“Every
time I go to a movie, it’s magic, no matter what the movie’s about”
Steven
Spielberg
Similarly, to reading, watching movies or TV series can be a brilliant form of escapism! For a lot of people, it’s much easier to get lost in a storyline where it’s visual because you’re not really having to use your imagination and create images from what you’re reading. This can also mean that movies can be more engrossing and powerful than a book. They can really bring forward different moods and emotions depending on the type of movie; comedy, horror, romance… they each can have a different impact on your mental health. So, choosing to watch a comedy when you’re feeling sad and low, can be an act of self-kindness.
So, I thought I’d use this post to talk about my ten favourite movies that cover different aspects of kindness…
(May contain spoilers!)
Honey
“I
found something that I truly love, that truly makes me happy. That’s a million
times better than something that makes you rich.”
Chaz
This dance movie features a lot of acts of kindness towards others with the main character – Honey – organizing a fundraising project for a dance school. I think the storyline is made more wholesome because it’s set in a low-income area of America where gang violence is prominent, so the acts of kindness are even more prominent when considering the environment and background. It really illustrates that kindness shouldn’t face any barriers in so far as race, income, location etc.
Finding
Nemo
“I
promise to never let anything happen to you…”
Marlin
The storyline to this animation has a huge focus on self-sacrifice for those you love and provides the perfect example of how showing some kindness and compassion can build a very positive relationship and provide a great amount of comfort and reassurance for someone. The film also illustrates that being shown kindness and love can also be a great motivation for someone to refuse to be separated from that other person. It shows that they will move heaven and earth to stay together. Kindness is that powerful.
Hotel
For Dogs
“You
know, I think we might be in a little over our heads.”
Andi
With the importance my pets (my bunny, Pixie and kitten, Emmy) have in my life, well, I couldn’t not include a movie that highlights kindness towards animals, could I?! The movie illustrates how rewarding it can be to show an animal love, kindness, and compassion. This storyline also sheds light on self-kindness in promoting that you don’t take on too much and overwork yourself to the point where you’re stressed and anxious, because feeling like that will often mean that you can’t put your best effort and work into something.
Pitch
Perfect
“Make
good choices”
Beca
I feel like Pitch Perfect (actually, all three films in the series!) is a lot about showing self-kindness in accepting yourself and your friends for who they – and you – are. There’s a lot on why we should celebrate individuality and the importance of being original in a world where there’s so many sheep and people jumping on the bandwagon. It also illustrates that showing kindness and compassion in accepting someone can really build their confidence and influence them in achieving their goals and aiming for their dreams.
iZombie
“We
might lose faith sometimes, but you can’t give up on family. It might be the
most important thing we’ve got”
Liv
I wouldn’t have said that iZombie is particularly focused on ‘family’ but after finding this quote and thinking about it, the Netflix show kind of is! It’s actually the perfect illustration of how you can find your ‘family’ anywhere you go; they don’t have to be blood relatives to qualify to share an unconditional love and support for one another. I’ve always had a very small traditional family and it’s got even smaller over the years, so I’ve sort of filled the gaps with friends, their families, colleagues, and organizations who I’d consider deserving of being family! No matter who your ‘family’ is made up of, kindness is one of the most important qualities that you show to one another.
Greys
Anatomy
“I’m
all glued back together now. I make no apologies for how I chose to repair what
you broke!”
Meredith
Grey
With this series being a medical drama, there were a ton of quotes and examples 0n kindness from the Doctors to the patients, but I wanted to focus on something a bit different so I chose this one; which, I think, is about self-kindness. It’s a good example that we should all have the attitude that accepting responsibility only goes so far, and it’s important to recognize that we are not always 100% blameworthy of our response to the actions and attitude of others.
The Trials
of Gabriel Fernandez
“It’s
in the looking away when you have a power to make the difference, that is true
evil!”
Astrid
Heppenstall Heger, MD
There’ll probably be some people thinking that I’m definitely a ‘look-on-the-bright-side’ type of person after choosing this series in a post about kindness… I mean, the obvious theme it illustrates is child abuse and the failings of professionals. And of course, Gabriel’s story definitely does that, but I’d also like for those things to highlight the necessity of kindness and of looking out for one another.
Beauty
and the Beast
“And
for once it might be grand, to have someone understand”
Belle
This classic Disney film is more obviously about kindness, with the storyline of the Prince being turned into a Beast because he failed to show any kindness or the insight that beauty can be on the inside – something that the Beast then spends the film slowly learning. The film greatly depicts that a bit of kindness and compassion can be life changing, because it can make you into a better person who is worthy of love, affection, and respect.
Frozen
“Some
people are worth melting for!”
Olaf
Similarly to Harry Potter in the previous post, Frozen really illustrates the power that kindness can have over evil and hatred. The magical abilities that one of the main characters has can be so damaging that it was essential she discover something that will overpower them, and it should be no surprise that love and kindness was found to be the answer!
I
hope that this post has inspired you to watch some of the TV seasons and films
mentioned or to use movies and TV as an act of self-kindness.