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

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

#121

Going in a slightly different direction, the two saddest films I have ever seen are 火垂るの墓 / Grave of the Fireflies (1988 - Ghibli - Japan) and Hiss Dokhtarha Faryad Nemizanad / Hush! Girls Don't Scream (2013 - Iran). In both of them you can feel the exact moment when the protagonist loses hope and it really hits you. Both of them deserve a pretty strong warning--I guess the second one more of a true "trigger warning"…

The saddest/most depressing movie I've ever seen is Blue Valentine. It will sweep your last traces of ingenuity.

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

#122

“Fight Club” had such a huge impact on my life that I won’t even mention other films. QUOTES: "This is your life and it's ending one minute at a time." “Generations have been working in jobs they hate, just so they can buy what they don't really need." "You are not special. You are not a beautiful or unique snowflake. You're the same decaying organic matter as everything else." "Getting fired is the best thing that c…

Fight Club is a great film!

But I can't believe how many people watch Fight Club and miss the real message: that Tyler Durden's philosophy is not one to live by, because it doesn't bring you any joy or fulfillment. Too many people watch the movie and see a tour de force of machismo and stick-it-to-the-man ideology, but the movie is really about the negatives of extreme, prolonged toxic masculinity. The Narrator conjures Tyler Durden out of a misplaced idea of what he's "missing" in life, and he suffers greatly for it. Durden is a false prophet, and shouldn't be idolized in the slightest. But tons of people watch the movie and come away wanting to start their own fight clubs, or otherwise emulate the masculine charisma of Durden without ever understanding what it was really all about.

Also ironic that the modern use of "snowflake" (at least in America) originated with Fight Club but has become completely divorced from its intended semantics.

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

#123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another way to watch 'Spirited Away' is from the point of view of child prostitution. https://jpninfo.com/29501

that's an interesting take. and although i can see the fit, i prefer to look at it from a wider lens of children taking the torch from parents, debts and all. the first step of the harrowed journey to adulthood, in this case. you can take prostitution specifically out of it, and still see lots of instances of children being burdened with the idiosyncracies of ancestors and environment. a child overcoming an unspecifi…

IMO one of the reasons that make that movie such a masterpiece is that it can totally 'change' depending on the viewer's perspective.

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

#126
My dad took me to see '2001: A Space Odyssey' when I was about 10. He didn't understand it, I only thought I did, or I didn't care. It was beautiful, magical, it boosted my interest in space and in computers, and got me reading science fiction.

If you frame 'Groundhog Day' as a story of a self-centered man learning how not to be self-centered, I see one framing of my own life's story.

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

#127

Princess Mononoke [1] (1997) had an impact on how I value our environment and also was my gateway into anime [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Mononoke

> and also was my gateway into anime Slightly off topic, any recommendations on that area? I've never checked out any anime besides children shows and would like to see something good, preferably mature and recent, to see if I'm missing out on something cool.

An older anime I liked is Zipang. A modern Japanese navy ship transported back in time to World War 2. They have to decide if they’re going to help their modern day allies, USA, or help defend imperial Japan.

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

#129

Going in a slightly different direction, the two saddest films I have ever seen are 火垂るの墓 / Grave of the Fireflies (1988 - Ghibli - Japan) and Hiss Dokhtarha Faryad Nemizanad / Hush! Girls Don't Scream (2013 - Iran). In both of them you can feel the exact moment when the protagonist loses hope and it really hits you. Both of them deserve a pretty strong warning--I guess the second one more of a true "trigger warning"…

Prior to this, I was relatively meh after hearing about the aggression towards civilians till I saw this "kids" movie. In India, they taught us the atom bombs were the biggest tragedy on humanity but I learned of something worse inflicted in next order of magnitude.

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

#130
I would suggest "The Big Short". It mainly focuses on the huge disaster of the 2008 financial bubble, and what led up to it.

Before watching the movie I had this feeling of how impossible it could have been for so many normal people to be screwed over so royally. The crisis obviously happened, but I lacked the understanding of how something like that could have happened. After the movie it was clear to me how systemic issues can be institutionalized if everyone is willing to look the other way.

Also, if you watch that movie and start hating everyone working with finance I recommend watching "Margin Call" and you'll only hate some people working in finance.

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