Game Changers
Films that change you. Ones with contagious attitudes of courage. All of them deal with the vast landscape of loss.
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- DirectorDavid WachsStarsJack BeersArthur HillerKatherine Oliver94-year-old New Yorker, Jack Beers, has broken the age barrier full force. He can do what most young men can, and his diverse lifetime achievements would take many to accomplish. The film begins with Mayor Bloomberg acknowledging Jack, we see Jack's name on the marquee of Radio City Music Hall, and at 94 he rips a telephone book into 4 pieces with his hands. Jack was raised in poverty in Manhattan, was a strongman, built Radio City Music Hall, at The Manhattan Project he invented something that shortened WW2, erected the Empire State Building spire, was a professional dog trainer, was a film actor in 200+ films, beat terminal illnesses, and today rides 5 miles on a stationary bike. He's "goin' for 100!"
- DirectorOlivier NakacheÉric ToledanoStarsFrançois CluzetOmar SyAnne Le NyAfter he becomes a quadriplegic from a paragliding accident, an aristocrat hires a young man from the projects to be his caregiver.Totally delightful. One of my all-time favorite movies.
- DirectorGavin O'ConnorStarsTom HardyNick NolteJoel EdgertonThe youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.Some of the best acting I've ever seen. Nolte at his best. But there is a scene between the two brothers on the beach where Joel Edgerton is electrifying with a single twitch of his lip. Hardy's signature under-playing of his character is genius.
- DirectorBrian HelgelandStarsChadwick BosemanT.R. KnightHarrison FordIn 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.
- DirectorJohn G. AvildsenStarsStephen DorffArmin Mueller-StahlMorgan FreemanAn English boy, living in Africa during World War II, through his boxing prowess, becomes a symbol of hope, in a time of war.
- DirectorBrad MirmanStarsHarvey KeitelClaire ForlaniGiancarlo GianniniAn aspiring young writer (Jackson) tracks a literary titan (Keitel) suffering from writers block to his refuge in rural Italy and learns about life and love from the irascible genius and his daughters.
- DirectorPhillip NoyceStarsHilary SwankBrenda BlethynSam ClaflinTwo mothers lose their sons to malaria.Giving succor heals grief.
- DirectorSteven SpielbergStarsLiam NeesonRalph FiennesBen KingsleyIn German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.
- DirectorBeth MurphyStarsSusan RetikPatti QuigleyTom FlemingSusan Retik and Patti Quigley are two ordinary soccer moms living in the affluent suburbs of Boston until tragedy strikes. Rather than turning inwards, grief compels these women to focus on the country where the terrorists who took their husbands' lives were trained: Afghanistan. Over the course of two years, as they cope with loss and struggle to raise their families as single mothers, these extraordinary women dedicate themselves to empowering Afghan widows whose lives have been ravaged by decades of war, poverty and oppression - factors they consider to be the root causes of terrorism. As Susan and Patti make the courageous journey from their comfortable neighborhoods to the most desperate Afghan villages, they discover a powerful bond with each other, an unlikely kinship with widows halfway around the world, and a profound way to move beyond tragedy. From the ruins of the World Trade Center to those of Kabul and back, theirs is a journey of personal strength and international reconciliation, and a testament to the vision that peace can be forged - one woman at a time.If you think that nothing can be done to stop war, watch this.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsAnton GlanzeliusTomas von BrömssenAnki LidénIn the late '50s, young Ingemar learns a lot about life and himself when he is sent away from his sick mother to live with his aunt and uncle in a town full of eccentrics.
- DirectorGabriel AxelStarsStéphane AudranBodil KjerBirgitte FederspielDuring the late 19th century, a strict religious community in a Danish village takes in a French refugee from the Franco-Prussian War as a servant to the late pastor's daughters.Sharing one's passion is the greatest joy of all.
- DirectorCharles DanceStarsJudi DenchMaggie SmithDaniel BrühlTwo sisters befriend a mysterious foreigner who washes up on the beach of their 1930s Cornish seaside village.
- DirectorRoger SpottiswoodeStarsJonathan Rhys MeyersRadha MitchellChow Yun-FatAbout young British journalist, George Hogg, who with the assistance of a courageous Australian nurse, saves a group of orphaned children during the Japanese occupation of China in 1937.
