Movie Recommendations - January

Dead Poets Society

“Seize the day, boys. Make life extraordinary.”

Peter Weir's Dead Poets Society is a striking movie that's bound to leave you in utter awe of its impeccable storytelling and character depiction. The story follows a group of young high school boys preparing to move out to college. All tides turn when the all-boys Welton Academy's halls witness the entrance of a new English teacher – John Keating (Robin Williams) – who challenges the traditional school of thought and way of living. With his unorthodox and eccentric teaching methods, Keating brings about the importance of "Carpe Diem" or "Seize the Day." He encourages his students to embark on a journey of self-discovery, fight against the status quo's norms, think for themselves, and never miss a fleeting opportunity. The film uncovers the hardships of adolescent life – the constant dilemma between "The heart wants what it wants" and "I need to live up to the expectations set forth me." It's genuine and heartfelt, like a strike of lightning – beautiful yet destructive. Robin Williams, at the height of his powers, delivers a brilliant performance that leaves you laughing, crying, and lost in thought. The Dead Poet's Society lives up to its hype and keeps you thoroughly engaged throughout the film. It's the perfect binge for anyone looking for something real, something relatable, something happy yet tear-jerking at the same time.

Eighth Grade

"What was in there?” “Nothing, really. Um.. Just sort of my hopes and dreams.”

We've all had embarrassing, awkward, and cringe-worthy experiences as teenagers, experiences that we wouldn't want to be reminded of or relive again, not in a million years. But Bo Burnham, with his first feature film – "Eighth Grade" invites you to tag along with Kayla Day (Elsie Fisher), a graduating middle schooler, as she navigates her chaotic life and juggles through puberty, peer pressure, and social media. Mr. Burnham takes a raw and frank approach with this film, delivering work that pulls on your heartstrings. Elsie Fisher does a phenomenal job in portraying the awkward fumbles of 'ums' and 'ahs' the character of Kayla is made up of. Kayla on the web is an extroverted, happy-go- lucky girl who posts advice videos on "How to be yourself" or "How to be Confident" while in reality, she's starkly different from her online persona. As a matter of fact, she's even tagged as the "most quiet" girl in her grade.

We watch Kayla fight with her overprotective dad, practice conversations in front of the mirror, have silly crushes on boys, and tackle anxiety issues. These are the moments when Kayla Day becomes real – she's me, she's you, and she's the girl next door. We've all been Kayla Day at some point. Eighth grade is a breath of fresh air, with a pinch of salt that resonates with the teenagers of the modern world. The movie is unconventional, relatable, and entertaining – making it a perfect pick for those lazy Sunday afternoons.

The Edge of Seventeen

“Life’s about taking risks, don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”

The Edge of Seventeen is a coming-of-age dramedy that takes you down the memory lane and makes you relive all your blissful and bittersweet teenage memories. The movie centres around the life of a socially awkward teenager – Nadine – who is on a journey of self-acceptance and suffers to find her identity. The movie does justice to the genre by wittily weaving together various themes of anger, love, friendship, family, and anxiety. Nadine's (Hailee Steinfeld) already miserable life takes a full swing for the worse when she discovers that her only childhood friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson) is involved with her brother Darian (Blake Jenner), whom she absolutely loathes, horrifying her and putting all her relationships into jeopardy. The cast and the directors put up an exemplary performance by pulling all the right strings and crafting characters that are authentic and full of life. Nadine's intriguing encounters and clashes with her loving yet turbulent mother, impeccable history teacher, perfect brother, and nerdy classmate help her get out of her preconceived realities, raise her self-esteem, and start afresh. The Edge of Seventeen is poignant, insightful, and funny – and definitely not worth missing out on!

Spirited Away

“Once you’ve met someone, you never really forget them. It just takes a while for your memories to return.”

Inspired by the Japanese folklore, the master storyteller – Hayao Miyazaki – curated Spirited Away with a captivating storyline, stunning visuals, and a mesmerizing soundtrack that leaves the viewers spellbound. This movie boasts the titles of being the only foreign language and hand-drawn film to have won the Best Animated Feature at the Academy Awards and the largest grossing-film in Japanese history. The movie takes you on an unforgettable ride to a fantasy land full of mystical creatures like dragons, witches, and monsters, enchanting you among its subtly conceived characters. Spirited Away revolves around the life of a stubborn and naïve 10-year-old girl – Chihiro – who stumbles across and gets trapped in an unknown land, forced to work at a bathhouse by an evil witch. Bearing the responsibility of finding her loved ones and, most importantly, searching for her own identity in the world of spirits while befriending other creatures, Chihiro transforms from a whiny and pessimistic child into a strong, responsible, and independent lady. Miyazaki narrates the story from the perspective of young Chihiro but compels the viewers to dwell deep into the multifaceted themes of life death, good-evil, love-sacrifice, anger-hope, search for strength, and identity, that are flawlessly imbibed in the movie. Spirited Away is a true masterpiece created entirely out of imagination and one that you will want to revisit with open arms.

The Breakfast Club

“We're all bizarre, some of us are just better at hiding it. That's it.”

Any coming-of-age movie list would be incomplete without John Hughes – the director who pioneered the genre of teen dramedies by combining cheesy humour with harsh realistic depictions of teenage lives. The Breakfast Club is the quintessential 80's teenage dramedy that explores themes of individuality, parental authority, and societal stereotypes. The film revolves around five high school kids who are summoned by their despised principal to attend a Saturday detention. The film plays on the teenage literary stereotypes by labelling the characters as – the jock, the nerd, the princess, the outcast, and the rebel. The characters – Andrew, Brian, Claire, Allison, and Bender – are shoe boxed into their respective archetypes and spend the majority of the film trying to live up to these assumptions. However, as the group bands together to rebel against the principal, they begin to bond over their similarities and learn to become friends. The stereotypical assumptions gradually fade away and ultimately shatter, revealing the inner turmoil of these characters. In fact, the theme of 'shattering' is evident from the very first frame of the film when the title card shatters onto itself to reveal the fictional Shermer High School, the place where all the chaos later ensues. The Breakfast Club provides a warm, insightful, and comedic look into the lives of the oh-so mythical creatures that are the American adolescents by blending together witty dialogue, social commentary, and most importantly, a bombastic 80s soundtrack.

Edited By

Shivom Dixit - 4 BBA B

Rimjhim Agrawal - 2 BBA F

Ananyaa Maheshwari - 2 BBA F

Designed By

Lavesh Karwa - 2 BBA A