering from the side effects.
Researchers studied around 2150 women and men who were over 50 at the beginning of the study and did not already suffer from a mental illness. After ten years, it was found that a large portion of the participants who went to the cinema every few months in the last ten years could reduce their risk of depression by more than 30 percent. Those who went even more often – about once a month – to the cinema or theater could reduce it by almost 50 percent.
The type of films we enjoy is related to our personality. Personally, I do not know if that is true, but I know that some films melted my heart and have become a part of me.
I am generally not a fan of American films. There are many great American films, especially independent films. However, when it comes to mainstream, there are many things I do not like about Hollywood films: violence, special effects, the "hero" figure, the huge egos, clichés, repetitions, and the list could go on. That is why I rarely watch them.
But in the end, it does not matter who produced the film. What counts is the story, which should be coherent and impactful. A good film should provoke questions and thoughts, be original, innovative, and challenging. I also like it when it has a characterful depth.
I have made my own list of beautiful films that have accompanied me to this day, including American ones. The list is random and not exhaustive:
La Grande Bellezza - Paolo Sorrentino (2013)
El Orfanato - J. A. Bayona (2007)
Call me by your name - Luca Guadagnino (2017)
Carol - Todd Haynes (2015)
American Beauty - Alan Ball / Sam Mendes (1999)
Undine - Christian Petzold (2020)
Toni Erdmann - Maren Ade (2016)
Paterson - Jim Jarmusch (2016)
E stata la mana di dio - Paolo Sorrentino (2021)
Here we Are - Nir Bergman (2020)
Platzspitzbaby - Pierre Monnard (2020)
Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach (2019)
Heidi - Alain Gsponer (2015)
The Nest -Sean Durkin (2020)
Black Cat, White Cat - Emir Kusturika (1998)
Blue Velvet - David Lynch (1986)
Bacalaureat - Cristian Mungiu (2016)
Ana, mon amour - Călin Peter Netzer (2017)
Alles ist gut - Eva Trobisch (2018)
Die göttliche Ordnung - Petra Volpe (2017)
Lara - Jan-Ole Gerster (2019)
What we wanted - Ulrike Kofler (2020)
La vita davanti a se - Edoardo Ponti (2020)
Mammut - Lukas Moodysson (2009)
Breakfats at Tiffany's - Blake Edwards (1961)
The English Patient - Anthony Minghella (1996)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Miloš Forman (1975)
Casablanca - Michael Curtiz (1942)
La vita e bella - Roberto Benigni (1997)
Before Sunset - Richard Linklater (2004)
Her - Spike Jonze (2013)
Paris, Texas - Wim Wenders (1984)
The Color Purple - Steven Spielberg (1985)
Trainspotting - Danny Boyle (1996)
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind -Michel Gondry (2004)
Age of Adeline - Lee Toland Krieger (2015)
The Death of Mr Lazarescu - Cristi Puiu (2015)
The Kid with a Bike - Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne (2011)
4 Months 3 Weeks 2 Days - Cristian Mungiu (2007)
Beyond the Hills - Cristian Mungiu (2012)
The Passion of Joan of Arc - Carl Theodor Dreyer (1928)
On Body and Soul - Ildikó Enyedi (2017)
Melancholia - Lars von Trier (2011)
La dolce Vita - Federico Fellini (1960)
Cyrano von Bergerac - Jean-Paul Rappeneau (1990)
Der Pianist - Roman Polański (2002)
Dogville - Lars von Trier (2003)
Belle de Jour - Luis Buñuel (1967)
