Films can contribute towards making one feel better or worse. On one hand, films can make one feel like they are on top of the world, whereas, on the other hand, they might emotionally drain oneself making them feel worse. Most of the times, true events or biographies of people portrayed as commercial movies can move audiences to a massive extent, motivating and inspiring millions through the visual art of creative story telling.
Here are five absolutely breadth-taking and brilliantly made biopics that you must see before it’s too late:
1. Schindler’s List (1993):
This is a film about Oskar Schindler (Liam Neeson), a German businessman who saves the lives of more than a thousand Polish-Jewish refugees during the Holocaust by employing them in factories. It is a rather interesting movie because it portrays the brutal reality of just how evil people can be. It deeply portrays how the Nazis, could be seen losing their sense of humanity within themselves and moreover, beginning and continuing to dehumanize the refugees. It’s a definite must watch because of it’s realistic and brutal portrayal of events.
2. The Blind Side
“The Blind Side” is based on the Baltimore Ravens offensive left tackle Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron). Although, at first the film does resemble “a white saviour movie”, the film is so well-portrayed focussing on several real-time issues of racial discrimination, stereotypes and mental schemas, altruism in the real world, single parenthood, and many more. Most of these issues are so relevant even in society today. The fact that this film is a biopic, has inspired, made millions aware, and motivated several viewers to attain a sense of responsibility, understanding and empathy towards themselves and society.
3. Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures” is the perfect portrayal of breaking the glass ceiling. It pays tribute the protagonists by doing the opposite of what several biopics usually do, it looks closely at the remarkable person in the context of a community. This film brilliantly addresses issues of racism and sexism without glorifying the intensity of them. The tiny details of how one of the protagonists runs for forty minutes every day in high heels just to use the “coloured restroom”, the subjects using “coloured coffee”, and how many films are about women working in NASA? Try answering this question, ‘How many women or girls have you seen in India who pursue Mathematics and Engineering?’, Just a handful, isn’t it? This makes it more relevant in the Indian context as well, which makes it even more important for you to watch this brilliant film.
4. A Beautiful Mind
There have been numerous films on portraying mental disorders, but only a handful have been knowledgably portrayed. However, “A Beautiful Mind” is one such film. The film “A Beautiful Mind” characterizes the story of the brilliant mathematician John Forbes Nash who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. With the usage of violent content including profane language, this film offers a detailed and realistic aspect, helping viewers understanding mental illness especially schizophrenia. There are several issues pertaining to victims and witnesses of mental illness that are so cleverly portrayed during the film. This is a definite must-watch which will leave you with different perspectives and aspects of people with mental illnesses.
5. Milk
This is the story of Harvey Milk and his struggles as an American gay activist who fought for gay rights and became California's first openly gay elected official. If you haven’t already watched “Milk”, you seriously need to soon. Although, “openly homosexual” films might be banned in India due to ridiculous reasons, “Milk” is an absolute must-watch, not only because of it’s martyr-like themes but for the fact that this could be anybody. In a country where homosexuality is considered a “disease”, this movie is unquestionably refreshing to watch, introspect and certainly ponder upon. It breaks stereotypes, inspires millions of viewers and contributes unconditionally on the marginalized sections of the society.
Now that you have your list in place with respect to the biopics you definitely must watch, I guarantee that it’s going to be an absolute treat watching these amazing actors perform and portray stunningly incredible characters through films.