- DirectorStephen WalkerSally GeorgeStarsJoe BenoitHelen BostonLouise CanadyA documentary on a chorus of senior citizens from Massachusetts who cover songs by Jimi Hendrix, Coldplay, Sonic Youth, and other unexpected musicians.You'll come away with a big smile.
- DirectorJim WhitakerStarsTim BrownNicholas ChirlsBrian LyonsFilmed over the ensuing years after the attack on New York's World Trade Center, this documentary takes a look a the physical and emotional healing process involved in the aftermath of such a tragedy.
- DirectorAlberto NegrinStarsLuca ZingarettiJérôme AngerAmanda SandrelliThe real story of Giorgio Perlasca (Luca Zingaretti). During the 1920s he was an Italian Fascist supporter, fighting in Africa and in the Spanish Civil War where he received safe conduct credential for Spanish embassies. After some years, disillusioned by fascism, he became a supplier for the Italian army. During the war he was in business in Budapest. He lives an easy life there, well introduced into the Hungarian high society, without any problems being caused by the war. When the Germans occupied Hungary, in 1944, he escaped to the Spanish embassy in Budapest using his old safe conduct credential and becoming a Spanish citizen, changing his name to Jorge Perlasca. He starts working as a diplomat there. When Sanz Briz (Geza Tordy), the Spanish consul, is removed, Perlasca immediately substitutes him, like if he was officially appointed from Spanish authorities. All the Germans and the Hungarian authorities believe him. In his new fake assignment, he starts immediately to hide, shield, and feed thousands of Jews issuing fake Spanish safe conducts for the Jews of Sephardic origin. He is in contact with Raoul Wallenberg, another hero of that time. The two, together with other volunteers, running incredible risks had saved thousands of Hungarian Jews from a tragic death. Incredibly, Perlasca succeeded to save two boys directly from the hands of Adolf Eichmann at the train station. This hero, after the war, was completely forgotten, and his story comes out just in the 1980s because some of the Hungarian Jews wanted to meet him again.
- DirectorRoland JofféStarsRobert De NiroJeremy IronsRay McAnallyEighteenth-century Spanish Jesuits try to protect a remote South American tribe in danger of falling under the rule of pro-slavery Portugal.Redemption. One of De Niro's best.
- DirectorJames CameronStarsLeonardo DiCaprioKate WinsletBilly ZaneA seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.Definite schmaltz but great anyway.
- DirectorJustin ChadwickStarsNaomie HarrisOliver LitondoTony KgorogeThe story of an 84 year-old Kenyan villager and ex Mau Mau veteran who fights for his right to go to school for the first time to get the education he could never afford.You're never too old...
- DirectorTony KayeStarsEdward NortonEdward FurlongBeverly D'AngeloLiving a life marked by violence, neo-Nazi Derek finally goes to prison after killing two black youths. Upon his release, Derek vows to change; he hopes to prevent his brother, Danny, who idolizes Derek, from following in his footsteps.Warning: quite violent.
- DirectorRoman PolanskiStarsAdrien BrodyThomas KretschmannFrank FinlayDuring WWII, acclaimed Polish musician Wladyslaw faces various struggles as he loses contact with his family. As the situation worsens, he hides in the ruins of Warsaw in order to survive.
- DirectorDanny BoyleLoveleen TandanStarsDev PatelFreida PintoSaurabh ShuklaA teenager from the slums of Mumbai becomes a contestant on the show 'Kaun Banega Crorepati?' When interrogated under suspicion of cheating, he revisits his past, revealing how he had all the answers.
- DirectorBernardo BertolucciStarsRobert De NiroGérard DepardieuDominique SandaThe epic tale of a class struggle in twentieth-century Italy as seen through the eyes of two childhood friends on opposing sides.Warning: violent
- DirectorBaz LuhrmannStarsNicole KidmanHugh JackmanShea AdamsIn 1939, an Englishwoman inherits a sprawling ranch in northern Australia and reluctantly makes a pact with a stockman to drive 2000 head of cattle over unforgiving landscape.Definite schmaltz but great anyway.
