Another blogger asked for suggestions of movies she should see and why. So I’m going to take her up on the challenge and reply to her, but I thought I’d post them here as well. It’s hard. I could easily list a hundred movies that I’ve enjoyed, or that deeply affected me. But I’ve limited myself to about half a dozen as a beginning. They are (in no particular order):

1. Passion Fish (1992) A story of two women–one recently wheelchair-bound who angrily resists assistance and the reality of her life, the other her nurse attendant, who stubbornly refuses to be driven out because she needs the job–and the transformation of their lives as the relationship evolves into a healing friendship.

2. The Trip to Bountiful (1985) A poignant story of an elderly woman’s “escape” from living with her preoccupied son and stingy daughter-in-law in a cramped apartment, on a journey to visit to her small Texas hometown one last time.

3. The Secret of Roan Inish (1994) A tale of a 10-year-old girl set in beautiful Ireland, who explores the mysteries of a family legend and discovers the magic of an open mind.

4. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) An innocent man is unjustly convicted to a life sentence for the murder of his wife, and demonstrates the importance and resilience of hope within restrictive circumstances.

5. Chocolat (2000) A single mother with a young daughter opens a chocolate shop across the Church in a conservative French town. There is resistance, but over time she wins the hearts of townspeople, and learns that standing her ground rather than fleeing does not compromise her autonomy.

6. Amelie (2001) Sweet, hopeful, quirky Amelie creates meaning in her life by trying to help others and discovers the reward of opening her heart in spite of the risks.

7. Sling Blade (1996) A profoundly moving story on the level of a Greek tragedy, about love and the primitive responses it can evoke.