Ferris Bueller’s day Off (1986)
Genre: Teen Comedy
Director: John Hughes
Targeted age: 12+
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV
This iconic teen comedy captures the essence of a teenager’s mind and was arguably the blue print for the other classics, like ‘The Breakfast Club’. It encapsulates the desire that we all have felt, to break free from the tedious parts of life and to just let go and have fun. Told from the perspective of 17-year-old Ferris, who embodies mischief and freedom, it’s a little over an hour of pure nostalgic entertainment.
Ferris breaks the fourth wall where he talks directly at as, making us feel as if we are there, experiencing his freedom with him, his best friend, Cameron and his girlfriend, Sloan. Known for getting away with everything and his frequent school absences, he decides to have one last day before graduation. He feigns illness to his parents and the school, and takes his friends on an extravagant and spontaneous tour of the streets of Chicago in a Ferrari. The classic young vs old theme arises as Dean Rooney chases after him, determined to catch him in the act and spoil his fun.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is a film that I especially encourage you to watch and enjoy in the circumstances we are in now. Ferris speaks for everyone when he says “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it”.
Inception (2010)
Genre: Psychological- thriller
Director: Christopher Nolan
Targeted age: 15+
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play, Apple TV
The storyline of Inception is definitely complex, demanding your attention from the very start, but it will leave you marvelling at its brilliance by the end. It is designed to test the limits of the audience’s mind, as it will challenge your own perceptions of reality, your attentiveness to detail, and will push your imagination to the very edge.
Inception follows Mr Cobb, played by the famous Leonardo Di Caprio, who has acquired the unique ability to enter other people’s dreams and infiltrate their subconscious. He and his point man use this skill to steal information and uncover secrets from powerful figures, but it is dangerous, and eventually he comes face to face with the consequences of this thievery. When confronted with a risky offer that could potentially solve all of his problems, he accepts. He assembles a larger team: a chemist, an architect, a point man and a forger. Each play a significant role in an attempt to do what seems impossible: planting an idea into the dreamer’s mind, going layers and layers deep into their subconscious. His failure will cost him his life, but his success will return to him everything that he loves.
Inception will have you poised at the edge of your seat, rigid with anticipation and amazed at this wonderfully strange concept of travelling through dreams. The journey is thrilling and I highly recommend this film for an evening of suspense and excitement.
The Usual Suspects (1995)
Genre: Mystery-Thriller
Director: Bryan Singer, Michael McDonnell
Targeted age: 15+
Where to watch: Amazon
The Usual Suspects is a gripping recount of a dangerous heist gone wrong from the perspective of its only living criminal Verbal Kint (Kevin Spacey) from a team of five. These criminals with records of fraud, conning and thievery are roped into a potentially life-threatening job by an anonymous Keyser Söze. Keyser Söze – having been affected one way or another by each of these men’s past crimes- recruits these felons through a police line-up where this story is initially set.
The Usual Suspects is a must-watch neo-noir with unforeseen twists that are bound to leave you speechless. The narrative will keep you engrossed in the plot whilst also keeping you cautious of the information being given to you, perfect for a classic mystery-thriller.
The Departed (2006)
Genre: Crime-Thriller
Director: Martin Scorsese
Targeted age: 16+
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, Google Play, You Tube
The Departed is the perfect thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat. This slow burner features an undercover ex-cop Billy Costigan (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) and his attempt to infiltrate a drug-running crew run by Frank Costello (played by Jack Nicholson). However, a deep-rooted corrupt officer and Costello-associate Colin Sullivan (played by Matt Damon) constantly tries to outmanoeuvre efforts to take the gang down.
The Departed will leave viewers shocked and astounded at the unravelling storyline. Prolonged tension within this dynamic plot is what keeps watchers’ eyes glued to the screen every second, making this drama worth the watch.
Requiem for a dream (2000)
Genre: Psychological Drama
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Targeted age: 17+
Where to watch: Amazon Prime, You Tube, Google Play
Requiem for a dream is a hard-to-watch yet brilliant mind-warping drama about the progress of addiction within a mother and son. These two parallel yet diverse stories follow widow Sara Goldfarb (played by Ellen Burstyn) and her relationship with diet pills after being informed that she will appear on national television. Harry Goldfarb (Jared Leto) – Sara’s son- and his girlfriend Marion Silver (played by Jennifer Connelly) struggle with heroin addiction whilst trying to sell narcotics to make a living.
Requiem for a dream is an essential watch in order to grasp the idea of very raw and realistic tragedy. The chaotic yet outstanding editing combined with the bitter plot helps to perfectly capture the rawness of these two stories, leaving viewers perplexed yet impressed with this unmissable masterpiece.
The Peanut Butter Falcon (2019)
Genre: Comedy-drama
Director: Tyler Nilson
Targeted Age: 12/13+
Where to watch: Netflix, Google Play, Amazon Prime
This short but utterly moving film will serve you a soup of tears and warmth, telling a story of dreams and friendship. Set in the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the film follows a young man, Zak, with down syndrome and a lifelong ambition to become a wrestler. After he escapes from the nursing home, the only facility available to provide him with care, Zak follows this dream on a quest to find the wrestling school he has only seen on the TV. In this Huckleberry Fin-esque journey, Zak meets the towns small-time Outlaw and the two develop a raw relationship as they learn from each other. The Peanut Butter Falcon’s simplicity, established through its cinematography and attention to the details, depicts an adventure with authenticity.
Shoplifters (2018)
Genre: Crime, Drama
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Targeted Age: 14+
Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime
Kore-edas's film, Shoplifters, is littered with subtle details that build the film into a complex and intricate experience. Set in Tokyo, the film displays a family of thieves who take in a vulnerable child from the streets as it addresses themes of family, trust and guilt. The contrast between the innocence and strength of the character Yuri, executed by the 6-year-old actress, Miyu Sasaki, thoroughly adds to the overall impact of the film. Overall, the complexity of the characters, well-meaning people making bad decisions in awful circumstances builds on the tangled narrative until by the end, with a seamless plot twist, the audience are left to question everything they have just watched.
Written by the Social Column
Comments