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsJudi DenchBill NighyMaggie SmithBritish retirees travel to India to take up residence in what they believe is a newly restored hotel. Less luxurious than advertised, the Marigold Hotel nevertheless slowly begins to charm in unexpected ways.Aging can be adorable. All star cast.
- DirectorTim WhitbyStarsGeorge MacKayBebe SandersLeigh QuinnIn 1943, a refugee doctor from Nazi Germany uses new methods to rehabilitate those with spinal injuries in Great Britain. Based on actual events.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsRobert RedfordKristin Scott ThomasSam NeillThe mother of a severely traumatized daughter enlists the aid of a unique horse trainer to help the girl's equally injured horse.
- DirectorCindy MeehlStarsBuck BrannamanGary MyersBibb FrazierAn examination of the life of acclaimed 'horse whisperer' Buck Brannaman, who recovered from years of child abuse to become a well-known expert in the interactions between horses and people.The real horse whisperer portrayed by Redford in his film by the same name.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsClaire DanesJulia OrmondDavid StrathairnA biopic of Temple Grandin, an autistic woman who has become one of the top scientists in the humane livestock handling industry.Autism
- DirectorMax GiwaDania PasquiniStarsNichola BurleyRichard WinsorUkweli RoachIn order to win the Street Dance Championships, a dance crew is forced to work with ballet dancers from the Royal Dance School in exchange for rehearsal space.
- DirectorRobert RedfordStarsWill SmithMatt DamonCharlize TheronA down-and-out golfer attempts to recover his game and his life with help from a mystical caddie.
- DirectorPatty JenkinsStarsCharlize TheronChristina RicciBruce DernBased on the life of Aileen Wuornos, a Daytona Beach prostitute who became a serial killer.
- DirectorSally PotterStarsChristina RicciCate BlanchettOleg YankovskiyA young refugee traveling from Russia to America in search of her lost father falls for a gypsy horseman.
- DirectorDavid LynchStarsAnthony HopkinsJohn HurtAnne BancroftA Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of kindness, intelligence and sophistication.
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsJohnny DeppLeonardo DiCaprioJuliette LewisA young man in a small Midwestern town struggles to care for his mentally-disabled younger brother and morbidly obese mother while attempting to pursue his own happiness.
- DirectorBille AugustStarsLiam NeesonGeoffrey RushUma ThurmanValjean, a former criminal, has atoned for his past and now finds himself in the midst of the French Revolution, avoiding a law-obsessed policeman hell-bent on capturing him.
- DirectorJeremiah S. ChechikStarsJohnny DeppMary Stuart MastersonAidan QuinnA mentally ill young woman finds her love in an eccentric man who models himself after Buster Keaton.
- DirectorRichard CurtisStarsHugh GrantMartine McCutcheonLiam NeesonFollows the lives of eight very different couples in dealing with their love lives in various loosely interrelated tales all set during a frantic month before Christmas in London, England.
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsKate WinsletRalph FiennesBruno GanzPost-WWII Germany: Nearly a decade after his affair with an older woman came to a mysterious end, law student Michael Berg re-encounters his former lover as she defends herself in a war-crime trial.
- DirectorHal AshbyStarsRuth GordonBud CortVivian PicklesYoung, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral.
- DirectorMichel Orion ScottStarsRupert IsaacsonKristin NeffRowan IsaacsonA writer documents the journey his family takes to Mongolia to consult with nomadic shamans on the healing of their autistic son.Autism
- DirectorIrwin WinklerStarsKevin KlineAshley JuddJonathan PryceInspecting a magical biographical stage musical, composer Cole Porter reviews his life and career with his wife, Linda.
- DirectorKay PollakStarsMichael NyqvistFrida HallgrenHelen SjöholmA famous international conductor returns to his small childhood town in Sweden for early retirement. He's asked to help with the church choir. He affects the lives of all in the choir.
- DirectorMichael McGowanStarsAdam ButcherCampbell ScottJennifer TillySaint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth-grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
- DirectorVincent WardStarsRobin WilliamsCuba Gooding Jr.Annabella SciorraChris Nielsen dies in an accident, and enters Heaven. But when he discovers that his beloved wife Annie has killed herself out of grief over the loss, he embarks on an afterlife adventure to reunite with her.
