Ty, could you rec me some movies and/or tv shows you like? :)

YEAH i’m totally down!! I don’t really watch TV though, so this will be a movie rec list! (Also I haven’t watched a lot of movies recently, so a majority of these are from my teenage years)

Movies:

The Fountain (2006): a layered story that interlocks three different timelines/worlds. One takes place during the 16th century where a conquistador is trying to find the Tree of Life in central America, hoping to save Queen Isabella, the second takes place in the 2000s, about a doctor coming to terms with the impending death of his wife, and the third is in the far future, where a lone man is traveling through space with a magic tree. All three timelines star the same two actors, Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, and the significance of that can be interpreted in multiple ways. The movie doesn’t have a solid Hollywood story, so the ending may feel rather unhappy, but the visual themes, music, and acting are amazing. It may seem like a typical “middle age white man pain” story on the outside, but it’s executed well and I personally really enjoy it.

The Hours (2002): based on a novel of the same name, this movie is another triple-layered story. This story revolves around Virginia Wolfe and her novel Mrs. Dalloway: one timeline follows Wolfe trying to write the novel, the second timeline follows a 50s housewife reading the novel, and the third is a 2000s re-telling of the novel. This movie could very likely be considered slow and is practically made up of all soliloquies, but again, superb acting and an overall very emotional journey. There are quite a lot of gay subthemes, with the modern Mrs. Dalloway character (played by Meryl Streep) in a long-standing and committed relationship with another woman, and there are one-sided feelings in the 50s housewife story (the housewife is played by Juliane Moore). There is a weird, potentially incestuous, kiss between Virginia Wolfe (played by Nicole Kidman) and her sister(?), so warnings for that and also lots of talk of suicide (as per accurate of Wolfe). It’s also unfortunately another all-white cast.

The Tale of Two Sisters (2003): a Korean horror movie about two sisters who return home after an extended stay in a mental institution. Their home suffers under a subtly oppressive and supernatural energy, and there are a lot of mysteries creeping about. Complicated relationships are slowly revealed between the sisters, their father, dead mother, and step mother. This story has a lot of twists, and in its center, I actually think it’s more of a tragedy rather than a true horror. I know the surface level of “psychologically troubled sisters in a horror movie” seems very cringe-worthy, but surprisingly the psychoses are treated as a separate entity from the supernatural elements (even if the lines are a bit ambiguous and blurry, there is still a line). The acting in this is amazing and makes much, much more sense when watched through a second time.

Doubt (2008): the screen adaptation of a stage play, Doubt is a very thematic story revolving around a Catholic boarding school and a molestation allegation. The lead nun (played by Meryl Streep) is suspicious of the main pastor (played by Philip Seymour) because of the close relationship he shares with the first Black child to be integrated to their school. The story is fairly simple, but the amount of psychological tension really drives the story, and the viewer’s prejudices are really put to the test. The actors deliver incredible performances, with an amazing, surprise role from Viola Davis as the child’s mother. The movie really leaves you questioning yourself by the end.

Unleashed (2005): my favorite American Jet Li film, and one of the few US movies that actually takes advantage of his incredible acting skills. This story is about a mentally disabled cage fighter, who is kept like a dog by his gang boss. Through circumstances, he gains his freedom and is saved by a blind pianist (played by Morgan Freeman), who teaches him how to live an ordinary life. Of course, his past comes to haunt him and there’s a lot of action scenes, but the core of the movie is very sweet. I also personally have a soft spot for Asian/Black co-leading actors, and movies that focus on positive relationships between the two groups (which Jet Li has also done in Romeo Must Die but the story in that one is kinda lacking). I think what’s incredible about this movie– as a childhood Jet Li fan– is seeing how his acting and personification of the character translates into the martial arts choreography. For someone who rose to stardom as “the elegant fighter,” Jet Li delivers amazing emotional impact as an unhinged and almost beast-like fighter.

Saving Face (2004): I realize most of my movies are heavy I’m so sorry, so here’s a light-hearted movie to balance things out lmao. Saving Face is a Chinese-American lgbt film, starring Michelle J. Krusiec as a lesbian surgeon. Out to her friends, but closeted to her mother and their general Chinese community, the main character falls into the responsibility of caring for her aging mother– who has mysteriously become pregnant. The mother-daughter duo must learn to live together, reconcile their relationship, and deal with losing face together in the light of their unconventional relationships. While the story is mainly focused on the parental relationship, the main character does have a relationship with another woman that receives significant screentime and development. A feel-good film that does have a lot of bilingual scenes, so watching with subtitles will be needed for non-Mandarin speakers.

Animated Movies:(obviously I’ve seen more animated movies than the ones on this list but I don’t see people talk about these films often so I’m gonna rec them)

Wolf Children (2012): the story of a mother who’s left with raising her two, half-wolf children. The movie follows her meeting a werewolf, falling in love with him, losing him, and raising the kids from infancy to middle-school age. The animation house is the same group that produced The Girl Who Lept Through Time and Summer Wars, so the quality is top-notch. The story, while generally slice-of-life, obviously has some supernatural elements to it due to the kids being werewolves, but is still able to retain the evocative nature of a parental coming-of-age story. There are a lot of themes of love and loss, so it’s not a very feel-good film, but the ending leaves quite the impact on the viewer.

Tokyo Godfathers (2003): a dramedy movie from Satoshi Kon, this film follows the story of three homeless people: a teenage girl and two middle-aged adults, an alcoholic father and a former drag-queen (who now identifies as a trans woman). During the Christmas holiday, the three stumble on an abandoned baby, and more or less decide to find the parents. Their journey takes them across Tokyo, through unbelievable and hilarious circumstances, and also through each of their unresolved pasts and motivations. The animation in this movie is amazing, and the story is light but human enough to strike at your emotions. Hana-san, the trans woman, may come across initially as a caricature, but she is treated with respect and humanity just like the other two characters.