Film is a means of escape, allowing you to leave your troubles behind
and lose yourself in a fictional world.
It can also be transformative, drastically changing your mood and
outlook. In fact, the right film can give you a whole new lease of
life.
Naturally, there are a number of films you can watch to vicariously
obtain a greater sense of self-belief and inspiration on how to truly love
yourself. So, in the name of promoting self-love and appreciation through
cinema, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best movies to boost your
self-esteem, lift your spirits and instil a healthy dose of
self-love.
Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (of Mamma Mia! and
The Iron Lady fame), Herself is an earnest and
gripping movie about self-love that takes a sensitive approach to its
social-realist subject matter. This intimate portrait of plight centres
Sandra (Clare Dunne), a cleaner escaping her abusive ex-husband and
seeking a better life for herself and her daughters by building a new
home.
The story could easily be bleak. And, in places, it is. However, the
darkness is illuminated by hope, optimism and even humour. Watching Sandra
get knocked back but persevere again and again is enough to provoke a deep
sense of empowerment in the viewer – and will likely inspire some much
merited self-love.
Women Make Film is Mark Cousins’ 14-hour ode to
female filmmakers. What makes it so captivating is not just its sheer
extensivity – expect to discover many unknown figures from across the
decades – but how it showcases the works of these women creatives
incidentally. Indeed, there is little to no focus on industry sexism: it
is simply a deep dive into the genius of women directors over the
years.
The project is an educational and eye-opening retrospective on the art of
cinema, perfect for lovers of the medium or anyone with an open mind and
an appetite for discovery. While 14 hours of viewing is a commitment even
for the most dedicated cinephile, viewers can, fortunately, watch it in
shorter, more digestible chunks. In Part One, you’ll be invited to
consider the work of two seminal Ukrainian directors,
Larisa Shepitko and Kira Muratova, among others.
One of our favourite movies about self-love and acceptance,
The Peanut Butter Falcon
rivals The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with its spirited evocation of
the American southwest. Set in the North Carolina Outer Banks, it follows
Zak (Zack Gottsagen), an aspiring wrestler with Down’s syndrome who
decides to flee his care home to pursue his dream to attend the Salt Water
Redneck wrestling school.
On his travels, he meets Tyler (Shia LaBeouf), a pensive fisherman
battling to reclaim the fishing patch he lost after his brother’s death.
The two companions – as both characters and actors – bring out the best in
each other. However, with care worker Eleanor (Dakota Johnson) on
their tail, the pair will have to persuade her to come around to their
notions of free living.
What makes the film so uplifting is the tender and playful performances
of the two leads. The role of Zak was specifically written for newcomer
Gottsagen, who impressed the film’s writer-directors immeasurably with his
talent at a camp for actors with disabilities.
In Mia Hansen-Løve’s
Things to Come, Isabelle Huppert brings her most powerful acting tool to the
table: restraint. She plays a philosophy teacher who seeks solace in
intellectual pursuits as she is faced with difficulties in her domestic
life when her husband abandons her for another woman. (‘I thought you’d
love me forever…what an idiot,’ she says, dismayed.) Despite this
infidelity, she ends up liberated and hopeful for, as the title says,
things to come.
A fascinating documentary looking at the life of Belmaya Nepali, a
filmmaker facing challenges in pursuing her craft and maintaining her
safety in a patriarchal Nepalese village.
After taking a photography workshop as a child, she falls in love with
capturing the world through imagery. However, her camera is cruelly prised
from her when she is orphaned and placed in a girls’ home. Later married
with children, she returns to her love of filmmaking and continues to
practise it despite protests from her husband and relatives. Uplifted and
inspired, we see her in action, realising her calling.
While the film also delves into the hardships of Dalit girls living in
Nepal, it revolves around the barrier-breaking Belmaya and her
achievements. Indeed, through her lasting self-belief and ultimate
triumph, viewers will surely find love for themselves and the inspiration
to seize life.
In Claire Denis’ elegant dramedy, which is loosely inspired by
Roland Barthes’ A Lover’s Discourse: Fragments, viewers are taken
for a ride through what love can be in the 21st century.
Juliette Binoche stars as Isabelle, a divorced bohemian living in
Paris, debating whether seeking true love is an unsatisfying distraction
from life or its only worthwhile pursuit. But the film is more than just
casual flings and existential ruminations, it’s also a pure situational
comedy with strokes of experimental genius. Watch out for a cameo from
Gérard Depardieu playing a new-age therapist who advises Isabelle –
and by extension, us – to remain emotionally open.
Director Hong Khaou returned from his six-year hiatus with the
emotionally charged
Monsoon. The hard-hitting film tells the tale of British-Vietnamese Kit (Henry Golding) returning to Vietnam for the first time in 30 years to scatter his
parents’ ashes.
We follow him as he tackles a painful mix of loss, disillusion and
disorientation in his homeland. Spiritually disconnected from his birth
country and unable to speak the language, Kit finds a way to rebuild his
family story and find his feet in his foreign home with the aid of his
cousin.
With an assured and optimistic outcome, the film allows for a renewed
sense of love for who you are and where you came from.
About the author:
Established in 1934,
Curzon is a beloved
UK cinema chain with 15 luxurious screens that showcase the very best of
independent film, international gems and blockbuster entertainment. Its
distribution arm, Curzon Film (formerly Artificial Eye), releases several
high-profile independent films every year, including the 2019 Oscar Best
Picture winner
Parasite. Viewers across the country can access their films anytime via its
streaming service
Curzon Home Cinema.