- DirectorWolfgang PetersenStarsNoah HathawayBarret OliverTami StronachA troubled boy dives into a wondrous fantasy world through the pages of a mysterious book.
- DirectorNigel ColeStarsBrenda BlethynCraig FergusonMartin ClunesA small-town English widow, facing financial troubles after her husband's suicide, turns to agriculture of an illegal kind.
- DirectorHesham IssawiStarsSayed BadreyaErick AvariAnthony AziziA family man (Badreya) opens an authentic Middle Eastern restaurant with his best friend, who's Jewish.
- DirectorJohn BoormanStarsSarah MilesDavid HaymanSebastian Rice-EdwardsBill, a young boy living on the outskirts of London experiences the exhilaration of World War II. During this period, Bill learns about sex, death, love, hypocrisy, and the faults of adults as he prowls the ruins of bombed houses.
- DirectorStephen DaldryStarsJamie BellJulie WaltersJean HeywoodA talented young boy becomes torn between his unexpected love of dance and the disintegration of his family.Stereotypes be damned.
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsJuliet StevensonAlan RickmanJenny HoweA woman dealing with inconsolable grief over the death of her partner gets another chance when he returns to earth as a ghost.Added by Pamela King
- DirectorCraig GillespieStarsRyan GoslingEmily MortimerPaul SchneiderA delusional young man strikes up an unconventional relationship with a doll he finds on the Internet.Added by Pamela King ... Genius of a movie.
- DirectorPhil Alden RobinsonStarsKevin CostnerJames Earl JonesRay LiottaIowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.Added by Pamela King
- DirectorClint EastwoodStarsHilary SwankClint EastwoodMorgan FreemanFrankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.Added by Pamela King
- DirectorCherien DabisStarsNisreen FaourMelkar MuallemHiam AbbassA drama centered on the trials and tribulations of a proud Palestinian Christian immigrant single mother and her teenage son in small town Indiana.Added by Katherine Werner
- DirectorMike MillsStarsEwan McGregorChristopher PlummerMélanie LaurentA young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer and that he has a young male lover.Added by Pamela King
- DirectorEmilio EstevezStarsMartin SheenEmilio EstevezDeborah Kara UngerA father heads overseas to recover the body of his estranged son who died while traveling the "El camino de Santiago," and decides to take the pilgrimage himself.Wonderful portrayal of how grief humbles and brings people together.
- DirectorRichard LoncraineStarsJulie WaltersJim BroadbentThora HirdThe movie chronicles the struggles of Deric and Diana Longden, a happily married couple who try to cope with Diana's inexplicable degenerative disease which causes occasional paralysis of her extremities and periodic blackouts. One day, while attending a literary luncheon, Deric meets Aileen Armitage, a woman novelist with whom he strikes up a close friendship. Diana soon discover their relationship and calls Aileen, asking to meet her.(Also known as The Wedding Gift) This movie is about love to the end. Not sentimental or melodramatic love, but compassionate, enduring love of selflessness which would never think to be resentful. (It's tough to find but occasionally pops up on Amazon or Netflix)
- DirectorLasse HallströmStarsRichard GereJoan AllenCary-Hiroyuki TagawaProfessor Wilson discovers a lost Akita puppy on his way home. Despite objections from his wife, Hachi endears himself to the family and grows to be Parker's loyal companion. As their bond grows deeper, a beautiful relationship unfolds.Box of Kleenex needed.
- DirectorDan HayesStarsBert BrachEarl BrussJoe DeanHonor Flight chronicles a community coming together to honor World War II veterans. The film follows a team of Midwest volunteers as they race against the clock to send every local WWII veterans to see the memorials built in their honor.Every American should watch this movie.
- DirectorThom FitzgeraldStarsOlympia DukakisBrenda FrickerKristin BoothA lesbian couple escape from their nursing home and head up to Canada to get married. Along the way, they pick up a young, male hitchhiker.
- DirectorAndrew AdamsonStarsHugh LaurieXzannjah MatsiHealesville JoelAs a war rages on in the province of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea, a young girl becomes transfixed by the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations, which is being read at school by the only white man in the village.
- DirectorOrlando von EinsiedelStarsAndré BaumaEmmanuel de MerodeMélanie GoubyA team of brave individuals risk their lives to protect the last mountain gorillas.
