5 Best Movies for our Times

There is so much fear in our lives today, with the war in Ukraine, the topsy-turvy style of the Trump government, the Israeli- Hamas conflict, climate change, threats to women’s rights, to name a few. Oh my. We need to jump to the love-based world of the virgin archetype (where power comes from knowing yourself, and being yourself, separate from what the world expects from you). Here are my recommendations for 5 movies that will entertain you and plant seeds for how to handle the challenges ahead.

Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (E, E, AaO)

E, E, AaO is mocking a hero story, where the goal is to assert your will even against resistance. It’s rescuing people from the harm that this attitude has does. Each heroic victory and loss is marked with the refrain “it doesn’t matter”. Watching this movie is crazy making at first. Once you give up any hope of seeing progress towards a goal, the real movie starts revealing itself.

The point of the film is to awaken to what really matters. This is the gift of chaos. And when your fear-based tools aren’t working, try love.  Evelyn is living her life through the lens of what her father would approve of, which has nothing to do with love. She needs to go on the journey to understand her inner world- what is driving her to treat her husband with disappointment, to long for the life she could have had as if it were better, to do to her daughter what her father did to her. Once she has let go of what was keeping her stuck, there is room to know what really matters. There is a lot to be discovered. And Evelyn shows us how this transformation comes about.

Joker

This powerful cautionary tale shows us what happens when we neglect the little guy. Somewhere along the line, Western culture, or was it Americans, started worshipping money-makers and high achievers. This meritocracy believes the winners deserve the rewards and respect and advantages that life has to offer. On the flip side, the people challenged by poverty, mental illness, and prejudices are often judged as the losers and therefor deserving of fewer rewards, respect, and advantages.

The writing in this screenplay is spectacular. Pay close attention to the background stories on the radio, the interviews by reporters, and the way the stock brokers are showing their values. Joker asks the audience to notice these values and question them. At the same time Arthur Fleck is humanized and we feel for those left out of the respect and care all people deserve. The message is ramped up to make it shocking, but do we hear echoes of that thinking in society today?

The lower and middle class are not stupid and eventually the feeling of being unfairly treated finds an outlet, and the rebellion becomes contagious. The secret world of Arthur Fleck is both dark and disarmingly authentic. He is working so hard to earn love, in a system (institutional and family) that tells him he is unlovable. Eventually he gives up what kept him stuck – the need for other’s approval – and decides to stop playing society’s game. As he demands respect, the system starts to crumble and the chaos catalyzes organic change.  That’s one way to go. Do we have time to devise another way?

Happy Go Lucky

When times are tough, we need feel good movies, and this is a wacky one. What I love about Happy Go Luckyis that life is not perfect for school teacher, Poppy, but again and again she chooses act out of love-based feelings. It’s so important to find ways to laugh when fear-based signals are overwhelming us. And to be caring even in the face of defensive anger.

Seeing the world through Poppy’s eyes we learn how to activate our love-based perspective, even when others are seething with fear. I noticed how she lives in the fear-based world when her back needs medical attention, seeing a doctor, but as soon as the pain subsides, she is back to searching for the joy in life.

One day, Poppy’s attitude to life gives her a deeper interest of the little boy in her class who is beating up other students. Rather than labelling him as bad, she assumes a loving attitude and explores what is making the boy angry with curiosity and a yes-and-both attitude. Because of this, Poppy and the handsome social worker are able to find a real and lasting resolution.

Understanding childhood trauma might turn out to be useful in the future.  I’m not saying we should all be like Poppy. Only that we should not be dismissive of her way. There is something valuable to learn here.

Her

Artificial Intelligence is coming, and it is up to each of us to understand what is important about being human, before we become enjoined with AI. Fortunately, Theodore (Joaquin Phoenix, again) is here to show us how to go on this journey.

Theo is a sympathetic card writer, and he’s good at it. But his personal life has crashed and burned. Having lost trust in people, he enlists an AI life companion.

First thing he does is sink into the experience, and see where it takes him. His plan seems to be  to stay connected to what he genuinely feels. This authenticity and connection protects him from going too far astray, despite being at odds with his friends and looking like quite the fool at times. It is this genuine connection that guides him through the evolution of his feelings.

Maybe that’s what we all are going to have to learn to do, in order to preserve what really matters about being human, while benefitting from the great things AI can offer.

Jojo Rabbit

A young boy, Jojo, whose father is missing, and whose mother keeps saying things that will make powerful people angry, tries to navigate this world by having an imaginary best friend - Hitler. His goal is to be a good Junior Nazi. His mom, in a beautiful display of unconditional love, supports him in attending the training camp and wearing the uniform, while occasionally presenting alternative perspectives.  Rebels can’t make their point while using the same tactics as their enemy, namely imposing their values and beliefs without regard for the feelings of others. Rebels win when they stand for something that captures the hearts of all good people – like everyone deserves respect.

When Jojo discovers a Jewish girl in the closet, he experiences the most inconvenient feelings of love. His mother shows him that even in the most dangerous of times, we can act out of kindness. And in turn, others feel inspired to do the same for us, and others. Jojo’s Mom has the superpower of knowing fear is pushed aside by love.

 Jojo Rabbit allows us to look at our history with good humour in order to see what really matters, and learn from these lessons the next time we face a murderous dictator. Another movie that makes a good point is Life is Beautiful. We have a choice in what we focus on, and it is contagious.

All these movies follow the structure of The Virgin archetype who strives to know herself, separate from what everyone else expects of her. Try watching them with that structure in mind.