Ask HN: Films that made you see the world differently?

I randomly saw it one night on PBS. I thought I had caught it in the middle of the movie, not realizing I turned it on the moment it started. I was pretty young and had no real interest in literature, the arts, whatever. But it looked neat "hey a dude in a castle" ... and I realized ... I kinda understood it. I couldn't explain it word for word in plain English, but I got the metaphors and the story enough hand was hooked. It opened up a world to me that I didn't think was within reach.

Certainly doesn't hurt that the film is absolutely packed with great actors.

Dead Poets Society (1989 film)

Bunch of kids find inspiration at a stuffy school from a special teacher and some poetry that they might have otherwise found to be stuffy and simply passed over had they not looked at it differently.

A great movie about an impressive commander. Key takeaways for me were:

1. Don't assume that because someone isn't very personable that they are bad at their job.

2. Have the courage to have a strong sense of duty.

3. Lead from the front.

4. Be willing to learn from people you dislike (Patton read Rommel's book on tank tactics, to his great advantage).

I show people Samsara to demonstrate how a movie can have an incredibly powerful message without saying a single word.

like all of the best wuxia, the fight scenes are dances that metaphorically relate interpersonal conflict and resolution. also, raw ambition and talent without vision and principle leads to (self-)destruction.

bonus edit: spirited away

a young girl comes of age by bridging the spirit world. a child apprehensive of change, an ethereal melancholy, ancestral and karmic deference for life. it’s a masterpiece.