- DirectorJonathan TeplitzkyStarsColin FirthNicole KidmanStellan SkarsgårdA former British Army officer, who was tortured as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II, discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him.The power of forgiveness exceeds the most brutal darkness.
- DirectorAlexander PayneStarsGeorge ClooneyShailene WoodleyAmara MillerA land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.This movie forces you into the slow pace of real life and the process both of accepting death and waking up to what's really important in life. I did not like it the 1st time I watched it, but the 2nd watch, I let its slow, thoughtful pacing lead me into its message. One of Clooney's best performances.
- DirectorAlan RickmanStarsKate WinsletAlan RickmanStanley TucciTwo talented landscape artists become romantically entangled while building a garden in King Louis XIV's palace at Versailles.Admittedly, I am a Kate Wislet fan, not only for her spectacular talent in portraying endless nuances of vulnerability, but also because she chooses such wonderful films to be in.
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsMatthew McConaugheyAnne HathawayJessica ChastainWhen Earth becomes uninhabitable in the future, a farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Joseph Cooper, is tasked to pilot a spacecraft, along with a team of researchers, to find a new planet for humans.With a stellar cast, (excuse the pun), this is, without a doubt Matthew McConaughey's vehicle of brilliant acting. The premise challenges how we traditionally think of time.
- DirectorEllen PerryStarsDamian LewisBob HoskinsRebekah StatonAn orphan journeys across Europe to the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul.How a little boy deals with the death of his father. You'll laugh and cry.
- DirectorRichard GlatzerWash WestmorelandStarsJulianne MooreAlec BaldwinKristen StewartA linguistics professor and her family find their bonds tested when she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease.This was a hard one to watch, but Julianne Moore personifies this dreaded disease with great depth and tenderness.
- DirectorRichard TrankStarsKevin CostnerDyab Abou JahjahMilo AdonerEver Again examines the sweeping resurgence of antisemitism in 21st century Europe and its connection to global terrorism.See my review.
- DirectorJonathan DemmeStarsMeryl StreepKevin KlineMamie GummerA musician who gave up everything for her dream of rock-and-roll stardom returns home, looking to make things right with her family.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsBilly Bob ThorntonHalle BerryTaylor SimpsonAfter a family tragedy, a racist prison guard re-examines his attitudes while falling in love with the African-American wife of the last prisoner he executed.
- DirectorRamin BahraniStarsAndrew GarfieldMichael ShannonLaura DernA recently unemployed single father struggles to get back his foreclosed home by working for the real estate broker who is the source of his frustration.
- DirectorPeter LandesmanStarsWill SmithAlec BaldwinAlbert BrooksIn Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.David and Goliath.
- DirectorTom McCarthyStarsMark RuffaloMichael KeatonRachel McAdamsThe true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.Really important film that pulls no punches about exposing the sins of the Catholic Church in covering up pedophilia.
- DirectorJay RoachStarsBryan CranstonDiane LaneHelen MirrenIn 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.Lest you think that government surveillance of private citizens or scapegoating is new, Trumbo will enlighten you.
- DirectorRyan MurphyStarsMark RuffaloJonathan GroffFrank De JulioIn the early 1980s, the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New York led to an emergence of homosexual activists. With support from the medical community, they try to raise awareness about the disease.Another important history of the AIDs epidemic. Another film, "We Were Here" (2011) covers the West Coast AIDs movement. Both are inspiring.
- DirectorAdam McKayStarsChristian BaleSteve CarellRyan GoslingIn 2006-2007 a group of investors bet against the United States mortgage market. In their research, they discover how flawed and corrupt the market is.Finally, a film that shows some awareness of the 2008 housing collapse.
- DirectorJohn Michael McDonaghStarsBrendan GleesonChris O'DowdKelly ReillyAfter he is threatened during a confession, a good-natured priest must battle the dark forces closing in around him.A priest with the right perspective.
- DirectorAndré SingerStarsHelena Bonham CarterJasper BrittonLeonard BerneyResearchers discover film footage from World War II that turns out to be a lost documentary shot by Alfred Hitchcock and Sidney Bernstein in 1945 about German concentration camps.So powerful, it should be shown to every person in the world.
- DirectorJames VanderbiltStarsCate BlanchettRobert RedfordDennis QuaidNewsroom drama detailing the 2004 CBS "60 Minutes" report investigating then-President George W. Bush's military service, and the subsequent firestorm of criticism that cost anchor Dan Rather and producer Mary Mapes their careers.An important portrayal of how truth becomes the casualty when power and politics infect journalism. Blanchett & Redford are superb.
- DirectorRaoul PeckStarsIdris ElbaCarole KaremeraPamela NomveteWhen the Hutu nationalists raised arms against their Tutsi countrymen in Rwanda in April 1994, the violent uprising marked the beginning of one of the darkest times in African history which resulted in the deaths of almost 800,000 people.Idris Elba portrays a man caught in a horrific situation. Elba is brilliant in his understated external emotions made even more powerful by subtle nuance. Beautifully written & directed by Raul Peck. Warning: this is not an easy watch.
- DirectorDavid WeissmanBill WeberStarsEd WolfDaniel GoldsteinGuy ClarkA deep and reflective look at the arrival and impact of AIDS in San Francisco and how individuals rose to the occasion during the first years of this unimaginable crisis.Inspirational. How the San Francisco gay community transformed itself in the AIDs epidemic.
- StarsClaire FoyChristian CookeItay TiranA young British girl travels to Palestine, retracing the steps of her grandfather - a British soldier stationed there in the 1940s.Does not simply the complex issues of 1948 or today but instead tackles the right and wrong of both sides while telling the story of this amazing young woman.
- DirectorLouis MalleStarsAndre GregoryWallace ShawnJean LenauerTwo old friends meet for dinner; as one tells anecdotes detailing his experiences, the other notices their differing worldviews.
- DirectorRoland JofféStarsSam WaterstonHaing S. NgorJohn MalkovichA journalist is trapped in Cambodia during tyrant Pol Pot's bloody 'Year Zero' cleansing campaign, which claimed the lives of two million 'undesirable' civilians.
- DirectorRichard AttenboroughStarsDenzel WashingtonKevin KlineJosette SimonSouth African journalist Donald Woods is forced to flee the country after attempting to investigate the death in custody of his friend, the Black anti-Apartheid activist Steve Biko.
- DirectorGabriele MuccinoStarsWill SmithRosario DawsonWoody HarrelsonA man with a fateful secret embarks on an extraordinary journey of redemption by forever changing the lives of seven strangers.Will Smith is one of the most under-rated actors in film. Truly a remarkable movie about redemption and grief and genuine decency--all difficult things to portray without straying into sentimentality or self-indulgence. And he is brilliant at it. Hats off too to Rosario Dawson and Woody Harrelson too.
- DirectorMarc ForsterStarsJohnny DeppKate WinsletJulie ChristieThe story of Sir J.M. Barrie's friendship with a family who inspired him to create Peter Pan.
- DirectorThea SharrockStarsEmilia ClarkeSam ClaflinJanet McTeerA girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she's taking care of.The unconquerable spirit.
- DirectorJeremy PodeswaStarsStephen DillaneRade SerbedzijaRosamund PikeA child escapes from Poland during World War II and first heads to Greece before coming of age in Canada.A homage to life.
- DirectorGus Van SantStarsMatthew McConaugheyNaomi WattsKen WatanabeA suicidal American befriends a Japanese man lost in a forest near Mt. Fuji and the two search for a way out.
- DirectorScott HicksStarsGeoffrey RushArmin Mueller-StahlJustin BrainePianist David Helfgott, driven by his father and teachers, has a breakdown. Years later he returns to the piano, to popular if not critical acclaim.
- DirectorSue BrooksStarsToni ColletteGotaro TsunashimaLynette CurranAgainst the background of an Australian desert, Sandy, a geologist, and Hiromitsu, a Japanese businessman, play out a story of human inconsequence in the face of the blistering universe. The end of the journey leaves no one capable of going back to where they started from.
- DirectorTaylor SheridanStarsElizabeth OlsenJeremy RennerGraham GreeneA wildlife officer, who is haunted by a tragedy that happened because of him, teams up with an FBI agent in solving a murder of a young woman on a Wyoming Native American reservation and hopes to get redemption from his past regrets.